Slade Wilson was a former member of the League of Assassins who once served as Ra's al Ghul's right-hand and future heir until his dishonorable actions deemed him unworthy. Despite killing his former mentor and briefly seizing control of the League, Slade soon became the contract killer known as Deathstroke. He is an enemy of Batman and the arch-enemy of the current Robin.
Biography[]
Flashpoint[]
Slade Wilson or Deathstroke, in the distorted timeline of the 'Flashpoint' event, was the captain of the Ravager. Deathstroke and Lex Luthor set out to find Aquaman's 'Doomsday Device', but the ship was attacked by an Atlantean army led by Aquaman. Deathstroke, with his superior fighting skills, cut through hoards of Atlanteans before confronting Aquaman. He managed to overpower Garth and Kaldur'ahm but afterward was killed by Black Manta's optic blasts.
Post-Flashpoint[]
It is revealed that before becoming Deathstroke, Slade killed Ben Turner's fiancée, inspiring Turner to become the vigilante known as Bronze Tiger.
Originally a member of the League of Assassins, Deathstroke was Ra's al Ghul's right-hand man and future successor until his actions deemed him unworthy in Ra's' eyes. Feeling denied of his right as Ra's successor, Deathstroke staged as coup d'état to kill Ra's and take his power. After defeating Ra's, Damian Wayne appeared to protect his grandfather, managing to stab Deathstroke's right eye out, which fuels his vendetta against the boy. After escaping with help from Ubu, Deathstroke went to Kirk Langstrom to work on a project initiated by Ra's al Ghul to use Langstrom's Man-Bat gene splicing formulas on members of the League. He kidnapped Langstrom's family and Talia as insurance against Langstrom and Damian. Later, Deathstroke shot Talia and engaged in combat with Bruce Wayne briefly but was defeated. Batman resuscitated Talia in the Lazarus Pit, while Deathstroke and Robin engaged in a fight which ended with Deathstroke defeated. He incited Damian to kill him, but the latter eventually refused, as not killing would be what his father would prefer. Immediately, Damian left Deathstroke at the mercy of the waters. He was last seen while sinking to the depth of the seas, apparently drowning in the process.[1]
The Judas Contract[]
It's revealed that he survived his encounter with Damian through the Lazarus Pit, and takes on the contract to capture the Titans from Brother Blood to get revenge on him.
In the H.I.V.E. base, Mother Mayhem is contacted by him, who tells her that the Titans are about to break into the facility. Mayhem considers the warning not necessary but is told by him that believing or not is up to her. He signs off, leaving her annoyed. At a cemetery, Brother Blood talks to the graves as if the people in them were still alive. This unnerves Slade; he has no problem with the meeting place, but he is not liking the idea of his client talking to himself. Blood explains to Deathstroke he speaks to the dead, for no matter how rotted the corpse, there is still a wisp of life in them; sometimes enough to bring them back to life. This is something Deathstroke is familiar with due to seeing Ra's al Ghul cheat death with a Lazarus Pit numerous times. They get to business; Blood asks the timeline be moved up a week. When Slade points out it's not in their contract, Blood offers to pay double as compensation. When asked if he can keep up his end of the deal, the capture of the Teen Titans, Deathstroke nods solemnly.
Late he surprises Damian and Terra, taunting Robin for sounding so caring. "Well look what Hell spit up." Robin guesses that Slade got to a Lazarus Pit before he could die; Slade confirms the theory, adding that frequent bathing in it has improved his muscle tone to the point he can smash holes in concrete. Robin tells Terra to run, charging Slade with his blade; however, Slade notes that his time with the Titans has softened his battles skills as he no longer seeks to kill his opponents. Catching Slade in an arm-lock, Robin is knocked off by Terra. Being swallowed by the roof, Robin yells at her for betraying them. However, Terra smirks that implies she wasn't ever on their side.
Damian has been trapped in a wall in Deathstroke's lair by Terra. Damian constantly baits Slade with the hope that he'll be dumb enough to let him out; however, it seems the Batman tactics won't work. Beating him for fun, Slade tells Damian that he will have revenge for the League of Assassins choosing Damian over him for the next Demon's Head by killing the Titans. Slade is later visited by Terra, who is wearing makeup and see-through pink nightgown to seduce him. Ignoring this, Slade tells Terra is was risky to attempt contacting him. Terra retorts it's because Robin is always suspicious. Deathstroke notes it's normal for Robin, replacing the damaged contact lens camera in her right eye. As he does this, Terra has a flashback: he powers caused people to view her as a demon and a witch, and they attempted to kill her out of fear. However, she was saved by Deathstroke, who took her in and trained her; as a result, Terra loves him.
Beast Boy and Terra share a kiss, which Terra actually meant; however, Deathstroke thinks it was just a play. Deathstroke shows Damian all the pictures Beast Boy sent, just to annoy him. He notes that it's a shame he doesn't have more time to break him; in a month, he'd have Damian calling him papa and bringing him his pipe. Deathstroke tries sending a reply but realizes Damian is more of a jerk; he promptly sends a rude text. He is contacted by Terra, who informs Slade that the Titans are planning to capture the scientist working on the energy drain machine for Blood. A barely functioning drone comes back online and swiftly kills the scientist with a laser shot through the chest; it was being controlled by Deathstroke. Slade captured Beast Boy by tricking him into going to a podcast with Kevin Smith where there's nothing but a big red button labeled "Do Not Press!" Naturally, he presses it, which sends several sedative darts into his chest while he captured Jaimie by when Jaimie chair at the Soup Kitchen is electrocuted (similar to how Cyborg was captured by Slade in the comics).
