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As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
- Deathstroke is not who I am. It's my job and I love it. Viewed from a certain angle, I can come off looking like quite the bad egg. A real villain. A mass-murdering psychopathic killer, even. But that depends on who's describing me. Dead men don't talk. They sure as hell don't gossip. I think I'm a heck of a good guy, actually. My name is Slade Wilson. And I love adventure.
- — Deathstroke src
Slade Wilson, known by his codename, Deathstroke, was an elite mercenary, commonly considered the world's greatest and deadliest assassin.
History
Early Life and Career
Originally, Slade was the son of Nathaniel Wilson, a low-time criminal who constantly moved from city to city when he couldn't afford to pay off his debts with the mob. Nathaniel ultimately gave Slade to the mob to settle his debts. This was later retconned where Slade's now the son of Charles Wilson.
Slade had a rough childhood with a father who regularly abused him. Slade's mother wasn't in his life, having abandoned him and his father and later committed suicide.[5] Though Slade wanted to run away from his father, he couldn't afford to and instead chose to suffer through his father's abuse until he became of age to enlist.[6] While in high school, Slade was a member of his schools fencing team.[7]
When Slade was seventeen,[8] he joined the US Army, having lied about his age in order to do so. He proved to be an exceptional soldier, earning decorations for valor in combat. During this period, he married fellow soldier Adeline Kane; later, they would raise a son, Grant together. During this time, he also became associated with David Isherwood and William Randolph Wintergreen. Slade also became acquainted with John Lynch, encountering him in Paraguay alongside Alexander Fairchild; afterwards, both men owed Lynch a debt.
Team 7
Slade and Fairchild later did some mercenary work together, something they described as 'babysitting arms dealers', before both were selected for the covert-operations unit code-named Team 7.[9], with Lynch's operatives Dinah and Kurt Lance being sent to recruit them.[10]
Before taking the name "Deathstroke", Slade operated with Team 7, a team created to secure The Majestic Project - a plan to control future metahuman threats.[11] The team's time together ended in tragedy following a mission in Gamorra; the team was shuttered, and its members went their separate ways. Over the course of the team's brief tenure, Slade unknowingly endured genetic manipulation, seemingly triggering a latent healing ability.
Year One
ACTH Experiments
Later, Slade volunteered for an experimental procedure, one that the government hoped would turn him into the perfect soldier. The project, based on a derivative of ACTH, had unexpected results; upon first waking Slade flew into a rage, attacking the soldiers and scientists around him before being subdued. The treatment was unstable and his body reacted with a fit of hyperadrenalism, resulting in him spending weeks passing in and out of consciousness, watched over by longtime associates William Wintergreen and David Isherwood. Months later, he was able to visit his wife and son, but unexpectedly fell unconscious.
He was in a coma for an indeterminate period of time, only vaguely able to perceive his environment. He later woke up, and was given the all-clear; the ACTH program was scrapped, with Slade given a full pension. After his recovery, Slade took a private security job protecting a rich client, but realized very quickly that he hated the job. He began sneaking out of his home in the evening, testing his limits in bar fights against ever-growing scores of criminals. After about a month of this, he was arrested. Adeline gave him an ultimatum- choose their son, or continue with his behavior.
First Contract
Slade chose his family, but during an outing with Grant, he was approached by William Walsh, a member of the team that had been working on the ACTH trials. Walsh revealed that he had been keeping an eye on Slade, and that out of the hundreds of men who underwent the ACTH trials, Slade was the only survivor. He explained that all records of the program had been purged, but one of the scientists, Francis Campbell, intended to testify about the experiments to Congress, an action which would put Slade and his family in the firing line. Though he would not reveal his employer, Walsh implied that he was representing the US Military, and offered Slade a million dollars to 'stop' Campbell from testifying. Slade accepted.[12]
He left his family, telling Adeline that he was going on a hunting trip; she reluctantly accepted, hoping that the trip would help get Slade back to was before the experiments. Slade and his erstwhile cohort Wintergreen traveled to the home of longtime associate David Isherwood, where they obtained an experimental Promethium suit, developed by Isherwood as part of a joint US/Canadian military venture using materials developed by S.T.A.R. Labs. Though unhappy of the suit's orange mask and gloves, Slade accepted the suit and proceeded with his mission.
