April 17, 2013

Deathstroke: A History of Violence


Having humble beginnings as a simple super-villain for the Teen Titans, Deathstroke the Terminator has come a long way from his comics quest to destroy the team, to a large following in popular media. Fans will once again get an opportunity to see the character in the Titans show.



Deathstroke's first appearance: New Teen Titans issue 2

Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez, Deathstroke also known as Slade Wilson, first appeared in the second issue of the New Teen Titans series published in the 1980s. Contracted by the H.I.V.E. organization to destroy the Teen Titans, Wilson initially refuses due to a payment dispute. Unbeknownst to him, the H.I.V.E. offers the same agreement to his son, Grant Wilson, who uses the guise of The Ravager to attack the Titans. The Ravager dies in battle against the Teen Titans and Deathstroke is now obligated to finish out that contract. Over the years, Deathstroke finally gains the upper hand against the Teen Titans, through his spy Tara Markov. Markov successfully joins and infiltrates the team, gaining their trust, leading to the team's downfall during the "Judas Contract" storyline. The epic final battle resulted in the death of the now insane Markov and the rise of two heroes: Dick Grayson as "Nightwing" and Wilson's other son Joseph as "Jericho".

Grant Wilson dies in battle against the Teen Titans

In time Deathstroke would eventually aid the team in many adventures. Nightwing, Jericho and even Deathstroke's own ex-wife Adeline, would confront and battle Slade, during the years ahead. An illegitimate child of Wilson's, Rose, would eventually take on the identity of The Ravager as well.


 In the New 52 universe of DC Comics, Slade Wilson is once again a mercenary for hire and faces off against Grant Wilson, whose past histories have been altered in this rebooted timeline. Deathstroke appears in the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game as well the upcoming Batman: Arkham City Origins out in October. He is featured in Game Informer's magazine cover for their May 2013 issue:

gameinformer magazine cover for Arkham Origins

No doubt, the character has an enduring legacy for the past 30 years, that is making it's way through popular culture such as cartoons and video-games. Thanks to his own notoriety, he has certainly reached fame and status the likes of which other DC Comics villains and heroes could dream of. Deathstroke also surfaced as a villain on the Arrow television series on the CW network, during it's second season. Actor Joe Manganiello was once set to portray him on the big screen, but now Esai Morales gets to breathe new life into the character, whose popularity has lasted decades.  


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[Updated April 2014]

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