Deathstroke Inc #5 Review

Deathstroke Inc. #5: Ghosts of a different life

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Paolo Pantalena
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Leterrer: Steve Wands
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover: Howard Porter and Hi-FI

Non spoilers section

  The best issue so far. I didn't like how the comic opens tho, makes the previous issue somewhat worse for me. But since what comes after really lands well, I don't mind that much. The journey through the Crooked House just works, the character beats there are genuine. And how this comic ends is really exciting and unexpected in a way. Strong middle section and a nice hook for the next issue.

Spoilers

I'm definitely having a rocky relationship with this comic, but issue #5 worked for me. My only problem, and I want to get this out of the way quickly, is how they handle Slade's death on the previous issue. Yeah, that was just for the shock value, not a fan of that. But finally, this comic has said something with weight about the titular character. That section in the Crooked House was wonderful. The basics for a Deathstroke comic were there. A reference to the Titans, his family, his desire to be a good father but how he simply can't. The Black Canary stuff was great too. I also have to talk about how much I love how she talks in this comic series so far. Every conversation with her just works. And about the art, I must say, Paolo Pantalen's 'art here is great. He worked on Deathstroke before, back in the New 52, and he's a lot better now. His style fits here very well and I'm happy that he is doing this book.


And of course, the ending. King Deathstroke is coming! The last pages felt real quick, but somehow, it lands. It did take me on a surprise too. Did not expect for Slade to just went "screw this, i'm taking over", but that works for the character, especially after what he saw in the Crooked House. I'm more excited now for the future, if the comic makes me feel that, it did his job well.
(Quick note, when Slade talks about going in a Haunted House with his kids, that was mentioned in dialogue on Deathstroke Annual 2, from the New 52 years ago.)

Slade Wilson: Contract Journal - Part 1

 Introduction

This project has the goal of documenting and organizing every major aparrence of the fictional character know as Deathstroke the Terminator, with some behind the scenes info where i can find anything relevant. Also, I just want to have some fun re reading some of my favorite comics and sharing the experience. 
Today, we explore Slade first ever appearance , The New Teen Titans #2. 

The story thus far

Before The New Teen Titans #2, Wolfman's & Pérez Titans began on DC Comics Presents #26, think of that as a pilot episode and New Teen Titans as a TV show. There, Robin(Dick Grayson) goes through something that he interpreted as a dream, but in reality, was a vision from the future, the New Teen Titans. He sees his old and future friends, with the mysterious Raven hinting at a dark future ahead. The Teen Titans where a group created in the 60's(1964 to be exact), first debuting in Brave and the Bold #54, one year later they gained their own title. They lasted 53 issues with the last issue showing the team going their separate ways. 

That bring us to 1980, writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, two legends of the comic book industry, had the task of reviving the team(is somewhat worth remembering that Wolfman had worked on Teen Titans, issue 20 of that run was written originally by him). After DC Comics Presents #26, issue 1 of New Teen Titans begins with Starfire, Princess Koriand'r or Kory Anders if you will, running away from the Citadel, meanwhile, Raven assembles the New Teen Titans in order to help Starfire and prepare for an upcoming menace, Trigon.

Dick Grayson(Robin), Wally West(Kid Flash), Raven(Rachel Roth), Victor Stone(Cyborg), Garfield Logan(Beast Boy), Donna Troy(Wonder Girl) and Starfire form DC's newest group. Issue 1 also sees a smaller character called Grant Wilson, is made clear for the reader this is someone with anger issues and toxic behavior. That lead us  to... 

The New Teen Titans #2: Today...  The Terminator! 

Writer, Co - Creators, Layouts: Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.

Finisher: Romeo Tanghal

Letterer:  Ben Oda

Colorist: Adrienne Roy

Editor: Len Wein 

Let's start with the cover, what a image to start, all of the Titans defeated, expect for Raven, with a character proclaiming he killed them all. However, a figure in the darkness, says that he was the one who killed them. And there we have it, Deathstroke the Terminator. What an awesome cover, it's bombastic but mysterious at the same time. The cover also takes place in a location from the comic book, and as we'll see, it's pretty much a preview for a scene that actually happens. I miss when comic books used to do this for covers. In a interview from Comics Feature #19, in 1982, Pérez talks about an idea from a cover he never got into doing it but we can see some of his ideas on this cover.