With Wintergreen planting explosives outside, Slade besieged the building, taking advantage of the distraction and power outage created by the explosion. Slade made his way inside, tearing through the agents defending Campbell before being unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of Green Arrow, who fired an arrow into Deathstroke's gun, jamming it. The vigilante told Campbell to head to the roof, and that he would hold the fledgling mercenary at bay.[13]
Afterwards, Slade began to operate under the Deathstroke identity as a mercenary for hire, eventually becoming known as the world's greatest and deadliest assassin.[14]
First Encounter with Batman
Deathstroke first encountered Batman after he accepted a hit on Robin. Just as he was about to fire, Batman intervened and they fought on the rooftops of Gotham. He revealed his benefactor paid in advance, showing a green duffel bag filled with money. During the fight, the money scattered and Deathstroke began laughing uncontrollably.[15] As he realized his benefactor was the Joker, he abandoned his original mission and escaped, vowing to kill the Joker in retaliation. He broke into a poker game and accosted the Joker, but Batman managed to save the Joker and apprehend him. Knowing he's in no condition to fight Batman, Deathstroke escaped. The next morning, he awakened with no memory of the previous night. Billy Wintergreen informed he did not finish the contract, hence they both agreed to keep it a secret to maintain his reputation.[16]
War of Jokes and Riddles
During Batman's second year of vigilantism in what would be called the "War of Jokes and Riddles", Deathstroke, still a rising assassin, joined the Riddler's team against the Joker for control of Gotham and the privilege to kill Batman. Deathstroke first met his combative equal when he fought against one of Joker's soldiers - the assassin Deadshot. Deathstroke and Deadshot fought for a total of five days, killing 62 civilians that were caught in their crossfire, before being stopped by Batman.[17]
Children
Slade eventually fathered another son, named Joseph with Adeline. Unknowingly, some of Slade's altered genetics would be passed on to Joseph. He also fathered a bastard daughter, Rose with the Hmong prositute Lilian Worth.
At some point during their childhoods, Slade went camping with his sons, Grant and Joseph. While Joseph enjoyed himself, Grant refused to camp and slept in the car during the night, exhausting the car battery and stranding the three in the wilderness in the middle of winter. When Slade reprimanded Grant, he snapped at Slade. Before he could abuse him, Grant stormed off while Slade and Joseph began walking in a different direction to find a town. Grant eventually ran into a mother bear. Before the bear can reach him, Slade, having followed Grant, killed it, then scolded his son; partly for not knowing he was toward it in the first place, and partly for not being able to flee. Wintergreen then arrived to pick up Slade for a contract in Qurac. He admonished Slade's parenting methods, but he still believed Grant should have been able to take care of himself. Before leaving, He went to kill the bear cubs nearby, thinking it better than not having a mother.[3]
Contracting in the Underlife
Still fresh as an assassin for hire. Slade would do some freelance work as a Leviathan work study, becoming a contract killer of such renown that even Talia Al Ghul proprietor and creator of the organization had acknowledged his accomplishments as one of the best killers in the Underlife.[18]
Eventually. The Terminator would be contracted to protect a Leviathan underboss named Guile, whom Tallia wished eliminated to prevent him exposing her burgeoning organization to local authorities. She would send the crime societies best cleaner out to dispatch the whistleblower, putting The Silencer in direct conflict with Deathstroke. Resulting in the destruction of Guiles abode, his family and any telemetry of stability within the Underlife itself. Mr. Wilson himself stating this action would cause an upheaval in criminal circuit later on.
Later Career
At a young age, Rose was 'rescued' from Vietnam by Slade and Billy Wintergreen, Slade killing her mother in the process,[19] while Slade's child with Adeline, Joseph, was kidnapped and had his throat slit by operatives working for the Jackal. This resulted in a rift between Slade and Adeline, and Adeline's strong dislike of Rose.[20]
Slade's son, Grant, would later be recruited by H.I.V.E. in an effort to manipulate Slade himself. Grant was given genetic treatments to grant him similar abilities to his father and took on the name Ravager. However, these treatments were unstable, and, during the fight with the New Teen Titans, Grant's heart gave out. Following Grant's death, Slade swore a vendetta against the Titans.[21] Though his surviving son, Joseph, would join the Titans as Jericho, Slade waged a war against the Titans, going so far as to manipulate the young metahuman Tara Markov into joining the team as a double agent. During this period, he also engaged in an inappropriate relationship with the underage Tara, though he would later make a point of stating that he never slept with her, and that he only used the possibility of a relationship to manipulate her.
Over the years, he and his family would continue a complex relationship with the Titans. At one point, he made a deal with Dick Grayson, offering a reduction his attacks against the Titans in exchange for Dick training his daughter, Rose.[21]
Eventually, when the world's collective memory of the Teen Titans was erased in order to defeat a powerful demon masquerading as Mister Twister, Slade would not only forget the Titans, but the true circumstances of his son's death.
