Slade Wilson

For other uses of the name Deathstroke, see Deathstroke (disambiguation).

"You and I... walk between two worlds... but we can only do that for so long."

—Slade Wilson^[src]

Slade Wilson (born c. 1968),^[1] also known as Deathstroke^[2] and the Terminator,^[3] is a former member of an elite division of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, the secret mastermind behind the Church of Blood, which he used to recruit individuals for his army, and the mentor-turned-enemy and later again ally of Oliver Queen. Slade is also the estranged husband of Adeline Wilson, and the father of Joe Wilson and Grant Wilson. He was a close friend of Shado before her death and was secretly in love with her despite her affections for Oliver.

Slade was initially an ally of Oliver on the island, where he taught the shipwrecked playboy the majority of his combat skills (which he would later utilize in his crusade as the Arrow and Green Arrow). Slade was later injected with an experimental Mirakuru serum after a near-fatal accident and embarked on a crusade of vengeance against Anthony Ivo for killing Shado. Slade swore vengeance against Oliver as well upon learning that he apparently chose to save Sara Lance over Shado, a woman he claimed to have loved. During a climactic battle aboard the Amazo, Oliver seemingly killed Slade after stabbing an arrow into his right eye. However, Slade survived and returned five years later as the mercenary "Deathstroke", with the intention of taking away everything and everyone Oliver held dear as vengeance for the events that transpired on Lian Yu. Working with Sebastian Blood and Isabel Rochev, Slade gathered an army and launched an all-out assault on Starling City, murdering Moira Queen in his bloodlust. His plan ultimately failed, as he was cured of the Mirakuru and subsequently imprisoned in an A.R.G.U.S. facility back on Lian Yu.

However, in May 2017, Oliver visits Slade again on Lian Yu, who had long-since recovered from the mental-impairment of Mirakuru. He agreed to Oliver's requests to help in freeing his friends and combating Adrian Chase, all in the hopes of redemption and to find his lost son Joe. After Adrian was defeated and the island exploded, Slade started his quest to find his son, Joe after visiting and making amends fully with Oliver.

Slade, along with every other residents of Earth-1, was killed in an antimatter wave that was sent by the Anti-Monitor on December 10, 2019. But, due to Oliver's sacrifice, he was resurrected on Earth-Prime, where Oliver managed to stop him from killing Moira.

Biography[]

Original multiverse[]

Early life[]

Slade was an Australian Special Intelligence Services operative who went on numerous missions with partner Billy Wintergreen.^[4] Slade also married a woman named Adeline Kane, with whom he had a son, Joe Wilson, and picked Billy to be his son's godfather.^[5] Slade always kept secret about his real job from his son, telling him he was a pilot for an Australian airline.^[3]

At some point during Joe's childhood, Adeline gave birth to a second son, Grant. However, the boy's existence was kept secret from Slade, as she didn't want him to be a part of the murderous secret agent world.^[6]

Camping trip[]

In 2004, Slade went camping with his son in Milford Sound, New Zealand. But in reality, Slade was assigned to interrogate a secret agent named Sen Ming to discover Yao Fei Gulong location. They found some flat ground and started to pitch their tent. When Joe made a remark that they wouldn't stay long because of Slade's job, he assured his son that while he worked for the Australian airlines, the weekend was about them. After Joe left to prepare the tent, Slade took out his gear and prepared for his mission.

That night, he cooked some fish, despite Joe claiming to not like fish. Joe then questioned his father's status as a pilot, talking about how his friend Nick gets free trips because his father is a pilot for Ferris Air while they don't. Before Slade could respond, he spotted his target and made eye contact with him. He then returned to his conversation with Joe and told him that he worked for a cheaper airline that didn't allow free trips. Not buying it, Joe decided he wasn't hungry and went for a walk. Once Joe was gone, Slade made contact with the ASIS that he had eyes on his target.

The following day, the two of them threw a football around. When Ming, under the allies "Darryl", walked past with his family. Slade had Darryl take a photo of him with his son, before he and his family left. For lunch, Joe tried some fish, which he decidedly liked. While he continued eating it Slade spotted Ming walking by Slade claimed he had to use the bathroom, while he was really going to find Ming.

