The appearance of Deathstroke in the DCEU has been somewhat of a mystery and a huge rollercoaster of emotions.
Deathstroke has already appeared on the small screen in CW’s Arrow, played by Manu Bennett. However, fans want more from the character and have speculated when we will see him on the big screen.
In 2015, rumors circulated that Joe Manganiello was in talks to play Deathstroke in Suicide Squad. However, the actor set the record straight before the release of the movie tweeting, “To the #SS rumor mill, that’s not the character I was in talks for, nor was I replaced by anyone. Never signed on.” The rumor was then confirmed to be completely false when the movie was released.
However, this didn’t stop fans from speculating about the next DC movie. Many fans believed that Deathstroke would feature in Justice League... and they weren’t completely wrong.
Although Deathstroke wasn’t seen in the movie, he did appear in the end-credit scenes. This has added more confusion about the future of the character, but has given fans hope that we will see him on the big screen sometime soon.
So, to prepare for when the assassin does make his debut in the DCEU, here are the 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Deathstroke.
He is As Strong as 10 Men and Can Use 90% of His Brain
After the experiment that changed Slade Wilson forever, he gained many superhuman abilities. He is as strong as ten men and can lift up to five tons. He also gained access to 90 percent of his brain, making him smarter than any human. Therefore, he can speak many different languages and is nine times faster with fighting strategies than his enemies.
His advanced brain has also equipped him with extraordinary reflexes. According to him, he can see things faster than “ordinary mortals” which makes his reflexes ten times faster than any man.
Not only does he have superhuman strength, speed, and intellect, but he also has an arsenal of weapons to help him conduct his missions. He has an energy lance that can fire lethal and non-lethal energy blasts to incapacitate an enemy, and a promethium sword that is more durable than titanium. His sword has been known to cut through a jet wing in one single strike.
His Power Runs In His Family
Deathstroke isn’t the only superhuman in the family. His oldest son Grant grew up idolizing his dad. He became bitter at the Teen Titans when Starfire crash-landed on his apartment and joined a terrorist organization called H.I.V.E to destroy them.
While with the organization, he took on the name Ravager and submitted to an experiment that made his brain 100% effective and quadrupled his speed and reflexes. His experiment failed however, and his powers slowly killed him.
Deathstroke’s second son, Joseph Wilson became mute when one of his father’s enemies slit his throat. He, however, genetically received powers from his father, and gained the ability to talk to people through his mind. Taking on the name Jericho, he could also possess any human he made eye contact with and could make someone explode with just one look.
Deathstroke also conceived a daughter named Rose through an affair. Once Grant died, she took up the mantle of Ravager. Deathstroke secretly injected her with the serum that gave her his abilities and she gained enhanced strength, reflexes, intelligence, and speed. One day she even cut out her eye to prove her loyalty to her father and he replaced it with kryptonite.
He Has Killed a God
In Deathstroke, Deathstroke is hired by Hephaestus, the forger of weapons for the Olympian Gods, to go to Themyscrya and kill Lapetus. To help with his mission, Hephaestus arms Deathstroke with a sword called the God Killer.
On Themyscrya, Deathstroke accidentally unleashes Lapetus by shattering his statue and is forced to go head-to-head with Wonder Woman and Superman prior to defeating the Titan. The sword allows him to forge through the battles with the superheroes and he takes on Lapetus one-on-one.
Deathstroke’s superior intelligence and quick-thinking, paired with the God Killer, allow him to defeat the God on his own.
At the end, he is congratulated by Hephaestus and told that he has done what no other mortal could do. Deathstroke truly is one of the greatest assassins in the world.
He Has Regenerative Powers, Yet His Eye Can't Regenerate
Deathstroke went through a process in order to gain the power of regeneration. This power allows him to survive any wound as long as his brain stays intact. The downside of the ability, though, is that, although he can survive any attack, he still feels the pain of the blows.
Also, although he has regeneration powers, the one thing he is unable to regenerate is his missing eye. This may be a good thing though, as his lack of an eye may actually be the reason why he is such a great mercenary.
In Gods of War, Deathstroke is given the gift of youth and he wakes up as a younger version of himself with both eyes intact. However, he starts to realize that he can’t fight with both eyes and has to constantly shut one during battle.