New 52
Gods of War
Slade went to Russia to fulfill a contract against a man named "Possum", which turned out to be a set-up. Slade became badly injured from Possum's backup. Bleeding heavily, Slade tried to remember the name of the man he's to see; an older man called I-Ching. He found his way to the place, and collapsed. Slade woke, healed by the man, and sensed something had changed in him. He soon realized that, somehow, I-Ching had made him young again. Slade began searching around, and found the hologram of a masked swordsman. A voice from behind him explained that this man was just a hologram of Deathstroke's next target, Odysseus. The man introduced himself as Red Fury.[22]
Slade later found out that Odysseus was his resurrected father, and scientists had used Slade's son, Jericho, to do this.[23]
After being led by Harley Quinn to the likely location of his children Rose and Jericho. They had been taken to Gotham International Airport, where their grandfather Odysseus and the League of Assassins deliberated on whether they should kill Rose. Jericho became agitated, warning them away from his sister. To force Odysseus' hand, he began attacking his own body from the inside, knowing that if he died, Odysseus' plan is ruined. Under pressure, Odysseus put his own mask on Jericho and absorbed the remains of his psychic power before he could die.[24]
Deathstroke and Harley soon intervened and rescued his children. Banishing the fact that he was fighting his father from his mind, Slade attacked him as an enemy. When Odysseus knocked off Slade's helmet, he didn't recognize him as his son, thanks to the de-aging he underwent. Therefore he assumed that this must be an impostor. Slade assured him that he was the real deal, skewering his father on a protruding piece of scrap metal, killing him.[24]
Godkiller
Slade was eventually approached by the Olympian blacksmith god, Hephaestus, for a job unlike any other job he had ever done; to assassinate a titan. Slade accepted the offer and is armed with a magical sword, called the Godkiller. Armed by Hephaestus, Slade set out to kill a god, the titan, Lapetus.[25]
Robin
Deathstroke encountered Damian Wayne, a.k.a Robin, when he was sent after Maya Ducard. Damian intervened when Slade attacked Maya, and the two engaged in a fight. Robin led Slade into a tomb, where he was caught off guard by the traps, allowing Damian to get distance. After Deathstroke managed to escape, Damian then paid him off.[26]
Sinestro Corps
Because of his ability to instill great fear in others, at some point Slade was chosen as a suitable candidate to wield a Yellow Lantern Ring, and was temporarily recruited into the Sinestro Corps.[27]
Green Arrow
Slade encountered Green Arrow once more when he was hired to find Doctor Miracle, a man who's blood could heal anything. Slade ran into Oliver when he arrived in Africa to retrieve Doctor Miracle, where Oliver was attempting to do the same. The two engaged in a fight that Slade ultimately won. He then impaled Oliver with his sword, seemingly killing him, although Oliver survived due to Slade being unaware that the blade had some of Doctor Miracle's blood on it.[28]
League of Assassins
With his daughter, Rose, on the verge of death, Slade was made an offer by Ra's al Ghul. Ra's told Slade that if he swore his allegiance to the League of Assassins, he would heal his daughter. Slade reluctantly agreed to the terms, only to find out Ra's had tricked him, forcing Rose, along with Slade's son Jericho, to also swear their allegiance to the League.[29]
Rebirth
Deathstroke: Rebirth
Slade is overseeing a dumping of dead bodies in a country run by his latest client; Ja Zaki, The Red Lion. Slade has agreed to keep American forces out of his country, in exchange for nine million dollars and the location of a target for another contract. Slade's computer expert, Hosun, transfers some of the contract money into a pro-intervention Senate candidate's Super PACs, splitting the Democratic vote and allowing the anti-intervention, Republican Senator to keep his seat. Once the deal is done, Red Lion goes back on his word to protect his target and gives Slade his location. Once he reaches his target's hideout, he has his escorts wait ten minutes before fleeing. Before he goes, the two beg for him to spare them, as Deathstroke would have to kill them and and Red Lion would have their sons killed. The former to hide the fact that Red Lion went back on his word, and the latter to ensure that the sons don't avenge their fathers' deaths. He simply rebuffs the two and goes for his target.
Once inside, his target, a sickly Clock King, welcomes him, having already known he was coming for him. Deathstroke tries to shoot him, but Clock King is unaffected because of his time manipulation abilities. Slade prepares a grenade, but Clock King offers him information about a loved one in exchange for his word he will spare him. He refuses, choosing to uphold his word to the victims who hired him and maintain his integrity. Clock King admits that he is already dying and that asks if the person he is talking about is less important then killing his target. When Slade asks for proof, Clock King replies with one word; Kenilworth. Slade then returns to his escorts, demanding all the money they have on him in exchange for protection from Ja Zaki.
Later, the two escorts head into the territory of a terrorist group. When stopped by the terrorists, they claim they want to join their group, and brought the body of Deathstroke as a gift. The guards are skeptical, but when the escorts uses the word Kenilworth, they are granted entry. That night, Slade - still alive - begins slaughtering the terrorists with the weapons he snuck in. Slade then breaks for a nearby cave. When he tears the door inside apart, he finds Wintergreen, who is upset that Slade took so long to come for him.
The Professional
Slade returned to his old games. He put a hit on his daughter Rose as a cover to spend time with her, and someone took the contract. Slade sent Rose to kidnap Robin so Batman could be distracted and he would find the mercenary. It was revealed to be Rose's boyfriend and Pat's son Luis who had accepted the hit.
Slade later went to kill a drug dealer named Alisante. There he was confronted by Superman. Due to his Ikon suit Superman couldn't stop him. Slade managed to kill Alisantē and Joseph later helped Superman shutdown the Ikon system so Superman could knock him unconscious.