Slade armed himself with his gear and mask and put a knife to Ming's throat, questioning him over the location of Yao Fei. After Ming told him he was in Purgatory, Slade herd a noise in the distance. This allowed Ming to then pull a knife out, so Slade killed him before he could use it. Not long after, Slade and Joe left Milford Sound to return home.^[3]

Life on Lian Yu[]

Plane crash on Lian Yu[]

In 2006, Slade and Billy Wintergreen were tasked with rescuing Yao Fei, a former Chinese military commander purposely shipwrecked on Lian Yu by his government to conceal a massacre that had been perpetrated eight years earlier. However, their plane was shot out of the sky while en route to the island's airstrip, and the two were captured by men working for Edward Fyers, a mercenary who had been hired to take Yao Fei hostage for unknown reasons. Fyers asked both Slade and Billy to join his cause, but while Slade refused, his friend accepted Fyers' offer. Slade was held a prisoner in Fyers' camp for almost a year until Yao Fei managed to free him. The two took refuge in the wreck of Slade's plane. They planned to escape the island by stealing a supply plane that made regular stops on the island's airstrip, but before they could do so, the two were separated.^[4]

Working with Oliver Queen[]

Six months later, Slade caught a young Oliver Queen, who had been shipwrecked on Lian Yu, searching through his hideout. When Slade threatened cut out his voice box unless he revealed who he was. Oliver explained that Yao Fei had sent him, which caused Slade to loosen his grip on the shipwrecked billionaire. Oliver showed Slade the message Yao Fei gave him and deduced that he sent Oliver to him to help him take the airstrip. He threw Oliver a few swords and tested him on his weapon skills. He found Oliver to be an unskilled fighter. Oliver claimed he wasn't a fighter, accidentally killing a man and taking his uniform. When Slade demanded to know where Yao Fei was during it, Oliver told him he ran after he got captured.

Viewing him as a liability, Slade attacked Oliver and knocked him unconscious. He bound Oliver to a chair by his wrists. When Oliver woke up, Slade explained to him that he had to kill him. When Oliver begged him to spare his life, Slade refused and assured him he'll kill him in a way that he wouldn't feel a thing. Just before he could, Oliver freed himself by dislocating his thumb. He went on to punch Slade in the face, convincing Slade that he was worth keeping alive and then officially introduced himself.

That night, while Oliver was recovering, Slade told him that what he did earlier didn't change anything between them. He explained that if he compromised his chances of getting off Lian Yu, he would kill him. He then ordered Oliver to choose a weapon to begin training. While choosing a weapon, Oliver found Slade's mask that was identical to that of Wintergreen, who had tortured Oliver at Fyers' camp when he first arrived on the island. Not realizing it was another mask, Oliver accused Slade of deceiving him, but Slade explained both he and his ex-partner wore the mask to protect their identities, as well as their allegiance to ASIS and their mission.^[4]

Slade attempted to train Oliver to fight, to not much success until he gave the younger man the option to escape or die. They had only ten days to train before the plane arrived on the island. On the tenth day, they started their journey towards Fyers' camp. On the way, Oliver stepped on a land mine, presumably left behind from World War II. When some of Fyers' men approached their position, Slade killed them and used one of their bodies to free Oliver. That night, Slade revealed to Oliver that Wintergreen had betrayed him immediately after their capture and that he was the godfather of Slade's son. Once they reached Fyers' camp, Slade proceeded to take out the soldiers with his sniper rifle, as Oliver reached the communications tower, with his only duty being to kill the man there. Oliver failed in his task, but Slade managed to get there in time to kill the man right before he shot Oliver. Slade told Oliver he would call in an airstrike to blow up the island after they left. Concerned about Yao Fei, Oliver left to bring the other man back with him. Slade stayed behind and told him he had three hours or he would be left behind. Despite what he said, Slade went back for Oliver and saved him from Wintergreen. He managed to kill Wintergreen, but was shot in the arm by Fyers. Slade acknowledged Oliver had proved himself to be a fighter.^[5] Shortly afterward, Slade's bullet wound became infected, forcing Oliver to head out to find Yao Fei's herbs, which could fight the infection. Oliver came back with the herbs and claimed not to have encountered any problems.^[7]