"I thought of one cover idea where the scene is a cemetery – you know, gnarled trees and twisted decay – and, on the tombstones scattered about, are the names of all the Titans save Robin. And Robin is standing totally in tatters at this point, and standing in the distance – like the opening scenes in GUNSMOKE – you can see the arm and the leg of the Terminator, saying, “Okay, Robin, I’ve terminated the others. You’re the last one."

And just for the sake of it, the opening from Gunsmoke, the western TV show. 

The comic opens already showing us who the Terminator is and we get a masterclass about how to introduce characters. In two and a half pages we get all we need to know for now very naturally. The Terminator is a gun for hire, he's the best, he's straightforward, he has his own rules, he has dealt with the worst of the worst and is casual about it, he's also very strong and agile. In two and a half pages this guy already feels like a threat. We're also introduced to the H.I.V.E. and their plan of having someone like the Terminator working for them. 

During that time, Grant Wilson was having a conversation with his girlfriend, scared of Grant's behavior, she wants to break up with him. Grant tries holding her by the arm while saying that that they are not done, luckly for the girl the Teen Titans show up to check on her and Starfire blasts Grant, not killing him of course. He leaves and proclaims they're not done one more time. We also got some clues about who he is, about his father and a brother we'll see much later. 

After that, the group  faces a bunch of thugs and we get an idea about how they are operating. Due to how the scene is written we get clear spotlights on each member and their dynamics. And of course, the Terminator is spying on the team.

Now he understands why the H.I.V.E wants the Titans taken out, we also get more about him. His current base of operations and his "Alfred", Billy Wintergreen. We also get to know more about what makes him the best, he's meticulous, he studies everyone in his surroundings. In the meanwhile, Grant takes part in a procedure to make him like the Terminator. We also get a quick scene showing Raven trying to talk with a mysterious being and Wally trying to understand why he joined the Titans.

Then, we're taken to East Hampton, the team is hanging out at Gar's mansion, or Gar's step dad mension i must say. Except for Cyborg who still is having problems about how he feels towards his father. Out of the sudden, Victor is attacked by a figure dressed like Deathstroke, and he calls himself the Ravager.

 Of course, he's Grant Wilson, now with powers similar to the Terminator. They fight and when Cyborg gets the upper hand, Slade shows up and stuns him. Slade then takes Grant away after that. 

We cut back to the Teen Titans and see a little bit more about Starfire, until Cyborg shows up and tells the group about what just happened to him. But the comic takes us to Deathstroke's perspective now, we see he and Wintergreen talking with Grant and trying to warn him about the dangers of his powers. The boy ignores them and goes after the Titans again. We cut immediately to that, Grant goes after the team and Deathstroke goes in to help. We get a really nice fight scene, with the two beating the Teen Titans. 

However, Grant's powers have a price, the boy burns from his insides as he fights and that ends up being his end. We get a really good emotional scene as well, Deathstroke is clearly affected by the boy's death. Raven creates an illusion for Grant, he sees the Titans defeated so he can go in peace. She lets Slade leave with Ravager's body and there, a rivalry is born. We then get an epilogue that shows Deathstroke's face and it's revealed that he is Grant Wilson's father, Slade Wilson.

Since Grant died trying to complete a contract for the H.I.V.E, that contract being defeating the Teen Titans, Slade takes the contract so that his son can rest with honor. 

What a first appearance!

Closing thoughts

What a great issue, we get decent if not great time and information about the main cast, new intriguing threats and some nice text about the dangers of hatred and vengeance.

Slade just stands out, the way he acts feels different from everything else in the comic book. The way he looks and talks when Grant dies is genuinely emocional, it just lands with the reader. His motivation is simply as solid as you can expect. Wolfman claims that the idea for Slade came in an instant and he knew he had something special. He said the best characters are the ones that you can think in an instant, that can be seen and felt here. The pacing of the comic helps a lot too. How fast things happens just feels right, the amount of things happening also feels very appropriate. Even tho it looks like an 80's comic, it feels modern enough due to how mature the text is. The themes talked about here still relevant especially for young readers, With Grant, we have a tale about getting with the wrong people, letting anger and hatred consume you. How dangerous that is. Just smart, as you expect from Wolfman. The art and colours are great as well, it's a delight to look at it.