He Knows Batman's True Identity
Nothing gets by Deathstroke-- not even Batman’s true identity. There are multiple instances where it is revealed that Slade Wilson knows exactly who is underneath the bat mask.
In Deathstroke #8, Slade Wilson attends Bruce Wayne’s Christmas party in order to ask for his help. Bruce Wayne surprises him by telling him that he knows he is Deathstroke and that Dick Grayson vouches for him. In return, Wilson says “Your ex-ward’s grown into a good many. Grayson’s extracurricular abilities, shall we say, are among the best I’ve ever seen. But then again, he did have the greatest teacher.”
Upon entering the Teen Titans, Dick Grayson also revealed Batman’s true identity to his teammates. However, unbeknownst to him, one of Deathstroke’s sidekicks was present. Therefore, Deathstroke was able to learn about Batman’s true identity and his relationship to Nightwing.
He Was Originally Named after His Sword and Went By "Deathstroke The Terminator"
Deathstroke joined the DC universe in 1980 as "Deathstroke the Terminator." Born as Slade Wilson, the anti-hero was forced to trade in his life of honorable military service, for the dark road of a contract killer.
In Deathstroke: Rebirth, we learn that Slade Wilson donned the name Deathstroke after winning a sword from a Croatian during a private poker game. This sword was forged during the age of the Crusades and used during the 17th century British Civil Wars before changing its name and finding its way into the Croatian’s possession.
Wilson plays the winning hand and the Croatian attempts to use the sword against him, accusing the assassin of cheating. However, Wilson disarms the man and kills him using the newly named sword: Deathstroke.
From then on, Wilson took on the name of the sword and called himself Deathstroke the Terminator. However, after the release of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator movies, DC distanced themselves from “the Terminator” part of his name to avoid competition and confusion.
From time to time though, he is still referred to as the Terminator, depending on what comic you read.
He Lied About His Age to Join the Army and Got His Abilities Through a Military Experiment
Slade Wilson lied about his age and joined the United States Army at the age of 16. He excelled through all his training, and was everything the military could have expected in a soldier. Therefore, they offered him the opportunity to partake in an experiment that would make him immune to truth serums. He gladly volunteered and was strapped in for the trial.
The serum, however, had adverse side effects on Wilson’s body. It gave him uncanny superhuman strength and drove him mad. Wilson eventually fell into a coma and the experiment was labeled a failure.
The Army, refusing to admit their mistake, forbade Wilson from re-enlisting and his career in the military was over. Unable to serve his country, Slade turned to the life of a mercenary and rebranded himself as Deathstroke.
He Has Taken Down Every Member of the Justice League
In Identity Crisis, Deathstroke cripples every member of the Justice League present at the battle. He stabs the Flash, silences Zatanna with a hit to her liver, cuts Hawkman’s wings, breaks the Green Arrow’s arrows, put a rubber mask on Black Canary, hits the Elongated Man unconscious, disorients Atom with a laser, and breaks all of Kyle Rayner’s knuckles. He is only stopped when he is caught off guard by Green Arrow shoving an arrow into his right eye socket.
Now Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman weren’t present for the fight, but Deathstroke has held his own against these super heroes in the past. He has virtually beaten Batman in Deathstroke (1991) and Gods of War, and fared well against Wonder Woman and Superman in Deathstroke.
His Wife is The Real Reason Why He Lost His Eye
There are many different versions of how Deathstroke lost his eye. In The New 52, he lost his eyes after battling North Koreans, and in the Arrow TV show, he lost it when Oliver shot him in the eye with an arrow. However, the original story is one of love and loss.
Slade Wilson married his military trainer, Adeline Kane. They had two sons together and lived a good life until tragedy struck. One of their sons, Joseph, was captured by a terrorist called Jackal. Jackal was trying to use Joseph as leverage against Deathstroke. However, instead of giving in, Deathstroke gambled with his son’s life and attempted to save Joseph before Jackal could hurt him.
He failed, and Jackal slit Joseph’s throat. The act didn’t kill Joseph, but it destroyed his vocal chords and rendered him mute.
After taking her son to the hospital, Adeline realized that neither of her children were safe with their father and decided to take his life into her own hands. She tried to kill him by shooting him, but only managed to hit his right eye.