When Oliver attempted to fix the damaged radio they had obtained from the communications tower, Slade joked "pigs would fly" before he succeeded. Ironically, Oliver managed to repair the radio, shocking Slade. However, they discovered the radio could only receive, but not transmit, so they could not use it to call for rescue. As Slade listened to the soldiers' frequency, he overheard Fyers talking about something called Scylla to an unknown man. Oliver explained Scylla was a monster in the Odyssey by Homer. The two men left to discover what Scylla was and found it was a missile launcher.^[8]

To get closer to the missile launcher, Slade pretended to be a prisoner taken by Oliver. The ploy worked, and Slade managed to kill all the guards around the missile launcher. Just as he was about to destroy it, Oliver stopped him and took out the circuit board instead, effectively stopping the missile launcher from working. Slade was excited to have leverage over Fyers. Oliver contacted Fyers and arranged to trade the circuit board back to him in return for a way off the island.^[9] At the meeting, Fyers questioned if he could trust them to be truthful. Slade answered he himself would not, but Oliver had a thing for principles. Fyers took advantage of that and brought out Shado, Yao Fei Gulong's daughter. When Fyers threatened to kill Shado, Slade attacked him, providing enough distraction so he and Oliver, along with Yao Fei and Shado, could escape. On the way, Yao Fei was shot, and he told the others to leave him behind. When they returned to their hideout, they discovered that the circuit board was missing. Slade was angry at Oliver for being played, until Shado pointed out that Fyers could not risk them leaving the island with their knowledge anyway.^[10]

Slade started sparring with Shado, with the two proving to be equally matched. When Shado asked how well a fighter Oliver was, Slade answered he had tried to train Oliver with limited success. Shado decided to train Oliver herself, and Slade left them to it. When he returned later, Slade found Oliver slapping a bowl of water and found out he had been doing it all day. Shado claimed the exercise built strength, and was proven correct when Oliver managed to draw the bow in their possession, impressing Slade with the technique. Later, Slade discussed how to rescue Yao Fei with Shado and came to the conclusion they would need someone else to watch their back. Slade refused Shado's proposal to have Oliver do it with the bow, saying he was not ready. Shado took Oliver away to train, and told Slade if he was not ready by the end of the day, they would try a new plan.^[11] When they returned, Slade found out Oliver had failed at hunting down an animal. Before they could formulate a new plan, however, Yao Fei arrived with Fyers' soldiers to surround them. Angry at Yao Fei's betrayal, Slade attacked Yao Fei but was knocked down by one of the soldiers.^[12]

Fyers took the three back to his camp. When he wanted to make a point to Yao Fei, he shot Slade in the leg. Slade witnessed Yao Fei's death when Fyers had no more use for him and shot him in the head.^[13] Slade, Oliver and Shado managed to break their bonds and attacked Fyers and his men. Slade survived the blast from the missile launcher and joked Oliver could not save the day without making a mess. Fyers arrived with Shado, revealing he had survived the blast, and angry at Oliver for ruining his two-year operation. Oliver killed Fyers using Yao Fei's bow, impressing Slade that he could kill.^[14]

Mirakuru[]

5 months later, Slade continued to train Oliver. While sparring, Oliver got distracted and he hit him, saying, "You're not the first one to learn the hard way women are a distraction". A few minutes later, a proximity detector device they had salvaged from the wreckage of Fyers' camp went off, and they went looking for the people the device had detected, but Shado was quickly captured, so Oliver and Slade chased after her. Later, Slade and Oliver caught up with Shado and the people who captured her. Slade tried to stop Oliver from doing anything rash, but the leader hit Shado, and Oliver became enraged and attacked the leader while Slade attacked the others. Slade and Shado were shocked when Oliver was unable to control himself and kill the leader. Moments later, Slade picked up a radio that went off, and the three were left wondering how many more men are on the island and where they came from.^[15]