I plan on giving scores for each comic we'll explore on this series. Here's how my score works:

1 - bad 

2- mediocre 

3-  good 

4 - great 

5- outstanding  

With that in mind, I have to give this issue a 5/5. That's it for today. Next week, i'll be taking a look at New Teen Titans #9 and #10. Have a good one. 

Can Slade be called the world's deadliest assassin?

 The character of Deathstroke has been called "the world's deadliest assassin" multiple times, along some others, but still, he comes to mind first for many readers when the subject of who deserves this title. Some people have put this in question however, claiming that he barely kills people and can't beat the Teen Titans. Today, will be going through some things Slade has done that make him worthy of his title. 

How many people Slade has killed?

We don't have an exact number, only some approximations. One of my favorites being from Green Arrow as you can see bellow. 

Besides that, Slade did have a hand in the destruction of Bludhaven, over 100,000 lives lost. Nightwing blames Slade for that. 

But how about actual characters? Slade did kill Beast Boy, the Atom(Ryan Choi) and Phantom Lady. As you can imagine is hard to kill a comic book character, that depends on the editor not the character. (See The New Teen Titans #10, Titans: Villains for Hire Special and Infinite Crisis #1 for those kills) 

Slade did kill several other characters but most of them were created for one particular story, so i don't see that as impressive. With the exception of the greek titan Lapetus(Lapetus? Iapetus?) that as his title implies, he's supposed to be a big deal, a "Justice League level threat"(Deathstroke 2014 #10) and he already existed, just not being seen in the DC universe. In the upcoming Shadow War event is said that his next kill is Ra's Al Ghul, so let's keep this is mind as well. 

That leave us with 4, possible 5, characters he has killed. If i was counting one off characters that number would be greatly higher. Of course, Deathstroke has come close to kill many others, such as Catwoman, Deadshot, Cheshire and etc. The survival of those puts the "deadliest assassin" title into question but i feel like that's more on the editors not the character. 

How Slade stacks in fighting skill?

The list of people Slade has fought is bigger than my arm, so to keep things simple(for now), lets use the Bat family. Writer Tom King has made a list with the best hand to hand fighters of the Bat family, the top 3 best of that list are Cassandra Cain, Drick Grayson and Bruce Wayne. Slade has bested Bruce 3 times, Gave Dick a run for his money multiple times  and was able to trade blows with Cassandra in two occasions. It's clear that Slade can't beat Cass at a fair one on one fight, but the fact is, he can keep up with her, that by itself is impressive. But how about Slade skill with firearms? Using Deadshot, the world's deadliest shooter and sometimes also claimed to be the deadliest assassin we can have a good idea. Slade has keep up with Floyd multiple times when it comes to shooting, cleary being able to give him a run for his money about who shoots the best. 

Its important to remember that is said Slade is at a similar state to Floyd after this confrontation

To close this section, it's important to mention Black Canary, Dinah is one of DC's best fighters and she and Slade have a history of several confrontations. Slade can be seen being on pair with Black Canary multiple times, and he won during a time when Dinah had Green Arrow at her side, post training and preparing himself to fight Slade specifically. Other 2 that come to mind are Bronze Tiger and The Silencer. Slade has give them both reasons to sweat in a fight. 

Green Arrow(2001) #75

Deathstroke vs metahumans

We're already established how good Slade is against humans, but how about people with superpowers? Similar to Batman, Deathstroke has plans and resources for multiple adversaries. Let's talk about the Teen Titans. Some people throw shade at Deathstroke claiming that he can't beat a group of kids and that's just insane. One of those "kids" is a speedster, other a woman with amazon powers, an alien with super strength that shoots energy blasts, a cyborg that also have super strength, a shapeshifter that can turn into any animal, a witch whos also the daughter of the powerful demon Trigon and a boy trained by Batman who has grown to surpass him when it comes to fighting. They are not regular kids. And Slade has won against them multiple times. Judas Contract? He won, he got the Titans, Terra got Nightwing at the end for Slade. His contract was completed. Titans East? We won there as well.

