DC's Dark Multiverse Has Finally Given Us the Perfect Deathstroke
by Renaldo MatadeenWARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Deathstroke #50, from Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan, Fernando Pasarin, Jason Paz, Oclair Albert, Norm Rapmund, Danny Miki, Jeromy Cox and Willie Schubert, on sale now.
Deathstroke #50 signals the end of writer Christopher Priest's high-octane run with the character and brings the curtain down on an arc that's seen two Slade Wilsons going at it in the DC Universe. This story has seen "Old Man Deathstroke" in his slick Darth Vader-esque armor feuding with the mainstream Deathstroke who tried to retire recently, leading to all-out war.
However, this finale reveals that the older Deathstroke hails from the Dark Multiverse that's fueling many DC stories right now, where he was the most perfect Slade Wilson ever.
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Instead of being a clone or a copycat of the main Deathstroke, the elder Wilson has been marooned on Earth from the Dark Multiverse. But before he arrived here, he was truly the most ideal killer. After the Dark Slade kills his world's Batman, Damian Wayne and Wonder Woman show up alongside him, basking in the bloody glory. With Damian sipping on a juice box, the issue pays homage to a story that teased the idea that Slade could really have been this Robin's dad.
In this reality, Slade he is Damian's father, and Wonder Woman is his mother. Together, they make up Slade's perfect, deadly family. After Batman's death, the Teen Titans, his traditional rivals, show up, and Slade and his family prove just how deadly they really can be.
Kid Flash goes after Slade, but the villain siphons off the speedster's kinetic energy into his suit while shutting down the hero's neural system. With his brain and body disconnected, Slade slits the throat of Kid Flash, before speeding around to murder the rest of the crew. Deathstroke hacks into Cyborg as well, which causes him to explode. Slade then impales Starfire, as Wonder Woman hacks Beast Boy to death. Finally, Damian gets the prized shot by putting a bullet through the head of Nightwing.
The brutal brawl is an absolute massacre that leaves Donna Troy behind as the only survivor. With Wonder Girl trying to convince Diana that Slade used mind-control tech on her, she's still hopelessly outmatched in the battle.
Even though this world's Raven shows up to zap this Deathstroke into the main DC Universe, this Slade Wilson accomplished more in a few pages than his counterpart has in his entire career. Even though the main Slade had elaborate plans to take down the Titans like the one he used in "The Judas Contract" storyline, he and his family take out the Titans and Batman with a straightforward and practical approach and effective allies a family who get the job done.
The deadly Dark Multiverse trinity of Slade, Diana and Damian accomplish far more than the real Slade ever did with his children Jericho and Ravager. With a demigoddess for a wife and an elite assassin for a son, the Dark Multiverse Deathstroke is living his best life.
While Deathstroke's time in the Injustice League, the Suicide Squad or the Secret Society of Super-Villains has never amounted to much, the Deathstroke is backed up by the ultimate team. By banishing the Dark Multiverse Deathstroke to the DC Universe, Raven takes away two of his greatest assets and forces him to confront his greatest fear- a younger version of himself. This might not be the best punishment, but it certainly has pushed Old Man Slade to the limit, as he faces the sins of the past in this fight against his younger self.
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