By [ad_1]
In recent years, however, Deathstroke has found himself increasingly drawn into conflict with members of the Bat-Family
Deathstroke has established himself as one of the DC Universe’s premier supervillains with an extensive arsenal of lethal skills and a well-earned reputation as one of the world’s deadliest assassins. Whether he’s acting on behalf of an unscrupulous employer or acting on some ambiguous agenda of his own, Deathstroke’s disregard for the law and human life has put him at odds with countless heroes over the years. Even still, his raw cunning and keen tactical mind have allowed him to hold his own against superpowered foes whose abilities far outclass his own.
Throughout his career, Deathstroke has battled almost every major team of heroes within DC, including the Justice League and the Teen Titans. In recent years, however, Deathstroke has found himself increasingly drawn into conflict with members of the Bat-Family, including Batman himself. Previews for the upcoming “Shadow War” event have shown that this trend will continue, with Batman and Deathstroke once again facing off against one another. It may seem odd at first that an international assassin and the sworn protectors of Gotham City have found themselves at odds so often, but Deathstroke’s unique ties to certain members of the Bat-Family and the subtle parallels between him and Batman make the infamous assassin a surprisingly appropriate villain for the Dark Knight and his allies.
Deathstroke’s relationship with the Bat-Family first began as early as his first appearance in New Teen Titans #2 (by Mark Wolfman, George Perez, Romeo Tanghal, Adrienne Roy, and Ben Oda), when he agreed to take on a contract against the Teen Titans that his son Grant, aka Ravager, died attempting to fulfill. After working together with the traitorous Titan Terra, Deathstroke successfully captured almost all of the Titans, but his plans were ultimately thwarted by Dick Grayson, marking the beginning of a bitter rivalry between the two. Deathstroke soon discovered that Nightwing was training his daughter Rose as a hero. The enraged mercenary retaliated by helping the Secret Society of Super-Villains drop the radioactive villain Chemo onto Nightwing’s home city of Bludhaven in Geoff Johns and Phil Jiminez’s Infinite Crisis #4, killing millions simply to “get even” with Batman’s former protege. Through this and other actions, Deathstroke has cemented himself as one of Nightwing’s most hated adversaries, to the point where Nightwing dons a variant of Deathsroke’s costume to symbolize him giving in to his darker instincts during the Future State crossover event.
Batman views all of his young sidekicks as his children, but he’s always had an exceptionally close relationship with Nightwing, and the atrocities that Deathstroke has committed against his first sidekick have heavily influenced the Dark Knight’s interactions with the assassin. The relationship between the two men got even worse during Christopher Priest and Carlos Pagulayan’s Deathstroke series when a DNA test seemingly revealed that Deathstroke was Damian Wayne’s true father, not Batman. Although neither of them believed that this was true, and it was ultimately revealed that Damian’s mother Talia Al Ghul had manipulated the results of the test to get back at both Batman and Deathstroke, the tension that grew between them as they worked together to solve the mystery eventually culminated in a brutal fight within the Bat-Cave that left both men on the brink of death.
Even without their pre-existing animosity, pitting Batman and Deathstroke against one another also created a unique opportunity to explore the similarities between both characters. Although Bruce Wayne and Slade Wilson’s initial upbringings were radically different, both men eventually ended up on an international journey that saw them learn an incredible variety of skills in martial arts and academics. Where the two ultimately differ is how each of them uses these skills.
Batman uses his abilities to serve a noble cause by protecting the people of Gotham City, while Deathstroke uses his skills to further his own selfish goals by amassing power and wealth. Many pieces of media, including the 2013 video game Batman: Arkham Origins and the 2014 animated film Son of Batman, have played on the similarities between Batman and Deathstroke to build an engrossing conflict that’s defined by mutual respect for one another’s abilities and a shared resentment for how the other uses them. Many of Batman’s greatest foes share some unsettling similarities with the Dark Knight that make them ideal foils to his character, and Deathstroke’s parallel’s with Batman make him an ideal foe.
Despite his status as a world-renowned assassin, fate has set Deathstroke and the Bat-Family on a collision course that has seen him pulled back to Gotham City time and time again. “Shadow War” set to be released in April, will once again pit the two men against each other in a battle that could change the fate of Gotham City forever.
About The Author
[ad_2]