He can be seen fighting against all of them at once and still be getting the upper hand.

The list of metahumans and aliens and overall characters with superpowers Slade has faced is insane. Superman, Wonder Woman, Lobo, Osiris and so on. And Slade has put up a fight with them all. He isn't invincible, he did lost many times, but that's not the point. The point is, we're talking about a guy who can go toe to toe with pretty much anyone. 

"Altstroke", Dark Multiverse

Christopher Priest created a Dark Multiverse version of Slade, nicknamed Altstroke, he said in a interview with Multiversity Comics that Altstroke is what Deathstroke should and would be with DC editorial gave the character proper treatment.

Now, how is this any relevant? Altstroke has killed many of the Titans and Batman with ease. 

How others think about Slade?

Most of the time Slade is considered a big menace for others. For instance,  Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Nightwing and others always feel a level of danger when Slade shows up. However, I would like to focus on one individual for this section, Lex Luthor, the smartest man on the planet. Luthor sees Slade as the best,  he's someone Luthor calls when facing a problem.

 In conclusion

I could go on about tons of references and comics books talking about this and that, but that's not the goal today. The goal is to make some clear and simple points about why I think Slade fits for the title of world's deadliest assassin. How many he has killed? More than enough. Is he a good fighter? Hell yes. People respect or fear him? Yes again. He's a big deal, like him or not. Think of Slade as a jack of all trades, he's simply good at almost everything. He just fits for the title. But feel free to argue in favor of others, even tho I feel Slade fits for the title that does not mean he's the only character who could be DC's best assassin. 

Special thanks to Steve, that helped and inspired some of this post. You can find him on twitter @BootyTyrant

Deathstroke and Damian Wayne, the history

 Since Shadow War is coming I decided to write about all the players involved in this upcoming crossover. Today's topic is Slade Wilson and Damian Wayne, their history is somewhat underwhelming but fascinating at the same time.  Let's get started. 

Batman and Robin: Batman Vs Robin

Back when Dick Grayson was Batman and Damian was his Robin, Slade would be almost a regular adversary for Dick. Slade had his Titans group at the time and Dick  went after him here and there. In the main Batman and Robin book Slade tried to attack Dick by taking control over Damian's body, with Talia's help, he fights Dick for a little bit. I guess you could say that the first Slade had anything significant with Damian being him controlling Damian is clever and foreshadows how Damian's hate towards Slade controls him. But I have issues with it. The way Slade is written here is just pathetic as hell, the way he talks, how he acts. He feels like a villain from an old TV show. This is not Deathstroke at all and is one of the reasons the character is a joke for some readers. It's jarring when you read the character from other comics from the same period. Also, I dont like how this arc is called Batman vs Robin but it's just mind controlled Robin attacking Dick for a few pages. Feels like false advertising in a way. 

Robin: Son of Batman: Year of Blood

This time Slade is after Nobody(Maya Ducard) and of course he ends up crossing paths with Damian.  They have a real one on one fight and they appear to be tied in skill level but Damian uses the environment to his advantage. He ends up paying Slade to leave Maya alone. And again, Slade is very poorly written. He talks like one of those mustache twirling villains from a bad movie. He does have one or two good lines but for the most part he's out of character. And I have issues with this comic art's when it comes to the fighting. The progression from panel to panel makes little sense. Things disappear or appear from thin air and the geography from the location the fight takes place feels random. 

I do really love the middle section from this double page spread but the transition there is horrible

I don't take issue with Damian being able to hold his on and land some good hits on Slade. Damian was raised to be an insanely good fighter and this version of Slade is the Tony S Daniel one, you know, the one who is dumb and weak when it comes to fighting. But I must say, this version of Slade also only works with real money, how Damian pays him should not work. I guess the editor or the writer just didn't care enough. 