Dark Nights Metal
As the prime DC Universe was being invaded by The Dark Multiverse, Slade was one amongst many superpowers whom were drafted into the counter offensive against the onslaught of the Bat God Barbatos due to his close ties to the meta-materia Promethium.[30]
He accompanies Aquaman to a hidden chamber in the Earth's core, where a great machine built by Arion of Atlantis from centuries prior. They managed to secure the Nth Metal they need in order to mount a sizable counteroffensive against the Knight of the Bat God but they are soon waylaid by Black Manta. Whom stands accompanied by the Murder Machine, Drowned and Red Death.[31][32]
As the strike teams are being dragged back to the Monitor Tuning Fork, Slade and the rest of the Justice League are reawakened by Diana using Hawkeman's Thanagarian Mace. He aids the heroes in fighting off the Dark Knights long enough to supply them with Tenth Metal to mount a viable offensive against the Dark Multiverse. Unmaking the havoc caused by Barbatos and setting reality right again.[33]
Return of The Silencer
After a while the Leviathan civil war would begin to disrupt the natural goings on within all criminal outfits. Including mercenary work which Slade tides upon for his livelihood. It's gotten so bad that a contract killer like him can't even conduct their profession without having to deal with the fallout of the underbosses going to war with each other affecting everything around it.[34]
And so, he would be contacted by an underlife power player by the name of Gunn in order to help the latter flush out the revived Talia for him to help achieve some semblance of stability within the underlife.[35] To that end, Deathstroke would seek out the one whom helped cause the violent unraveling which led up to these disastrous events. Saying straight to Mrs. Guests surprised face that her actions resulted in the war he'd predicted.[36]
Having convince Honor to seek out and broker details from her former mentor about how and why all the underlife contractors and body-mod cyborgs where suddenly after her. Despite her leaving that life behind years ago. When in truth he was working her to get Leviathan's former handler in a secluded area for Gunn and his cybernetic security forces to end them both.[37] After rejecting an offer to work for him, Deathstroke departed.
After a while, Silencer makes a guest call to meet up with Slade in order to inquire about the current activities of the underlife. The two meet up outside of Honor's house, still warry of one another given past interactions, to get a in-depth information about the sudden onset of quiet within Leviathan.[38] Slade admits to being as in the dark about everything going on as the Guest woman, but relays that there are big changes on the horizon that'll cause the underlife to collapse under it. Seeking get out of that life before it takes him down with everything else. Deathstroke imparts advice to do the same before disappearing into the night.
The Lazarus Contract
In an act of desperation to get his deceased son, Grant back, Slade captured the Flash and made him an offer: if Flash used his powers to go back in time and change the past so Deathstroke's son doesn't die, Slade would quit being Deathstroke. Although tempted by the offer, Wally refused. Slade then revealed to Wally that he had also captured his cousin, Kid Flash, as a contingency.[39]
Slade later tricked Kid Flash into allowing him to siphon his Speed Force energy from him, temporarily granting Slade vast superhuman speed. Deathstroke used his newfound power to travel back in time to save his son from dying. After many failed attempts, Slade's speed was shut off when Damian Wayne temporarily stopped Kid Flash's heart, shutting his speed off from the source. Slade was then somehow able to tap into the Speed Force directly and entered the Speed Force, attempting once more to change the past. After the Titans realized Slade wouldn't be able to escape the Speed Force on his own, Kid Flash entered the Speed Force in an attempt to save him. Knowing that Kid Flash didn't know how to get out of the Speed Force either, Flash entered it and pulled both Deathstroke and Kid Flash out.
Now free from the Speed Force, Deathstroke then told the Titans he saw things in the Speed Force no man should ever see, and that all of them, including him deserved to die. Slade then dropped his mask and claimed "Deathstroke is finished."[40]
Defiance
After his experience in the Speed Force, Slade claimed his awareness had been heightened to new levels, and that he was ashamed of the man he was. With a new outlook on life, Slade began recruiting young heroes for a new team, including Power Girl, his son Jericho, and his daughter Rose, along with William Wintergreen and his ex-wife, Adeline Kane.[41]
Altercation with Justice
As the Justice League satellite catapults out of planetary orbit in the middle of Africa. Slade Wilson meets up with his contemporary Matthew after completing some dirty work for his non-friend when the latter spots the fallen Watchtower which landed smack in the middle of a primeval turf war.[42]
While Deathstroke is more comfortable leaving them be, seeing himself not as a supervillain therefore lacking an obligation to confront them. Matthew rescinds on signing Slade's paycheck seeing as he has one final objective for the 'wheelon' to commit to before business concludes. As Cyborg is dragged off into Red Lion's estate.[43] Deathstroke comes up to the youngest leader of Earths greatest heroes stating that Ja Zaki had staged the whole ordeal with the league and the tribal refugee's to stage an annexation of American border lands in order to secure an albatross with sensitive U.S. Government intel needed to push his genocidal campaign. That this entire three ring circus was all cleaver subterfuge on the defacto head of state's built around using a staging of international salvage rights to further his plans for conquest.