He is the World's Deadliest Assassin
Although Deadshot would repute this claim, Deathstroke is called "the World’s Deadliest Assassin" multiple times in the DC comics.
According to Deathstroke: Gods of War, the assassin has over 600 kills under his belt and everyone including the CIA and FBI knows his name. Not only is he feared throughout the United States, but he has also been banned from Russia by Putin himself.
Although Deathstroke doesn’t take every contract, he is known to complete all of the ones he accepts with extreme precision. In essence, he never fails.
Depending on who you talk to, he is known as a mass-murdering psychopathic killer, the world’s greatest mercenary, the deadliest assassin, or a gun for hire. Although to Slade, Deathstroke is not who he is, but simply his job – but it’s a job he isn’t giving up anytime soon.
He Can't Get Drunk
You will never see Deathstroke wasted at a bar or hungover in bed because it’s simply not in his DNA. Deathstroke received regenerative powers that allow him to recover from just about any wound. However, this regenerative power also protects him from the wounds of alcohol. No matter how much he drinks, his body regenerates and prevents him from getting drunk.
The evidence for his inability to get drunk can be found in Gods of War. At the end of this comic, Wilson’s son, Jericho zaps his brain and he wakes up naked and alone in a strange room. He tells himself, “I feel like hell. Like the biggest hangover times a hundred, if I could even get drunk.”
So don’t ever challenge Deathstroke to a drinking contest because you won’t come out victorious.
He Was Once a Member of the Suicide Squad
Deathstroke was rumored to be in Suicide Squad, but alas, he never debuted on the big screen. There weren’t even any hints of him in the movie-- so why were fans expecting him and what is his connection to the Suicide Squad?
Deathstroke was a part of the Suicide Squad in the 2014 series, New Suicide Squad. His time with the squad was very brief, and he actually left them after two issues.
In New Suicide Squad, the team consisted of Deathstroke, Harley Quinn, Joker’s Daughter, Black Manta, and Deadshot. Vic Sage added Deathstroke and Joker’s Daughter to the team in order to provide a little friendly competition for Harley Quinn and Deadshot. However, Deathstroke had plans of his own.
While out on the mission, he received a better offer from the Russians and decided to take it. He turned his back on the team and ended up torturing Deadshot for the Russians.
He Was a Pirate in an Alternate Reality
In Flashpoint: Deathstroke and The Curse of the Ravager, Barry Allen wakes up in an alternate reality in which the world is in chaos, and Deathstroke is a sea-faring pirate.
In this world, Deathstroke is the captain of a ship called the Ravager, and he and his crew are known as cold-blooded murderers and the most feared pirates of the seven seas. However, all of the crew’s killings and brutality is for one goal: to find Deathstroke’s daughter Rose, and seek revenge on the ones that kidnapped her.
Along the way, they team up with Clayface and Sonar to plunder and loot as many ships and sunken cities as they can. They even come face to face with Aquaman, who stabs Deathstroke with his trident.
He Hates the Green Arrow
Deathstroke has a deep, dark hatred for the Green Arrow. Although most people believe it’s because Green Arrow took Deathstroke’s eye, it’s actually because he taunted him for it.
In Identity Crisis, Deathstroke slices through all of Green Arrow’s arrows to cripple him. However, Ollie simply takes one of these broken arrows and jams it in Deathstroke’s right eye socket, right where his eye should have been.
Ollie then says to himself, “I know he’s blind in that eye. I also know how much an arrow there hurts. And for the first time, the ultimate tactician loses his temper.”
Deathstroke goes mad and tells Green Arrow that he’ll kill him for that, and ever since, has done everything he could to reveal Ollie’s true identity and destroy him.
He is The Only Recurring Character in Arkham Knight and Origins that Didn't Change His Look
Deathstroke appears in Batman: Arkham Knight and Batman: Arkham Origins. Although the games are set ten years apart, he still wears the same iconic black and orange armor in both games. This makes him the only character in the series that did not change their costume.
His look, however, is slimmed down, as his shoulder pads come up close to his head, which suggests to some gamers that he got shorter with age. The Deathstroke DLC also comes with two additional skins: the Judas Contract and Injustice: Gods Among Us skins.
In the game, Deathstroke is voiced by Mark Rolston, who also voices Firefly and Lex Luthor in Batman: The Animated Series. He is also a playable character in Batman: Arkham Origins if the game was preordered.