At Nightwing's apartment, Deathstroke attacks. Nightwing falls out of the window, saving himself from a deadly drop in the cost of dislocating his shoulder from grabbing a ledge. Deathstroke follows him, attempting to knock him out. Fed up with the chase, Deathstroke shoots him, knocking Nightwing into the river. At his lair, Robin attempts to reason with Terra; he tries convincing her that Deathstroke is using the League of Assassins methods to brainwash her. Annoyed, she almost kills him until Slade stops her; noting she can see why he wants Robin dead, Terra leaves. When Terra goes to her room to pack her stuff. Slade comforts her, explaining that being under deep cover for a year would leave her with some attachment to the Titans; however, once the contract with Blood is over, the two of them can be together.
They take the Titans to Blood's HQ, where the Titans are strapped to a machine the inhibits their powers; while the other Titans are restrained, Hearing Blood's speeches and the cult's cheers above, Terra notes the place creeps her out; Deathstroke agrees, telling her to wait a little longer. The Titans come, with Deathstroke taunting them. He then reveals Terra's betrayal, noting "there's not lot a grey area there" when it comes to her personality. Blood arrives moments later, explaining that their contract cannot be completed unless a sixth Titan is attached to the machine; he cannot drain their powers unless the machine has an even number of victims. Slade offers Terra, much to her horror and anger; drugged, she is hooked up to the machine in Nightwing's place. Blood pays Slade, who utters "Hallelujah."
At the ceremony Seeing the Titans trying to get free, Deathstroke advises Blood to hurry before the machine gets broken and the Titans enact some revenge. Blood begins siphoning the Titans powers, growing stronger. However, Nightwing drops in and damages the controls before Blood can fatally drain his teammates. An explosion occurs, scaring the cultists into fleeing. With the exception of Terra, the Titans free themselves. They are surprised by Blood, who has turned into a chimera of their powers. Robin and Nightwing chase after Deathstroke, both hoping for some payback. Terra wakes as the Titans fight, becoming blinded by a blood-lust towards Slade for betraying her; she blocks Robin and Nightwing and tries crushing Slade.[2] Terra then brings down the whole area on top of him for revenge, leaving his fate once again uncertain.
Personality[]
Slade is seen as arrogant, egotistical, and vengeful towards those who wronged him. This is evident in his belief that he sees himself as the rightful heir to lead the League of Assassins and that Ra's wrongfully expelled him. It is seen again in regards to Damian, as he believed he took his rightful place and continually seeks to kill him even after taking over the League. But at the same time Wilson can also be quite flirtatious, this is shown when he started flirting with Starfire. He also holds great confidence in his abilities, as he believed he could easily defeat Ra's al Ghul in combat. After his supposed demise, he adopts more of a mercenary-like demeanor, being motivated by money. While he shows affection towards Terra, he was more than willing to give her to Brother Blood, further displaying his desire for money than affection. He still holds a grudge against Damian for everything he had done to him, not passing up an opportunity to hit him while he was his prisoner.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Lazarus Enhancement: After his baths in the Lazazus Pit, Slade's physiology has been improved.
- Superhuman Strength: After continuous baths in the Lazarus Pits, Slade's strength has increased drastically, with he himself stating that it improved his muscle tone. His strength has improved to the point where he can shatter rock with a single punch.
Abilities[]
- Peak Human Condition: Due to his training with the League of Assassins, Slade was in peak human condition.
- Master Combatant: Deathstroke was highly skilled in melee, unarmed and close quarter combat, enough to battle Ra's Al Ghul. However, he was easily knocked unconscious in a short fight with Batman and Robin managed to use the environment to beat Slade twice.
- Master Swordsman: Slade was very capable in swordsmanship, able to fight Robin evenly in two sword fights.
- Expert Marksman: Aside from melee weapons, Slade also has an affinity with ranged weapons, especially firearms.
- Skilled Leader: Deathstroke was proficient in leadership, able to lead an army of mercenaries to overthrow the League of Assassins.
- Expert Killer/Hunter: Deathstroke easily pierced Damian's arms as seen in Son of Batman.
Equipment[]
- Deathstroke suit:
- Guns:
- Dual Swords:
- Ballistic staff:
Appearances[]
Films[]
- Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
- Son of Batman
- Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
- Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (flashback)
Trivia[]
- In terms of the overall storyline, Slade serves as a minor character in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the main antagonist of Son of Batman, the secondary antagonist of Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, and a posthumous antagonist in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.
- It is possible that Slade's vocal chords were damaged as his base under the oil rig exploded, which would explain why his voice was deeper in The Judas Contract.
- Furthermore, it is also unknown what happened to his soldiers, as they were never seen in The Judas Contract and Slade planned to form his own League of Assassins with Blood's money, despite having already taken over a portion of the League in Son of Batman.
- It is only in this continuity that Slade was a member of the League of Assassins.
- It is unknown if he was in the US Army like his comic book counterpart. It is also unknown if he has his comic book counterpart's enhancements.
- Slade and Terra's relationship hints at being intimate (just like in the comics), but it is then revealed that he was selling her a dream just to get her to do the job.
- It is unknown if Slade knew his son was a part of the Church of Blood, although it could be theorized that he never knew his son existed.
- Slade's third voice actor, Miguel Ferrer, died of throat cancer in January 2017, three months prior to The Judas Contract's release.
- His appearance in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is identical to the one used in Young Justice: Outsiders.
References[]
- ↑ Lansdale, Joe R., Robinson, James (writers) & Spaulding, Ethan (director) (April 22, 2014). Son of Batman.
- ↑ Altbacker, Ernie (writer) & Liu, Sam (director) (April 4, 2017). Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.