Once after Batman and Aquaman take the scene and find Cyborg doing a ramshackle attempt at fixing his auto repair systems. The then leader of the Justice League takes the caped crusader, king of the seven seas along with the manic fanboy whom had been running them ragged from the beginning to the epicenter where the teams homebase crashed. Deathstroke summarily took out said assailant before turning on the heroes in short fashion.[43]
After dispatching the Fan, Slade is berated by Superman for the blatant murder of an unarmed tag along. But the Terminator remains unfazed and rebukes their apprehension at his cold-bloodedness, given how the Fan had access to all their incredibly sensitive intelligence about their systems, operations and everything. Including the personal information of some shadier individuals on file; someone like himself for example, ergo refuting just how monumentally the Leaguers loused up with all the chaos he's caused.[44] Vic Stone interjects by saying, while he is under contract by Ja Zaki, the Red Lion; to put on a show to throw the world off balance for him. He concludes that Deathstroke wants to throw a monkey wrench into his plans and may have a cleaver means of circumventing Slade's contract.
After staging a mock battle, wherein the infamous assassin lays waste to the Justice League to disperse the rebel factions vying for their distaff wreckage. Slade demands Mr. Bland to sign his check now that the situation has been resolved. Only to catch a few frenzied punches from Wonder Woman after the Flash caters back to the war-zone. Her assault is defused when the rest of her teammates reveal they're fine and then contemplate on what to do next. Deathstroke and Ja Zaki sitting on the sidelines with the Fan's carcass to see where things go from there.[44]
Deathstroke vs. Batman
When Batman discovered files containing paternal results stating that Deathstroke was Damian Wayne's true father, he confronted Slade, asking what he knew of it. Slade told Batman he was aware of the paternity test, and that it was false, as he had previously tested himself as soon as he found out Robin was Talia's son, due to their past relationship. Batman decided to further investigate the situation, telling Slade that until it was solved, Deathstroke would not operate as a mercenary. This caused Batman to intervene with many of Slade's contracts, bringing the two into further conflict.
Damian eventually found a video left from Red Robin, confessing that he had known about the paternity test for years and kept it a secret. This caused Damian to seek out Deathstroke himself.[45]
After an intense battle between Deathstroke and Batman in the Batcave, Deathstroke learned that it was Talia who had falsified the paternity test, in an attempt to open Slade's eyes to what the two could accomplish together.[46]
Deathstroke: Arkham
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The Terminus Agenda
After his escape from Arkham, he was defeated and captured by the Teen Titans. Damian locked him up with all the other supervillains underneath Mercy Hall. He was later shot in the head by Red Arrow, killing him.
Shortly afterwards, a funeral was held by all the villains. At his funeral, Raptor gave Slade's body leprosy, which sent his healing ability into overdrive and resurrected him. He took his resurrection as a second chance in life and went into hiding as a doctor. Meanwhile, another person who appeared to be an older version of Slade started impersonating him.[47]
Infinite Frontier
Deathstroke Inc.
On light of recent events, Slade joined an organization called T.R.U.S.T. in hopes of figuring out on which side would he be.[48] There he worked closely with the Black Canary for some time until both realized that the organization was actually lead by the Secret Society of Super-Villains, which hoped to united heroes and villains alike to fight future threats after the events caused by the Legion of Doom.[49] After this revelation, Slade quickly turned on Black Canary by killing the leader of the society and becoming their new leader. Using the money of Libra and the Calculator, Slade created Deathstroke Inc. on Zandia.[50]
Slade hoped to prepare himself for the Darkness he saw on one of his missions with his new society, but was soon met with the arrival of his daughter Rose and a kid that called himself Respawn, who was actually a clone created from Talia al Ghul's DNA and a sample of the super-soldier formula extracted from Slade Wilson's veins.[51] As Slade made his new son join the Society of Super-Villains, he was blamed for killing Ra's al Ghul in the middle of a public statement after an impostor that was dressed as him did it. This put Slade and his family on a collision course with Talia al Ghul and her League of Shadows.[52]
The family was attacked by multiple ninjas of the League of Shadows, who were wielding firearms. When the ninjas cornered Deathstroke, Respawn jumped in front of him and was shot while protecting his father, leaving all of them to believe he died.[53] During a final duel between Deathstroke and Talia, Slade was killed before the instigator of their fight and true killer of Ra's was revealed to be Geo-Force. Slade was later brought back to life by his Secret Society with the Lazarus Pit, from where he emerged imbued with the Great Darkness, claiming that they would kill everyone.[54]
Dark Crisis
Dubbing himself "King Deathstroke", Slade took advantage of the deaths of the Justice League to sew chaos in the world. Leading an army of supervillain, with the goal of stopping anyone else from becoming a superhero, he attacked Titans Tower and grievously wounded Beast Boy in the process.[55] His fight with Nightwing was stopped by Superman, and when Deathstroke was contacted by the Great Darkness, he withdrew his forces.[56] When Ravager infiltrated his base, Deathstroke wanted to bring her to his side, but when she resisted, he began infecting several of his army with the Great Darkness as well.[57]
Deathstroke then led an attack on the Legion of Doom, which resulted in the Legion being infected with the Great Darkness as well.[58] With his assembled forces, Deathstroke led a final assault on the Hall of Justice, tasking his daughter with bringing him Nightwing's dead.[59] When Pariah arrived, Deathstroke demanded that Pariah release him from his pain as promised, before the conflict escalating, Pariah being sent to his own parallel world and the return of the Justice League pushed him to try to kill Nightwing and his now free daughter.[60] Slade entered Nightwing's mind, and the two battled, each taking on the appearances they had when they first met. By this point, Deathstroke was driven insane and nihilistic due to his experience with the Great Darkness, and came to believe that the only way to spare his children any further pain was to destroy the Multiverse.[61]
Outside, Black Adam fought Slade directly, summoning lightning onto the battlefield. This not only purged the Darkness from Deathstroke, but also distributed Black Adam's power to the other superheroes, leaving both men effectively powerless. Slade and Black Adam then fought hand-to-hand, culminating in the former overpowering Adam, but before he could kill his opponent, Nightwing was able to break free from the control of the Great Darkness, and stopped Deathstroke. A now crazed Slade charged the former Robin, in an attempt to force Dick to kill him, but Ravager pleaded with her father to stop, causing him to collapse in despair.