Deathstroke: The Professional

During this storyline, Slade kidnaps Damian and has to endure him for a few yours. Now this, this is good. This marks the moment where something with actual character significance happened between the two. Damian has zero respect for Slade and makes fun of him at every moment he can. Slade however feels pity for the boy, due to how he was raised. And there is some clever foreshadowing, for real this time, for something there is yet to come... 

Man, I love Damian 

Titans: The Lazarus Contract

Slade steals Kid Flash's powers and tries going back in time to save Grant Wilson from dying, as you can imagine the Titans and the Teen Titans are not going to let this happen since changing the timeline is dangerous. I like this crossover a lot, since during that time we had the Titans, led by Dick Grayson with some older Titans, and the Teen Titans, led by Damian and younger Titans. Great times. The way Slade is written here is pretty great, feeling really guilty over how he ruined his kids lives over and over. This storyline is somewhat of a tribute to Wolfman's and Pérez Teen Titans too. 

Deathstroke Vs Batman

A DNA test is found saying that Slade is Damian true father. And that's great for conflit. I'm sorry Damian fans. I don't want Slade as Damian's father but this works. The Professional foreshadows this very well too. About the DNA test, its fake, Talia did it in the hopes of calling Slade's attention. Some people complain about this, saying that Batman would never care about a DNA test with this information since he did his on DNA test with Damian. The thing is, we never saw it. 

They, genuinely, for a big chunk of time, left this open. Damian could be or not be Bruce's kid. The first time we would see some level of confirmation was during Batman and Robin, when Bruce was dead. And the way they give this information is not 100% reliable, being from one of Bruce's clones. 

Anyway, during this storyline we get character studies for Batman and Deathstroke, as how the two behave as father figures. For an entire issue, Damian teams up with Slade and we see how the two work together. And is insanely good. Slade feels bad for Damian and he truly wants for the boy to be better, better then himself and Batman. By this point, the two have such great interactions and history together.

They have a small fight and Slade one shots Damian, not killing him of course. Damian hates Slade, he has zero compassion for the assassin. I used to think that this hate comes from a place of fear, fear of becoming like Slade, Deathstroke is everything Damian fights every day to not be after all. But as we're going to see, that's not it. 

Teen Titans: The Terminus Agenda 

Here, it's revealed to the reader that Damian hates Slade due to how Talia treated him as he grew up. Even tho I have some issues with this crossover, every single interaction between Slade and Damian works so well here.

By this point, Deathstroke could easily be considered one of Damian's biggest antagonists. Here we have a natural evolution and some sort of conclusion for the two. 

Teen Titans: I Was Robin

Damian goes off the rails and Batman goes to confront him, Slade shows up, being hired by Black Mask to destroy the Teen Titans. This issue is very simple, still, it provides some great moments with Batman and Damian. But nothing said here is new when it comes to Damian and Slade. Slade beats Damian in a one on one fight, after that with his group help, he gets the upper hand on Slade and we see Damian with Deathstroke's sword. I have to say, i do love how he looks with it. 

In Conclusion 

So far as i know, that has been it for the two. We will see more during the upcoming Shadow War event and i'm looking forward to it. I've grown to really love what Damian and Slade have going on, the two just work so well against one another I don't even have words to describe it(or maybe i do but already used them all). That's it for today, have a good one. 

How many times has Deathstroke died? Is Slade suicidal?

 Being a comic book character is fair to assume that Slade has died multiple times but as we all know death in comics has almost zero impact.The thing is, Slade is immortal. Or at least he was. 

Total Chaos

Total Chaos was a big crossover for the Titans in the 90's. Lots of changes happened after it, not only for the Teen Titans, or Team Titans, but for Deathstroke as well. At the end of the crossover, Slade finds himself on Titans Island, tired and overwhelmed by an army. He manages to fight and kill them all, however, he dies soon after. A heart attack. Total Chaos also marks Rose Wilson's first appearance.

The whole crossover foreshadowed it, we saw it coming. Things like interactions between him and others, like Beast Boy, how they show Slade current health state. But of course, he would not stay dead. Cheshire brings Slade back to life quickly after that and with a bonus. Slade became immortal. 

