Deathstroke is one of the most fearsome comic book villains with an equally riveting and emotional story arc. The character has also made several live-action appearances, mostly notably in the Arrowverse and Justice League. Deathstroke was also the main villain in the second season of DC’s Titans.
While Deathstroke is known for being one of Teen Titans’ most revered villains, the live-action series failed to do justice to his comic arc. In the comics, Deathstroke’s hatred for the team of superheroes is much more deeply rooted and emotional but the Titans squandered the potential of what could have been a compelling storyline for television.
Deathstroke and Teen Titans’ Rivalary Explained
In the comics, Slade Wilson / Deathstroke is a major recurring villain for the Teen Titans. A former military operative, Wilson gained enhanced physical and mental abilities from a super-soldier serum and became the mercenary Deathstroke. However, his son, Grant Wilson, who underwent a similar transformation, was killed during a conflict with the Teen Titans, particularly because the serum proved fatal.
As a result, Deathstroke blamed the Teen Titans for his son’s death and sought revenge against the team for years. In the second season of Titans, a similar storyline featuring Esai Morales as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke unfolds, where the mercenary has a personal thirst for revenge against the team of heroes led by Brenton Thwaites‘ Dick Grayson.
After Deathstroke killed Garth / Aqualad, Grayson sought and befriended the former’s son, Jericho. Grayson eventually revealed the truth about his father to Jericho, who admired Deathstroke and wanted to be a mercenary like him. However, in a fight between Deathstroke and Grayson, Jericho dies after sacrificing himself to protect Grayson.
How Titans Butchered Deathstroke’s Comic Book Story Arc
In the comics, Grant Wilson is killed because of the faulty nature of the serum that enhances his abilities. However, Grant is pushed to take the serum because he blames the Teen Titans for wrecking his life and wants revenge. Thus, Deathstroke’s motives behind holding the superhero team responsible for his son’s death are clear.
However, in Titans, Deathstroke’s motivations are extremely convoluted since he is directly responsible for impaling his son with the sword that killed him. Furthermore, it is later revealed that Jericho never truly died and instead used his telepathic abilities to transfer his consciousness to Deathstroke’s body.
In the penultimate episode of season 2, Deathstroke accepts the connection he has formed with his son through sharing the body. As a result, Deathstroke’s motivations behind hunting down the Titans are completely nullified as his son is still alive in a way that matters to him.
Furthermore, the storyline also erases Deathstroke’s struggle to overcome the grief of his son’s death, which eventually leads him to become an anti-hero and occasionally a reluctant ally to the Teen Titans. Thus, the changes made by the television adaptation to the storyline from the comics completely strip the character of his emotional depth and nuance, squandering the source material’s potential.
Titans is streaming on Max.