Slade talks to Shado and, knowing what he's going through, asks her to comfort Oliver. He finds a map, similar to the one provided to him by ASIS. Later, Slade sees Oliver and Shado by the river, becoming closer. He reminds Oliver that women can be a distraction, and that that can get him killed, as they leave the riverside. They go to the location in the picture, and Oliver soon after directs him and Shado to a cave. There he discovers a blade, in which he says is 60 years-old, and they also discover the remains of World War II Japanese soldiers.^[16] Slade has Oliver tag along with him to scout for the new threat to the island, telling him that Shado can take care of herself as they leave. As they are going up to higher ground, Slade once again reminds Oliver that woman can be a distraction, while in conversation Slade almost falls off the cliff side if not for Oliver catching him in time. Slade and Oliver make it to the top of the cliff and spy the ship firing at a fixed location where they work out is where the plane is which causes Oliver to run with Slade giving chase. Slade is chasing Oliver while the area is still under fire. Slade is last seen being hit by an explosion, with his hands and the right side of his face on fire, yelling in pain.^[17]

Slade survived the attack and is seeking refuge on the island. The explosion has left severe burns on one side of his face, however, as Shado tends to his wounds. Despite his warning to leave him for safety, Shado declares that she is here to stay, and would never leave anyone she cared for alone.^[18] Slade is still weak and under extreme pain, with a herbal ointment covering the right side of his face. When Anthony Ivo's soldiers attack the plane, Slade and Shado hide. Although quite bruised, they later managed to rescue Oliver and Sara Lance from Ivo. Oliver says that if they find the serum, it could possibly heal Slade's wounds.^[19] The group find the submarine and the Mirkauru on-board but can't find a sedative to give Slade first. Oliver gives Slade a choice as the injection without a sedative could kill him but Slade agrees but before Oliver gives it to him he confesses his romantic feelings for Shado. Oliver then injects the Mirakuru into him. The injection causes blood to come out of his eyes, and then he collapses into unconsciousness though the others believe him to be dead.^[20] When Ivo catches up with the group he checks Slade's pulse and, finding no pulse, leaves Slade for dead. But Slade awakens a few minutes after his injection with Mirakuru, calling Shado's name. He runs to the site where Ivo had killed Shado, and thanks to his Mirakuru-enhanced physical capabilities, he easily slaughters Ivo's men. He then picks up Shado's body and vows that the person responsible for her death will suffer.^[21]

Slade, Oliver and Sara bury Shado next to Yao Fei and Robert Queen's gravesites where Slade hands Oliver Shado's hood acknowledging that Oliver was the one she cared for. Later Slade wants to get geared up to kill Ivo and his men but Sara tells him that he can't handle it by himself but this enrages Slade as Sara was working for Ivo but when Oliver tries to break them up, Slade starts chocking Oliver to death until Sara uses a tree branch to stop him before he tells him that the Mirakuru is affecting his mind. Later without Sara or Oliver, Slade takes the Mirakuru serums and heads after Ivo himself.^[22] Slade uses Fyers’ missile launcher and intended to open fire on the freighter until he was confronted by Oliver and Sara who threatened to kill Oliver but he managed to make him see reason using Shado and Joe. He then sat down and questioned what was happening to him, Oliver promised him that he wasn't going to give up on his friend and soon proclaimed they were going to take the freighter from Ivo.^[23] Slade, Oliver and Sara are observing Ivo's ship from a cliphead until they hear a plane flying overhead. The three try to get it's attention but it is shot down, the pilot dying. Slade and Oliver rush back to the plane to get medical supplies but arrive too late. They do however find a parachute in the pilot's plane.^[24]

Slade observes Oliver's training and is impressed. Slade agrees that they should burn the last remaining Mirakuru prior to their attack on the freighter. Before attacking the ship Slade notes the first time they attempted to escape was as strangers but now was as brothers. As they reach the freighter, Slade tells Oliver and Sara not to kill Ivo as he wants Ivo for himself. Slade learns the truth about Shado after listening in to Oliver and Ivo's conversation. An enraged Slade attacks Oliver violently but Oliver slips away from him as explosions occur on the freighter. As Oliver attempts to escape the freighter, Slade grabs Oliver by the leg and imprisons him. When the Butcher, the ship's captain orders him to enter the cell with Oliver, he refuses. He crushes the skull of the Butcher who attempts to shoot him and declares himself the new captain. Later, he would ask Ivo to show him how he killed Shado and then lacerates Ivo's hand. Slade then promises to Oliver he will make him suffer in the same way he suffered before killing him.^[25]

