Titans #17 marked a significant step for the series with Donna Troy making a major statement just as Deathstroke makes their big return. On the team side of things Donna Troy proved she was more than ready to take on leadership duties of the Titans. This was shown as Donna Troy’s mental fortitude led the team to overcome Clock King’s plot. Donna firming up her position as the Titans leader could not come at a better time as the team will soon have to deal with a big return. And it does not get any bigger on the villain side for the Titans than Deathstroke. That’s right Deathstroke is back and already has big plans underway.
DEATHSTROKE RETURNS BUT IS IT SLADE WILSON?
The last time we saw Slade Wilson he took over as the main antagonist from Pariah after getting full control of the Great Darkness in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. Solidifying his position as the main antagonist, it took two issues for the assembled heroes of the DC Universe to defeat Slade. And it really did take everything for the heroes to be able to defeat the Great Darkness powered Slade. That further elevated him as on of the biggest villains in the DCU.
While he returned at the end of Titans #17 there is a question if the Deathstroke that appeared in front of Clock Kick is Slade Wilson? The reason there is this question is because after being defeated and having the Great Darkness removed it also purged Slade Wilson’s system of the serum that gave him his super soldier powers. That left Slade in a weak near-death state locked in a life support tube. Unfortunately for Slade this wasn’t the end of things as a mysterious figure turned off the life support system that was keeping him alive.
With that in mind there is a likelihood that the Deathstroke that appeared in front of Clock King isn’t Slade Wilson. This wouldn’t necessarily mean Slade is dead but would keep that idea going for a while longer. Someone else being Deathstroke wouldn’t be the first time as we’ve seen many imposters in the past.
A recent example is Brion Markov, aka Geo-Force, during the Shadow War Batman, Robin, and Deathstroke crossover event. In that same crossover, it was once again brought up that Respawn was a clone created using Slade and Talia Al Ghul’s DNA by Ra’s Al Ghul. So there are options when it comes to who is under the mask at the end of Titans #17.
TITANS FIRST ON DEATHSTROKE TARGET LIST
While there are questions if we are dealing with Slade Wilson, it is clear that Deathstroke is coming after the Titans. There is already clear motivation as to why Deathstroke would go after the Titans. Because if it was the Titans, Nightwing specifically, who led the charge that ended up defeating Deathstroke and putting him in the state he was in at the end of Dark Crisis. So there is definitely a revenge angle for this Deathstroke, especially if it is Slade Wilson or someone from his lineage.
Given that Deathstroke appears to be recruiting the Clock King for something his plan could be a long term play. With the heroes assembled under the Justice League Unlimited banner, including the Titans, Deathstroke likely understands no matter how skilled or powerful they are, going solo is a terrible plan. Especially as we saw that when the villains are working together and don’t fall into the typical overconfident trappings, they can defeat the heroes as seen in Absolute Power.
Going with the villain team direction wouldn’t be a new thing for Deathstroke. Having worked for organizations like HIVE and assembled the Terror Titans in the past, Deathstroke has ties to villain groups. Creating a new villain team would be a great counter to the more experienced heroes that the Titans have proven themselves as. They could also use these villains to exhaust the Titans before fully making his presence known to the heroes.
Whatever the case may be, there are clear plans in place for Deathstroke. What those plans will be has a lot of interesting story potential.
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