Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator, is one of DC's most formidable mercenaries. He may not be able to melt his targets with a blast of heat vision or shatter mountains with his fists, but the combination of his extensive training, enhanced physicals, and gifted mind has turned him into one of the publisher's most lethal and imposing characters around. He's humiliated a wide range of heroes and villains - he was even able to temporarily elude Superman and he's given Batman all kinds of trouble - yet for some reason beyond me, a number of his appearances outside of comics have been downright embarrassing. Slade may just be a fictional character, but if a video game, TV show, or movie is going to use him, the guy deserves some respect.
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Deathstroke #1 variant cover by the amazingly talented Andrea Sorrentino. (Read his Green Arrow run!) |
Not only was Deathstroke's role lacking any kind of solid inspiration - he felt more like Bane because he thought the League of Assassins was rightfully his to lead - but his fight against the Dark Knight was shockingly swift. So short, in fact, that it made me exclaim, "What?! That's it?" Batman just effortlessly drops the dude with a quick combo. As if that wasn't degrading enough, Damian then has a one-on-one fight with Slade and walks away as the victor. I'm not saying Damian should never be able to win that one, but if he's going to take the victory, it would rely on his wit, resources, and tactics - not hand-to-hand technique. His agenda wasn't an organic one and the most dangerous mercenary was reduced to someone Batman can beat without breaking a sweat and even Robin can eventually best him in a direct fight. The character design was pretty cool, but everything else about Deathstroke in Son of Batman was seriously lacking.
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Likely would have been a better movie if Ra's was the big bad. |
It's a shame a potentially awesome boss fight is used as another excuse to get in the Batmobile, and what happens next adds insult to injury. The way he's taken out once the tank is destroyed is beyond degrading. How terrific would it be if the tank fight was followed by an encounter which relied on stealth, countering, and using a variety of gear? Pretty terrific, yeah? Instead, Slade leaps at Batman, gets tackled, and then gets knocked out with one punch. Slade claims he was caught off-guard, but that's pretty tough to believe seeing as he's the one who lunged at Batman's vehicle. Well, at least Guy Gardner and Slade Wilson now have something in common: getting flooded by the Dark Knight after a single punch.
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Occupation: part-time jobber. |
A lot of appearances have handled the character properly (countless comics, Young Justice, Arrow Season 2), but I hope him being a total jobber in recent appearances isn't a sign of what his future will be like whenever he pops up outside of comics. Deathstroke shouldn't be included in something just because he's a fan-favorite - he should be included because he has what it takes to truly test the hero's abilities and his personality can create interesting dynamics. If TV shows, movies, and video games really want to use an assassin who will get walked all over and offer a forgettable conflict, I hear Brutale is looking for work.