Slade continues to torture Oliver on the Amazo while having his crew repair the ship, but are unable to repair the damage to the engines. Slade contacts Sara on the island and demands that Hendrick Von Arnim, an engineer who escaped in the siege, be handed over or Oliver dies, electrocuting him in the process. Slade also brands Oliver with the same tattoo Shado had to remind him of her death until his death, eventually Sara also agreed to hand Hendrick over.^[26] Slade returns Oliver and Ivo both to the island in exchange for Hendrick, who has been secretly rigged with explosives, but as his men take him outside Slade senses the explosives due to Mirakuru and removes and disables them. He then wants to kill Sara and Oliver but has a hallucination about Shado who tells him to leave them on the island forever. As Slade walks outside he tells Oliver that once the ship is ready, he is going after his family.^[27] Later Slade had his men take Sara on the island^[28] and locked her in a cell. When Oliver sneaks aboard to free her and find the Mirakuru cure Ivo mentioned, Slade was waiting with the cure in his hands and had Oliver and Sara captured.^[29]

Slade forces Oliver and Sara to watch as he injects unwilling prisoners with the remaining Mirakuru, having become obsessed with making others like him, but Oliver and Sara pleaded with him to release them and to come to his senses, but his hallucinations of Shado instead convince him to kill them. He puts his mask on and prepares to kill both, but Anatoly fires a torpedo from the submarine, which causes the ship to split in half and Oliver uses the chance to destroy the Mirakuru in a resulting fire. But Slade engages Oliver and throws Sara into the split which apparently causes her to drown. Oliver out of anger attempts to fight back but is completely outmatched. Before he can kill Oliver however some rubble falls from the ceiling and traps Slade. Oliver has the choice to either kill Slade or cure him. However, after more taunts from Slade, Oliver chooses to kill Slade by stabbing him in the eye with his arrow. The ship sinks and Oliver is saved by A.R.G.U.S. from the remains of the ship.^[30]

After Lian Yu[]

While it was presumed that he was dead, Slade in fact survived Oliver's attack. He tried to swim to the nearest coast line, but was cut down to the bones by the rocks and debris in the ocean. The Mirakuru regenerated everything but his eye.^[27] He was eventually found near the coast of the Philippines and taken back to an ASIS facility, where he reunited with his son Joe promising him he would never leave him again.^[6] After the island, Slade attempted to forget everything that happened, but the events of the island would still haunt him.^[27]

After his return Slade found out that the Mirakuru was apparently no longer in his system. He continued working for A.S.I.S. as a trainer for the new recruits, including his own son, however after an year he began to experience vivid hallucinations of Shado, who ordered him to keep the promise he made to her avenging her death by killing Oliver. As he pointed out that Oliver died on the Amazo, Shado's hallucination showed to him a news report on television that Oliver had returned to Starling City alive. In that moment Slade's Mirakuru-enhanced strength returned, and he fought the A.S.I.S. recruits and several agents, killing them all and sparing only his son before leaving with an ASIS's prototype of body armor.^[6]

Slade would eventually become a mercenary that A.R.G.U.S. would codename "Deathstroke", but A.R.G.U.S. remained unaware of his true identity.^[2]

War with Oliver Queen[]

When Oliver became the Starling City vigilante called The Hood and exiled himself back to the island after failing to stop Malcolm Merlyn's undertaking,^[15] Slade planned a mission of vengeance to destroy Oliver and Starling City with an army of Mirakuru soldiers, to cause enough damage to force Amanda Waller to airstrike Starling City and leave nothing left. He became associated with Isabel Rochev who he planted in Queen Consolidated to take over in order to draw Oliver back, but also to seize control of Oliver's company so that he would lose everything from his funds, house,^[31] his Arrowcave and even his former club.^[28] He also trained Isabel to fight and gave her a uniform similar to his under the name "Ravager".