In the aftermath of the Dark Army's defeat, it was revealed that when the Great Darkness was expunged from Deathstroke's body, it also purged him of the serum that originally gave him his powers, stripping him of his metahuman abilities and rapid healing. He was hospitalized in the Hall of Justice, but a mysterious figure deactivated his life support system, and left him to die.[62]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Abilities
- Acrobatics: Deathstroke is a master acrobat. He is highly agile and is capable of performing skillful acrobatic maneuvers in combat.[28]
- Aviation[89]
- Deception[71]
- Disguise[2]
- Driving[90]
- Escapology: Deathstroke was able to easily escape high tech meta-human hand cuffs with only a paperclip.[70]
- Genius Level Intellect: Deathstroke is a tactical genius, with an intellect superior to any human. He possesses vast knowledge across a variety of areas.
- Eidetic Memory[91]
- Leadership: Deathstroke has been shown to be a capable leader, as shown during his time in the Suicide Squad.
- Tactical Analysis: Deathstroke has been described as a tactical genius and is easily the equal of Batman in terms of strategic planning. He describes his mind as a super-computer designed to process information and break it down with superior tactical and strategic thought.[73] Deathstroke's intellect is deadlier than his sword. He typically out-thinks and out-strategizes everybody in the book.[67] He was even able to capture both Flash and Kid Flash without anyone noticing.[39] Lapetus has commented that Slade possesses "a sharp strategic mind", for a mortal.[79]
- Temporal Mechanics: Deathstroke understands the workings of the Speed Force and its connection to time-travel.[39]
- Hunting: Deathstroke hunts in his spare time. He has an entire trophy room full of the heads of the animals he's killed.[14]
- Interrogation[92]
- Intimidation: With his reputation as the World's Deadliest Assassin, Slade is able to instill great fear into others. His ability to do this was so great, he was considered a worthy member of the Sinestro Corps.
- Investigation: Deathstroke is a keen observer and expert detective.[67]
- Martial Arts: Deathstroke is a master martial artist, capable of quickly identifying weak points on an opponent, to fight them most efficiently.[22] After joining the military, Slade mastered every just about every form of combat known to man in about one year, under the tutelage of his ex-wife, Adeline Kane.[93] Slade has trained with several martial artists who also trained Batman, including Ted Grant, David Cain, Henri Ducard, Master Kirigi, and H'sein Tsan.[94] His fighting skill has allowed him to fight on par with Batman himself, who he claims he should be able to defeat in three moves tops.[76] Deathstroke has been able to swiftly defeat other highly skilled fighters, such as Robin,[26] Green Arrow, who was temporarily enhanced at the time,[28] and Bronze Tiger, who he states he should be able to defeat in two moves or less.[92] He has kept up with Ra's al Ghul,[29] stalemated Red Hood while severely weakened,[83] and easily defeated Deadshot in a fight.[95] Slade was even able to take on 300 opponents at once.[23]
- Military Protocol: Deathstroke is a highly trained soldier who has years of mercenary experience. Deathstroke has fought for the special ops section of the military in places like Bosnia, North Korea, Southeast Asia, and Russia.[14]
- Multilingualism: Deathstroke speaks Greek,[23] Mandarin,[98] Hejazi Arabic,[99] and French.[100][71]
- Stealth: Deathstroke is a master of stealth and is able to silently assassinate people without making a sound.[101]
- Surveillance[67]
- Swimming: Deathstroke is a skilled swimmer, capable of gaining the upper hand against Black Manta in an underwater fight.[102]
- Throwing: Deathstroke is highly skilled in knife throwing, as he has displayed on multiple occasions.[89] His aim is so great, he can throw virtually any object with perfect accuracy. He was able to throw a paper clip with enough precision to slice a fly clean in half.[75]
- Weaponry: Deathstroke is highly skilled in the use of many different types of weapons. He has displayed great proficiency in sword fighting,[29] knife fighting,[92] and stick fighting.[73] He is even able to use common household items as improvised weapons.
