Warning! Spoilers ahead for Shadow War: Alpha #1

DC's new Shadow War has begun, kickstarting a brutal family feud between Batman and Deathstroke. However, it won't be as simple as the Waynes and Wilsons going to war with only two sides. Beginning with the death of a major DC villain, it's been teased that someone is looking to start a major conflict. It's also clear that the new event will be largely focused on fathers and their children.

Recently in the DC Universe, Deathstroke has formed an entire army of supervillains. Meanwhile, the Demon's Head Ra's al Ghul discovered he was dying, having learned that the Lazarus Pits and their power to resurrect no longer work. Last but not least, Batman has been operating in Gotham as one would expect, though it's been some time since he fought crime with his son Damian. Now, Shadow War Alpha #1 from Joshua Williamson and Viktor Bogdanovic sees all three stories converging in a major way.

Related: Robin Ends the Bat-Family's Most Vicious Feud in the Perfect Way

Crossing over Batman, Deathstroke Inc, and RobinShadow War sees Ra's al Ghul being assassinated while addressing the world, offering his knowledge and the secrets of the Lazarus Pits (while omitting its cursed status). While the killer appeared to be Slade Wilson's Deathstroke, the issue's end revealed that Slade was framed, seeing as how he was still in Zandia with his army training his new son Respawn, a clone of Robin who had been injected with Slade's blood in the womb. While Damian tried to save his grandfather's body before the Deathstroke imposter's grenade ensured he could never be brought back cursed Pits or not, Batman intervened to save his son. However, this only pushed Robin away even further, intending to kill Deathstroke just as his mother Talia intends to, wanting vengeance for her father's death.

Batman's-Son-Robin-Planning-To-Kill-Deathstroke

Clearly, the family feud being set up by Williamson is an incredibly intriguing and complex mess of dynamic family relations. Deathstroke, Batman, and Ra's al Ghul are all fathers with some intense relationships with their children. Batman had a chance to reconcile with his son and only succeeded in losing Damian more. Meanwhile, the new son of Deathstroke has connections to the Wilsons, Waynes, and al Ghuls. Ra's murder by a fake Deathstroke also achieved what the imposter wanted, motivating Talia and the League of Assassins to go after Deathstroke and his army (with Batman and Robin caught in the middle while still working separately). As such, it's going to be a brutal and deeply personal battle in the issues to come.

It's going to be exciting to see how Shadow War progresses when considering that the Deathstroke imposter could very well be Grant, the first and reportedly deceased son of Slade. Furthermore, Deathstroke's daughter Ravager isn't working with her father much like Robin's own estrangement from Batman, a possible indication that the family brawl will only get bigger as the event continues. While it's anyone's guess what the outcome of Shadow War will be, it's likely that things are going to get a lot messier for all three connected families before they get better.

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