Warning! Spoilers ahead for Deathstroke Inc. #5
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Deathstroke Inc., Slade Wilson gets his own mini "What If...?" storyline which shows the Terminator what his life would be like if he were a heroic member of the Justice League. While this new series has seen Slade working alongside Black Canary for the organization known as T.R.U.S.T, it's been revealed that they're anything but trustworthy. Furthermore, Slade gets a glimpse at what his life could be like if he was a hero while Dinah Lance is shown what she'd be like as a villain in the DC Universe.
In previous issues of Deathstroke Inc., Slade and Dinah discovered that T.R.U.S.T was secretly a front being run by the villain Libra who took over the mantle from her brother. While they confronted the villain, it was revealed that she wasn't working alone. As a result, Deathstroke and Black Canary were caught off guard by Dr. Destiny and sent to the other-dimensional Ghost-Zone by Prometheus. Now, Deathstroke Inc. #5 from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Paolo Pantalena sees them entering the haunted Crooked House, showing both Slade and Dinah alternate paths their lives might have gone.
While Dinah is shown a life where's she's become a villain with her family (and resurrected mother), Slade finds himself in Titans Tower as a hero. Wearing a brighter and more noble version of his classic suit, Deathstroke is a member of the Justice League. However, he's also told that been helping to train the next generation of heroes along with his deceased son Grant. However, it's soon revealed that these respective "What If...?" visions were constructed as tests by the true masterminds behind T.R.U.S.T.
Despite the visions being a test from the Secret Society working behind the scenes of T.R.U.S.T, seeing Slade Wilson as a Justice Leaguer is as strange as it is intriguing. Furthermore, Slade's earliest days in the DC Universe saw Deathstroke as one of the Teen Titans' greatest enemies, so the irony of him helping to hone their skills is pretty entertaining. While it may have been just a dream, earlier issues did see Deathstroke admitting that he joined T.R.U.S.T because he wanted to try his hand at being a hero. As such, this new issue seemingly implies that there might have been a point in his past where he was capable of being a genuine hero in the DC Universe as well.
However, the knowledge that Dinah and Slade have been working for a coalition of supervillains this whole time has motivated Deathstroke to move towards the complete opposite end of the spectrum, killing Calculator and the new Libra before declaring himself as their new leader. While the Secret Society has been working to unite heroes and villains together to face the bigger threats that can erase reality, it looks as though Slade will be directing those efforts as the new King of the Supervillains. Likewise, it seems to be quite clear that Deathstroke joining the Justice League was only ever a vision and dream in the DC Universe.