His Suit is Very Durable and He Charges it By Moving
One of the strongest things about Deathstroke is his suit. Partially made out of promethium and a rare metal found in Thanagar, his suit is nearly unbreakable and incredibly resistant to injury. This means that Deathstroke can endure a lot of attacks and can even withstand punches from Superman.
The promethium in his suit can also generate and absorb limitless amounts of energy to keep itself and other gadgets running. Deathstroke is so fast, that he can keep his suit charged simply by moving.
Promethium however, is a dangerous and volatile element and has a lot of negative side effects. For one, the metal can mutate living beings and trigger superpowers. Deathstroke, however, can absorb the negative effects through his regenerative abilities while still using its side effects to enhance his super soldier powers. This makes him extra powerful-- and extra dangerous.
He Saved President Bill Clinton's Life
In Deathstroke The Hunted, a US Senator by the name of Williams was murdered. He was then replaced by an impersonator to get to President Bill Clinton.
Strapped with explosives, the impersonator planned to blow himself up and take down the President during their daily morning jog.
However, Deathstroke got wind of the plan and intercepted the President during the jog. Clinton was saved, but the bomb still went off and Deathstroke was blamed for the death of the Senator and the attempted assassination of the President. He was captured and interrogated by the FBI, but his longtime pal, Wintergreen broke him out.
Clinton isn’t the only president who Deathstroke has saved. He also saved President Bush by defusing a bomb that was set to explode under Capital Hill in Deathstroke #4.
He Has Beef with The Teen Titans
Deathstroke really is a family man, and the death of his children have constantly driven his life choices.
Deathstroke’s oldest son, Grant died after accepting a contract to kill the Teen Titans. So, to avenge his son’s death, Deathstroke decided to fulfill his contact and finish his son’s work.
Deathstroke was to sell a promethium bomb and decided to kidnap the Titans and place them in the bombs path to showcase the bomb’s capabilities for potential buyers. The Titans eventually escaped but not without Deathstroke severely wounding Beast Boy in the process.
His next plan was to use Terra to infiltrate the team as his spy. Through her, he learned everyone’s secret identity and attempted to use the knowledge against the Teen Titans. He was, however, captured with the help of his youngest son, Jericho, and put on trial for his crimes.
The contract to kill the Teen Titans is the only contract that Deathstroke has failed to fulfill.
He Was the Inspiration for Deadpool
Deadpool, who was introduced about 10 years after Deathstroke, bears many uncanny similarities to the DC assassin.
First off, they both have very similar names. The first part of their names both refer to death, and the second part of their names refer to water. You can take a stroke in a pool of water. Also, Deadpool’s real name is Wade Wilson, while Deathstroke’s is Slade Wilson - very close.
Second, Deadpool was created as a villain to the teenage superheroes known as the New Mutants, much like how Deathstroke is a villain to the Teen Titans. Also, for the nail in the coffin, when Deadpool’s writer Fabian Nicieza saw the first designs for Deadpool he is known to have said, “This is Deathstroke from Teen Titans.”
According to Rob Liefeld, Deadpool’s creator though, they are nothing alike. He said “While ruthless, there is a certain nobility to Slade. He tried to have a normal family at one point, and believed in honor amongst thieves. Wade, while canny, is an insane person. The similarities are they both shoot guns and wield swords.”
He Is Getting His Own Movie
The end credits of Justice League sets Deathstroke up for his appearance in the DCEU.
Originally, Ben Affleck revealed that Deathstroke would appear in Batman’s solo movie entitled The Batman. However, since Affleck’s reveal, the movie has changed directors and the role that Deathstroke will play is now up in the air.
The latest news is that a solo Deathstroke movie is in the works. In late October 2017, it was confirmed that The Raid filmmaker, Gareth Evans is in early talks to write and direct Deathstroke’s solo movie, staring Magic Mike’s Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke.
During the end credits of Justice League, we get a glimpse of the mighty assassin teasing the idea of the Injustice League. The movie even makes a point to show Manganiello as Deathstroke by having the character take of his mask.
However, will this plot play out in The Batman or in Deathstroke’s solo movie? And with DC’s jampacked future movie schedule, when will either come out?
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Do you know any other interesting facts about Deathstroke? Let us know in the comments!