Deathstroke

Lore & Background

Slade Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 16, lying about his age. After the Korean War, he was promoted to major at Camp Washington and trained by Captain Adeline Kane in guerrilla warfare within less than a year, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. During the Vietnam War, he met William Wintergreen and received a drug allowing him to utilize 90% of his brain's capacity, granting enhanced strength, an accelerated healing factor, and heightened senses. His life fractured when Jackal took his son Joseph hostage; Slade refused to break his code, leading to Joseph having his throat slit, rendering him mute. Adeline, enraged by the danger her husband placed their family in, shot at Slade but only destroyed his right eye. Later, after gaining physical regeneration, Slade saved Adeline's life via blood transfusion, inadvertently driving her insane with a similar healing factor until Starfire was forced to kill her.

In Their Own Story

Deathstroke's vendetta against the Teen Titans began when his eldest son Grant, enhanced by H.I.V.E. as Ravager, accepted a contract to capture them before dying from fatal enhancements. Slade completed the contract, stealing Promethium from S.T.A.R. Labs and testing a bomb on the team, severely wounding Changeling. In New York, he conspired with Terra to infiltrate the Titans during The Judas Contract. Once Terra provided secret identities, Slade systematically subdued the team while Dick Grayson became Nightwing. Jericho, Joseph's alias, possessed Slade to free his siblings before Terra collapsed the H.I.V.E. building, killing herself. Later, in Infinite Crisis, Deathstroke joined Lex Luthor's Secret Society, killing Phantom Lady and shooting Uncle Sam. He hired Nightwing to train his daughter Rose but dropped Chemo on Blüdhaven under Alexander Luthor Jr.'s orders, killing over 100,000 people.

Reader's Guide

Deathstroke is a master tactician who can utilize up to 90% of his brain's capacity, allowing him to analyze opponents and formulate strategies instantly. He possesses superhuman strength, speed, durability, and an accelerated healing factor that keeps him alive as long as his brain remains intact. His visual identity includes a bicolored black-and-orange mask covering his missing right eye. He has manipulated his daughter Rose Wilson into becoming the new Ravager with a serum that heightened her hostility; she cut out her own left eye to prove her loyalty. Despite being an enemy, Slade occasionally acts as an ally when mutual threats arise, such as during the Titans Hunt storyline where he helped defeat the Wildebeest Society and was forced to kill his possessed son Jericho. His popularity led Rob Liefeld to create Marvel's Deadpool, originally patterned on Deathstroke.

Did You Know?

• The character first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2 in December 1980 as 'Deathstroke the Terminator'.
• Slade Wilson can utilize up to 90% of his brain's capacity due to an experimental drug.
• Rob Liefeld created Marvel's Deadpool (Wade Wilson) with a name, powers, and costume originally patterned on Deathstroke.
• Deathstroke received his own series in 1991 which ran for 65 issues total before being cancelled.
• A new ongoing series for the character is scheduled to launch in March 2026 as part of 'DC Next Level'.