- Firearms: Deathstroke is a master marksman, trained in the use of pistols, rifles, shotguns and even makeshift firearms. He states he can shoot the tail off a giraffe at 50 yards,[28] and was able to snipe a target from 650 feet away.[14] Deathstroke's aim is even on par with Deadshot, as the two were evenly matched during a shootout.[17] Deathstroke's enhanced speed combined with his uncanny aim allows him to kill groups of armed enemies with precise shots, before they can react.[28]
- Swordsmanship: Deathstroke is a highly skilled swordsman. One of his favorite personal weapons is a large broadsword,[14] however he has used many types of swords and can even wield two blades with precision.[28] He has been able to keep up with the highly skilled Ra's al Ghul in a sword duel.[29] Slade was also capable to keep up with a restrained Flash briefly, in a sword fight.[81]
- Stick Fighting: Deathstroke is highly skilled in stick-based martial arts. He is capable of skillfully wielding two eskrima sticks, or a single bo-staff in combat. He has also shown skill with nunchucks.[102]
- Demolitions: Deathstroke is proficient with many different kinds of explosives, from small entry explosives to grenades and even high-powered military grade firepower.[14]
- Gadgetry: Deathstroke is skilled in the use of various gadgets. He was even able to quickly create and activate an impromptu EMP.[103]
- Fencing[104]
- Gambling[105]
- Medical Science: Slade acquired a medical degree to operate as a nurse for one of his cover identities.[47]
Other Characteristics
- Mental Disorder: Deathstroke was driven mad by his experiences with the Great Darkness.[66]
- Missing Eye: Wilson was shot in the right eye by his ex-wife Adeline.[4]
- Blindness: For a brief period due to overexposure to radiation, Slade was losing sight in his remaining good eye.[106] He was able to overcome this thanks to his son Joseph transplanting a fresh optic from Dr. Isherwood into his cranial socket.[107](Formerly)
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Ikon Suit: Deathstroke wears a suit of Promethium lined armor called the "Ikon Suit".[108] It uses a point defense mechanism called a gravity sheathe that, when attacked, hardens up specific areas of the suit struck to protect the wearer from impacts such as bullets and blunt trauma. The suit is powered by kinetic energy and thanks to his enhanced speed, agility and reflexes, Slade can keep it charged simply through moving. This energy absorption feature is effective enough to endure punches from Superman, allowing Slade to take potentially lethal attacks and stay standing.[109]
- Kinetic Energy Absorption
- Speed Force Absorption (Formerly): Slade went and further modified his gravity sheath with Speed Force absorption power cells developed by Dr. Darwin Elias to enable the theft and processing of Wally West's Speed Force powers for his own benefit.[110] After using his Ikon Suit to siphon the Speed Force energy from Kid Flash, Deathstroke was able to temporarily tap into the energy, allowing him to move at speeds on par with both Flash and Kid Flash.[40]
- Dimensional Travel: By accelerating past light-speed, Deathstroke was able to travel into the Speed Force.[40]
- Time-Travel: Using his Ikon suit in conjunction with the Speed Force energy, Deathstroke could compress time in order to travel to the past at will.[40]
- Speed Force Constructs: Slade can use the technologies within his suit to forge speed energy into solidified shapes.[40]
Weapons
- The Deathstroke: The Deathstroke is an ancient Scottish war blade, and Slade's first and favorite sword. He acquired the sword by winning a poker game.[114] At some point, H.I.V.E. had Promethium forged into the blade, making it more durable and capable of absorbing all forms of energy, including magic.[45] It can also cut through nearly anything.[115]
- Deathstroke's Energy Lance: Deathstroke has carried a Titanium staff, capable of shooting blasts of energy and splitting into two eskrima sticks. He could use it in conjunction with his sword to transfer absorbed energy in order to strengthen it's plasma blasts.
- Various Firearms: Slade has used a variety of different firearms in combat, including pistols, assault rifles, and sniper riles.
- Knives: Slade has used a variety of different knives in combat, including combat knives, daggers, and throwing knives.
- Nunchucks
- Dual Katanas
- God Killers: Slade found a means of reverse engineering the God Killer to fashion a pair of daggers for himself.[117]
Notes
- Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, first appearing in New Teen Titans Vol 1. However, in the rebooted Prime Earth continuity his first appearance as part of the DC Universe is in Kyle Higgins and Joe Bennett's New 52 Deathstroke series.
- According to the Ultimate DC Membership Encyclopedia, the following origin stories are apocryphal: Slade serving on Team 7, Slade receiving his meta powers in an attempt to save his life, his son dying in North Korea, Slade losing his eye in North Korea.
- Three issues that deal with Slade's age when he joined the military in the New 52 slightly conflict. In Deathstroke (Volume 4) #41 and Deathstroke (Volume 4) #31, Slade was seventeen when he joined the US Army. However, in Deathstroke (Volume 4) #21, his age is given as sixteen when he joined the military.