Slade also became associated with Alderman Sebastian Blood and funded his mayoral campaign. He promised him control of the city using an army of Mirakuru soldiers^[27] to reduce the city to a state of desperation, and in that desperation, the people would turn to Blood for guidance. In reality, Slade simply needed Blood for other reasons, like testing the Mirakuru and preventing the national guard from intervention.^[28] To create his serum, Slade had Sebastian use his influence to put together a cult, the Church of Blood, to find people to test a new strain of the serum on and would manipulate them using a skull mask masquerading as “Brother Blood”.^[32]

After Cyrus Gold's death and the destruction of the serum Sebastian reported the setback to Slade but informed Sebastian he'll arrange for another serum of blood to be delivered, and he'll keep going as scheduled. However he warned Sebastian not to confront the Arrow again reminding him his mask can be worn by another. Sebastian asked him if he knows who The Arrow is. Slade confirmed and informed him that he is his friend, and he will not stop until he has taken everything and everyone The Arrow values. Then, he will drive an arrow through his eye.^[21]

Slade arrived in Sebastian's campaign office reading the police report of his father's murder which he obtained days earlier. When Sebastian arrived, Slade criticized hm for almost allowing Arrow and Laurel Lance to obtain the file. He ordered Sebastian to take care of Laurel, reminding him not to let him do it himself and left.

After Laurel and Oliver kill Daily impersonating Brother Blood, Sebastian and a set of body guards arrived in Slade's office informing him. Deathstroke, however, attacked, killing the three bodyguards, and he warned Sebastian that if he failed him again, he would kill him too.^[33] After watching Moira Queen's announcement to run for mayor, Slade reprimands Sebastian for not taking Moira seriously, but despite Sebastian's offer to handle the situation, Slade insists he will handle it personally.^[34]

Slade visited Moira in person who, when Oliver returns home, introduces Slade to him, unaware of Oliver and Slade's history together, which leaves Oliver in a state of shock.^[24] Slade continued to "socialize" with Moira and Oliver, but passive-aggressively taunts Oliver about their past and is offered a tour of the Queen Mansion by Moira and Thea Queen. He secretly plants bugs with cameras all over the house. During the tour, Oliver secretly called Felicity to inform Sara that Slade is alive, and she and Roy Harper come to the house to discreetly intervene.

When Roy introduces himself, Slade notes his "particularly firm handshake" and realizes Roy is injected with the Mirakuru before being stunned to see Sara alive, and Slade knows it's time to leave. Oliver offers to walk him to his car, aware Diggle is planning on killing Slade, but he is secretly taken down by Ravager and Oliver works out that he is the true mastermind of Brother Blood's schemes. When Oliver asks Slade his intentions, he simply reminds him of his promise before leaving. He later watches everyone in Queen Mansion through the cameras.^[25]

Deathstroke tails Oliver as he searches for him, taunting him by leaving the same tattered mask from the island to mark his death. He later kills Alexi Leonov who had dug up information on him, leaving him to be found by Oliver when he sneaks into his office.^[2] To obtain new soldiers for his Mirakuru army, Slade plans to abduct Thea to cause a citywide diversion in order for him to hijack an upcoming prisoner bus transfer.^[27]

An upset Thea is walking home from the club when Slade stops his car to offer her a ride home.^[26] Slade acts concerned about Thea during the ride, but when Thea realizes they did not arrive at her house he yells that she is not going home, then demands she get out of the car. She runs from the car straight into Brother Blood who abducts her. Deathstroke announces his actions via video question at the Starling City Mayoral debate. The video shows Deathstroke with a bound and crying Thea; the video ends with a written message, "How much is Thea Queen's life worth?".

After Felicity tracks Slade, Arrow, Sara and Roy confront him, but Slade neglects to tell where Thea is, despite Roy punching him in the face, though with little effect. Arrow then tells Roy to call Quentin to arrest Slade and afterwards shoots Slade with snake venom, rendering him unconscious. He is arrested but manages to falsify an airtight alibi and is subsequently released. Before he is released, Oliver sneaks into the room to talk to him and begs Slade to tell him where Thea is, but Lieutenant Frank Pike releases him before he answers. Oliver, Sara, Roy and Diggle try to follow his car, but he gets away by using various decoys and uploading viruses into Felicity's computer to throw her off.