After that, how much punishment Slade can endure is amplified. We can see him "dying" on a daily basis and being back up in hours. During this time, the amount of guilt Slade feels about the death of his 2 sons haunts him more and more. Slade starts showing signs of depression, of a certain death wish. This all comes to a climax in Deathstroke the Terminator #35.

To Thine Own Self

This is a single issue story that seeks to end Slade's death wish. At the end of this issue, Wintergreen confronts Slade, showing him how selfish suicide is. This issue is really heavy, the imagery and the text here are mature as hell. There is a moment where Slade puts a gun on his mouth and starts crying. I'm not even going to show it here. 

After that we see Slade and Wintergreen having a conversation about optimism and how the death of Grant and Joey move Slade to try to redeem himself. It's a wonderful moment, with some nice, but somewhat dated, dialogue and beautiful art. Script by Wolfman and art by Launchland Pelle. And I have to mention the amazing colours by Trish Mulvihill.

Later on the character can be seen dying in elseworlds and alternate timelines, but i don't see the need to cover that here since i'm trying to talk about only the "true" main timeline Slade. Things ad The New 52: Futures End, Convergence: Suicide Squad, Tales From The Dark Multiverse: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract are stories for another day(spoiler alert, those 3 are bad, really bad).

The Terminus Agenda

Another crossover between Deathstroke and the Teen Titans that ends with Slade's death. During this story, they try(and fail) to fool the reader into thinking that Damian is going to kill Slade at the end. Slade himself says he wants Damian to do it. Slade is responsible for the death of his therapist called Candace. She did try to help Slade and he started to like her in some level, she also resembles Tanya Spears, another character that Slade had some level of caring. However, trying to help Karen Starr, the original Power Girl, Tanya gets lost in some kind of pocket dimension and Slade believes she killed herself and he is responsible for that action. So, I think it makes sense for Slade to wish to die now. Slade also likes Damian in a way, and fears for him, he thinks Batman made Damian soft and he wants to make Damian more brutal in the hopes of this guaranteeing that Damian will survive in any scenario.  

But it's really hard to read this, Terminus Agenda presents itself so quickly and sloppy that you really need to look in the interlines. Anyways. Emiko Queen kills Slade. 

Obviously Slade was no longer immortal when this happens, his immortal status disappeared after a certain time.

In a character assassination moment(the character being Emiko), she kills Slade for pretty much no reason. Earlier we saw a moment between the two that foreshadows that this may happen, but it makes no sense. Emiko has killed in the past? Yes, but she is not a killer. She killed one villain for a very specific and personal reason. The argument that she might end up like her mother has no legs to stand on. This would work for Damian(even tho I don't think he should kill either) but for Emi? Just no. But ok, let's pretend Emiko's journey so far led us to think that she is going to be like her mother. So what? 

 When she kills Slade he was unarmed and Robin had him at gun point. He was not a threat. If he was about tho kill Damian, i could see some logic there but that's not the case. This is nothing but cheap shock value, like Damian "killing" Black Mask earlier on this Teen Titans run. Also, how he dies is pathetic. Seriously?  An arrow? He survived being shot in the head, I just don't buy it. 

But at least after that Deathstroke R.I.P. happened and that was great. We saw Rose as Deathstroke for a while and a version of Slade from the Dark Multiverse. However, the original plan for that storyline was to make the Dark Multiverse version of Slade, or "Altstroke", the winner of that arc. He would kill the main universe Deathstroke and take his place. Shame that we didn't get to see this, it would gave the character an end. and a better conclusion for his death wish. Deathstroke being killed by... well, Deathstroke. Slade is his own biggest villain. 

Deathstroke Inc. 

In Deathstroke Inc. #4 Slade is killed by Black Canary. Dinah and Deathstroke have being crossing each other's life for a while, Deathstroke Inc. was trying to cap this off. As issue 4 opens they fight but with no winner or looser, deciding to team up against the organization know as T.R.U.S.T. 

As they fight some villains they are tricked into fighting one another and Dinah comes out as the winner this time. 

Slade simply gets back up in the next issue, so, I guess that's the writer remembering that Slade was immortal?