Trivia
- Deathstroke is responsible for more than 900 confirmed kills.[22][23]
- Ra's al Ghul once considered Slade a potential successor to the League of Assassins.[119]
- It has been speculated that Deathstroke can access 90% of his brain function, however Doctor Villain confirmed this to be false, stating that Slade would be a telepath if he could.[65]
- Slade is aware of Batman's real identity - Bruce Wayne.[77]
- Slade earned the Silver Star, Purple Heart and Service Cross while in the Army.[4] He also earned the Black Star, a confidential commendation unknown to most.[64]
- Slade Wilson is also known as the Terminator.
- Deathstroke writer, Christopher Priest states that Deathstroke always fulfills his contract, no matter what it takes. The only contracts he has ever failed to fulfill were a contract from HIVE to kill the Teen Titans.[67] The other was a contract from the Joker to kill Robin. The reason he failed to complete the contract was due to the Joker injecting him with Joker Venom.[120]
- In Deathstroke (Volume 4) Slade is 57 years old, although he appears 35. It is also said that he is 215 lbs. instead of 225 lbs. as the Batman Character Encyclopedia says.[8]
- Slade underwent voluntary sterilization after learning of Rose's existence.[121]
- Achilles of the Iliad is Deathstroke's favorite hero.[103]
Related
- 325 Appearances of Slade Wilson (Prime Earth)
- 321 Images featuring Slade Wilson (Prime Earth)
- 71 Quotations by or about Slade Wilson (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Slade Wilson (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #15
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Deathstroke: Rebirth #1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #21
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #37
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #31
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #9
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #41
- ↑ DC Comics Encyclopedia: All-New Edition
- ↑ Team 7 #0
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 2) #0
- ↑ Deathstroke Inc. #10
- ↑ Deathstroke Inc. #11
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Teen Titans (Volume 4) #23.2: Deathstroke
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #122
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #123
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Batman (Volume 3) #28
- ↑ The Silencer #4
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #2
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #7
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Deathstroke Inc. #1
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #1
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #2
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #6
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 3) #7
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Robin: Son of Batman #4
- ↑ Sinestro #19
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 28.6 28.7 Green Arrow (Volume 5) #51
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #20
- ↑ Dark Nights: Metal #3
- ↑ Dark Nights: Metal #4
- ↑ Dark Nights: Metal #5
- ↑ Dark Nights: Metal #6
- ↑ The Silencer #3
- ↑ The Silencer #6
- ↑ The Silencer #4
- ↑ The Silencer #5
- ↑ The Silencer #18
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Titans (Volume 3) #11
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 Teen Titans: The Lazarus Contract Special #1
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #20
- ↑ Justice League (Volume 3) #31
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 Justice League (Volume 3) #32
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 Justice League (Volume 3) #33
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #33
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #35
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #48
- ↑ Deathstroke Inc. #1
- ↑ Deathstroke Inc. #5
- ↑ Deathstroke Inc. #6
- ↑ Deathstroke Inc. #7
- ↑ Shadow War: Alpha #1
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #123
- ↑ Shadow War: Omega #1
- ↑ Dark Crisis #1
- ↑ Dark Crisis #2
- ↑ Dark Crisis #3
- ↑ Dark Crisis #4
- ↑ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5
- ↑ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6
- ↑ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
- ↑ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #86
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #10
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #46
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
- ↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 67.3 67.4 Journey Through The Mind of a Killer
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #29
- ↑ 69.0 69.1 Deathstroke Inc. #13
- ↑ 70.0 70.1 Deathstroke (Volume 2) #4
- ↑ 71.0 71.1 71.2 71.3 Deathstroke Annual (Volume 3) #2
- ↑ 72.0 72.1 72.2 Deathstroke (Volume 2) #17
- ↑ 73.0 73.1 73.2 73.3 73.4 73.5 73.6 Deathstroke (Volume 2) #9
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #17
- ↑ 75.0 75.1 Deathstroke (Volume 2) #1
- ↑ 76.0 76.1 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #5
- ↑ 77.0 77.1 Batman (Volume 3) #91
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 3) #8
- ↑ 79.0 79.1 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #9
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 3) #15
- ↑ 81.0 81.1 The Flash Annual (Volume 5) #3
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #25
- ↑ 83.0 83.1 83.2 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #16
- ↑ Shadow War: Omega #1
- ↑ 85.0 85.1 Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3
- ↑ 86.0 86.1 Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6
- ↑ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5
- ↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4
- ↑ 89.0 89.1 89.2 Green Arrow (Volume 5) #50
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #90
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #37
- ↑ 92.0 92.1 92.2 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #3
- ↑ [[1]]
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #122
- ↑ 95.0 95.1 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #11
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #19
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 3) #14
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #28
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #31
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #26
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #7
- ↑ 102.0 102.1 Deathstroke (Volume 3) #12
- ↑ 103.0 103.1 Deathstroke (Volume 2) #6
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #9
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #31
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #14
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #26
- ↑ Dark Nights: Metal #3
- ↑ 109.0 109.1 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #8
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 6) #8
- ↑ The Silencer #3
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #12
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #6
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #31
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #23
- ↑ Justice League (Volume 3) #43
- ↑ Wonder Woman #768
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 3) #10
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 3) #18
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #123
- ↑ Deathstroke (Volume 4) #35
Injustice League member |
Justice League member This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |
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