Slade returns to Thea's holding place and tells her that she is free to go, explaining to a confused Thea that he merely needed to prove a point. The door is then unlocked so she can leave anytime she likes, but adds that she may never know Oliver's secret. Thea becomes confused and Slade offers to tell Thea what it is, which she accepts and Slade tells her that Malcolm Merlyn was her father, and Oliver withheld this from him and lets her go. After learning Thea's location from Isabel, Arrow storms the building, taking down many armed henchmen. However Deathstroke knowing what Oliver would do is already across town to fulfill the next stage of his plan.

Deathstroke stops the prisoner bus transfer in progress and kills the guards and releases the prisoners, then Deathstroke informs them that he has a proposal for them all. Slade later meets with Sebastian and Isabel in Oliver's office where Sebastian is frustrated that Moira is getting the voters support, but Slade angrily tells him that he is holding up his end. When Isabel reveals that Queen Consolidated's applied sciences is ready to replicate Mirakuru, Slade decides it's time to expose one more secret of Oliver's, again seeing a hallucination of Shado. He later turns up at Laurel's apartment and tells her that Oliver is the Arrow.^[27]

Team Arrow destroys Queen Consolidated's applied sciences to prevent Slade from mass-producing the serum. Enraged by this and needing a new replacement for the applied sciences Deathstroke visits the Arrowcave and waits for the team. When they get back, he fires at them repeatedly. Sara then charges him but Deathstroke strangles and tosses her into a table, tosses Diggle into the glass suit container and engages Oliver in hand-to-hand combat but easily overpowers him before he leaves with the Skeleton Key, as Deathstroke reminds him who taught him to fight.

Deathstroke uses the Skeleton Key to infiltrate a S.T.A.R. Labs facility to steal a bio-transfusor to take Mirakuru from once injected subject to multiple others at once. Deathstroke finds what he is looking for, killing the guard and but encounters two scientists Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon and to silence witnesses, chases them through the facility but Cisco is able to use Arthur Light's special gun to distract him and made their getaway, though Deathstroke still escapes with the transfusor just as Arrow and Canary arrive late.

Later Slade has Roy Harper abducted and uses his blood for the machine and Arrow finds it. However Slade was waiting with Isabel when Arrow arrives and scolds him for pushing Roy away. Arrow demands Slade tell him how to shut it down but he simply tells him he doesn't' fear him, given the power he possesses and remarks he soon won't be alone. As Arrow sabotages the machine the two men fight him but Slade is temporarily knocked out by Oliver, Isabel is shot by Diggle and Roy is taken back. However the machine had served it's purpose and Slade now has his army, and uses his own personal blood to inject Isabel and restores her to life.^[31]

To ensure Sebastian became mayor and to traumatize Oliver, Slade used a truck to crash the Queens limo. While they were unconscious he tied Oliver up and held Moira and Thea at gun point in a scenario identical to Ivo holding Sara and Shado at gun point and also tells Oliver to choose. Slade also mentions that he knows exactly how the scenario went down, claiming that Shado told him point to her but Oliver only sees the woods and realizes Slade is seeing hallucinations. Slade also exposed to Moira and Thea that he was on the island with Oliver and Oliver's relationship with Shado, but before he could force Oliver to choose Moira stood up and begged Slade to kill her instead. Slade aimed the gun but lowered it, admiring Moira's courage but expressing sorrow that she didn't pass it onto Oliver before impaling her with his sword. As Slade walked off, he tells Oliver that he will kill one more person before he kills Oliver, then leaves him and Thea to grieve.^[35] Once Sebastian did become mayor Slade calls him, impersonating his father, to firmly remind him that he still works for him before hanging up.^[28]

As his army destroyed Starling Slade sat back and watched from Isabel's CEO room at Queen Consolidated. Later Slade, having tapped Oliver and all his allies' phones, learned of the Mirakuru cure from Central City and sends his bodyguard to retrieve it as he smiled in victory. As Slade continued to watch the destruction Sebastian barges into his office and demanded an explanation to why the entire D.A.'s office had been slaughtered and Slade gave none before angrily reminding Blood once again that he held up his end and that Oliver Queen must be made to suffer which will happen when Starling is nothing more than a grave-site. Slade was later handed the cure by a soldier who found the S.T.A.R. Labs courier, and later sent Isabel to kill Sebastian when he stole the cure telling him goodbye one last time.^[29]

Arrow and Canary, knowing the cure works and arming themselves with injection arrows, storm the office where Deathstroke, Ravager and a number of henchmen are waiting for them. Though Deathstroke was confident they could defeat the two, not fully convinced the cure would even work, but Arrow elaborated that they didn't come alone and the League of Assassins, led by Nyssa Raatko storm the office, defeated the soldiers and killed Ravager. Arrow attempted to shoot Deathstroke with the cure but he was too heavily armored for the cure to affect him and escaped, using a grapple line with his sword.