Shadow War

Slade gets killed by Talia Al Ghul at the end of the event in one of the most nonsensical things I ever read. Deathstroke, acting out of character, decides to go after Talia with no prep time or anything. I won't go over many details here since I've already did a full review on this issue, so let's move on. 

After that, Slade gets into the Lazarus Pit and comes back for Dark Crisis. So, I guess the same writer who remembered that Deathstroke was immortal just forgot it 2 months later. 

Deathstroke Year One

Yes, Slade died 3 times in 2023 alone. I guess DC is having a shortage for creativity lately(?). In this story that fills in some gaps in Deathstroke lore and retcons some aspects of Slade's origin we see that Slade first time dying was way back, during his first mission as a mercenary. 

Does this create some plot holes? Yes. Does anyone at DC care? No. 

In Conclusion 

Slade tried to get himself killed 2 times, and died 5 times in DC's main continuity. 3 of them in 2022 alone(I guess a certain writer has no idea about what to do with the character). I have this feeling that Slade is going to die again in Dark Crisis, the current main event at DC. But let's wait and see, until then, have a good one. 

Batman vs Deathstroke, the history

 Since we're heading to Shadow War, the next big Batman crossover, i decided to make somewhat of an guide to every time Batman has fought Deathstroke. I feel that the debate involving who should beat who is genuinely interesting. We're talking about two masters in strategy and martial arts, with tons of resources and the guts to do almost anything. However, when we look at the history of Batman(Bruce Wayne) and Deathstroke it can be underwhelming. Still, it's a fun topic. Today we'll be talking only about Bruce Wayne Batman, other Bat people, such as Dick Grayson when he wore the mantle will have to wait another day. 

Deathstroke The Terminator: City of Assassins

One of the best Deathstroke storylines ever made, and in my opinion one of DC's most obscure classics. A bunch of criminals try to hire Slade for a job,  not liking how the group treated him, Slade goes after them and that leads him to Batman's city, Gotham. This takes place after Jericho's death, so Slade is more of an anti-hero here. If you have not read this, do yourself a favor and go after this comic, trust me on this one. This storyline marks the first time Slade and Bruce Wayne ever meet, so its a must read. City of Assassins gives the reader everything he might want for this moment, we get to see how similar yet different Batman and Deathstroke are, they fight, they work together, etc. 

So, the fighting. Slade beats Batman here, no contest. But the devil is in the details. After the fight Slade is cleary very tired and in pain. Batman also absolutely does not go down easily. Slade claims to have fought the best and that  Batman is better, as in, the best hand to hand fighter he has ever faced. He also claims that he would hate to fight Batman without his enhancements. 

Detective Comics: The Death Lottery

Time for a rematch! After the end of his solo comic book series, Slade retires and stays in Africa. Growing tired of hunting only animals, he decides to go back into being a mercenary. This leads him to Gotham once again. Some people claim that Slade and Batman fight 3 times here, but i disagree. I think it's just one fight, Slade knocks Batman, he gets up, and so on. Think of it as a boxing match, one of the fighters goes down, they start counting but he gets up before the time runs out. That being said, Batman beats Slade here. Not much to talk about, this story is pretty short and simple. Let's move on. 

Infinite Crisis

This event is a spiritual sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, it pretty much evolves every player in the DC universe. At the end there is a big fight, as you can expect. We see Batman, Nightwing and Robin(Tim Drake) faceing off Deathstroke. Infinite Crisis had some problems during its first release. Later, one extra page was added, and some other corrections, this extra page shows more of the Bat family going up against Slade. But that does not change the final result. Batman, with help, beats Slade again. 

Superman/Batman: Stop me if you've heard this one...

This short story tells  Superman and Batman's first ever meeting. With some changes. And Deathstroke is there. This takes place in Slade early years as Deathstroke and features Wade. Wade is Deathstroke's counterpart from Crime Syndicate's earth. And yeah, he's a commentary on Deadpool. And this comic is written by Joe Kelly, who is the father to what we know and love about Deadpool. Oh boy this is a fun one. However, is kinda debentable if this events are canon. Anyway, while fighting Wade, Slade is distracted so Batman swoops in and knocks Slade out. 

So, even tho this is a fun mention I find hard to count this as a win for Batman. Due to circumstance and high possibility of not being canon(DC's current rule about what's canon and whats not is a nightmare to me).

Batman: The Dark Knight: Knight Terrors

Slade makes a quick cameo here, he attacks Batman and leaves. Definitely not counting this one.

Deathstroke: Gods of War

Ok, this one is unnecessarily complicated. Slade is going after his son, Joseph A.K.A Jericho who has been kidnaped. He ends up in Gotham, again, and teams up with Harley Quinn of all people. During this time, Slade had undergone a process that made him young again and restored his right eye.  However since Slade has grown so used to only having one eye  he's having perception and depth problems now. In other words, he sucks at fighting. Anyways, Harley sets up for him and Batman to fight.

Slade starts the fight getting his ass kicked by Batman, but as the confrontation goes on the tables turn and he gets the upper hand. But that's not what Harley had planed. So she intervenes by helping Batman at first and after that she tries to blow up the building they are in. The fight ends with no clear winner. Even tho it's fair to assume Slade was going to win this one, 

Deathstroke: The Professional

During this storyline, Slade, in what he deems to be Father and Daughter time, goes to Gotham just to mess with Batman a little. Slade outsmarts Batman and kidnaps Damian. Not a typical battle, but this shows that Slade is capable of outsmarting Batman with ease.

Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Taking place during Batman's second year, this storyline sees Gotham during a war where Joker and Riddler's troops control the city. Deathstroke fights Deadshot and Batman tries stopping the two. After five days of trying and failing. Batman beats them.

I have my problems with this, continuity wise, makes no sense. Also, Slade should destroy Floyd in a hand to hand fight. But a victory is a victory. Points for Batman. 

Batman vs Deathstroke 

A DNA test is found, saying that Damian Wayne is actually Slade's kid. Batman goes after him and a war between the two starts. It feels like Spy vs Spy, both having plans to deal with each others plan. This comic is more about how Slade and Bruce are similar yet different, like in City of Assassins, but with a plus. Damian Wayne. How Damian affects the two? How being a father affects Slade and Bruce? It's pretty great, this storyline got some crap on the internet but it definitely does not deserve it.

The final fight between the two ends in a draw, after that they have to work together. Somewhat similar to City of Assassins again. Some people have problems with this, but i don't see the issue. Batman had prep time all the time here, it's totally plausible for him to keep up with Slade. Makes perfect sense for the two to end in a draw. 

Justice League: Justice Lost 

At the end of this storyline, the Justice League pretends to fight Deathstroke, as part of Cyborg's plan. So, Batman and Slade have a brief encounter but since they are just pretending to fight I'm not considering this one. However, still worth the mention. 

Batman: Their Dark Designs

Batman finds himself as the target of a scheme that aims to distract him for a whole night. To do so, some of the world's deadliest assassins, lead by Deathstroke, are after several targets in Gotham. At first Batman beats Slade, but they fight somore as the story progresses. 

I'm going to take some risk by claiming this, but, Slade won at the end. He was hired to distract Batman. He did so. At the end he also surprises the Dark Knight and pierces through his leg with a sword. After that Batman is pretty much out of the equation. 

And in the end, Slade leaves Gotham with his payment. A successful job for the mercenary. I think is 100% fair to claim Slade as the winner here. 

Shadow War - Secret Meetings 

This is a quick update, Shadow is out and completed, and with that, a new piece of text for this post. During the event, a retcon is made about Deathstroke and Batman, apparently, the two had a secret encounter before Dick became a Titan. Joker hires Slade to kill Robin, Batman stops him. That's it, really. A very unnecessary retcon by the way. They fight, Slade runs away. No winner or looser. 

In Conclusion 

 

Deathstroke has beaten/outsmarted Batman 3 times. Batman bested Slade 4 times. 

If i had to pick a "champion" that would have to be Batman. However I feel like the history between the two proves they are pretty much on the same level. As pointed out by writer Christopher Priest when he wrote Batman vs Deathstroke. And that only makes sense to me. Slade might be a metahuman but Batman deals with super powered beings almost on a daily basis. 

That's it for today. I hope you find this post useful. Have a good one.