Slade had Laurel kidnapped by also watches a video in Queen Mansion of Oliver telling Felicity that he loves her, much to Slade's shock. Believing he has kidnapped the wrong woman Slade kidnaps her also. After the army is defeated Slade informs Oliver of the kidnap and lures him to a foundry, forcing him to choose between Felicity and Laurel, the way Oliver chose Sara over Shado. Arrow arrives and tries to talk Slade out of killing them. He also reveals he is aware of his hallucinations of Shado and that the real Shado would be horrified with what Slade has become. But as he defends his actions Felicity injects a hidden syringe (containing a dose of the Mirakuru cure) into Slade's neck, taking his enhanced abilities away. He then dueled Oliver, for some time but the latter managed to restrain Slade against a pillar, despite demanding that Oliver kill him.

Some time later, Slade was incarcerated in a A.R.G.U.S. supermax on Lian Yu. Oliver visited him and talked to him. Slade however argued that Oliver isn't a hero and will always be a murder since he created him, which Oliver acknowledges and that if it weren't for Slade he wouldn't be alive today. However it's also because of Slade, despite all he'd done, his plot is what made him not a killer but a hero and thanks him. As Oliver is walking out Slade angrily scolds him for believing he won't escape and yells to him that he keeps his promises as Oliver leaves, continuing to yell at him as he leaves.

Imprisonment on Lian Yu[]

In late 2014, Slade received a cellmate; his old friend Digger Harkness.^[36] In early 2015, Malcolm Merlyn released Slade and informed him that Oliver and Thea were on the island, as Malcolm wanted them tested, and Slade set out to find them. After learning that, Slade escaped. Slade quickly attacked and knocked them both out and placed them in the Supermax. Slade said he would leave them on the island like Oliver did to him and telling him to be grateful that he didn't bury Thea next to Shado, then taunting Oliver about Shado's death again and stating that had he told him the truth himself Moira may still be alive. Slade told Thea that her brother always will keep secrets for her, before leaving them behind.

However Oliver and Thea were able to free themselves and pursued Slade as he attempted to use their plane to escape. Slade ambushed them and took Thea hostage with a gun, but was surprised when she fought back and Slade fought both Thea and Oliver simultaneously, before Thea pulled a gun on him and wanted to kill him. However, Oliver managed to convince her not to kill Slade, but she still shot him in the shoulder. Returning to the Supermax, Slade noted that Thea was not the killer Oliver was. As Oliver was leaving Slade taunted him about the people he had lost and how losing any more would leave nothing of Oliver Queen.^[37]

Not long after that, the psychological effects of the Mirakuru fully wore off, and as a result, Slade finally became sane again. For the next two years, Slade thought about his actions. He finally accepted that Shado's death wasn't Oliver's fault, and forgave him. He also started to regret his actions, and took full responsibility for them.^[38]

Conflict with Prometheus[]

In May 2017, Slade was recruited by Oliver to face Prometheus and his team. As Oliver arrived, Slade expressed his gratification for the former's return.^[39] Slade expressed that the mental side effects of the Mirakuru were completely gone and he was back in his right mind, expressing guilt over his vendetta against Oliver. Oliver offered Slade information on his son Joe's whereabouts in exchange for help freeing Oliver's friends and son. Slade donned his Deathstroke armor and set out with his Oliver and Harkness, who Oliver also freed, to find and rescue Oliver's friends. When they found some of them trapped in Edward Fyers' old cages, the trio was ambushed by Talia al Ghul and Evelyn Sharp, at which point Harkness revealed they had recruited him earlier and he betrayed Oliver and Slade. Harkness implored to his old friend to make the sensible choice and join him on the winning side, and Slade seemingly accepted, telling Evelyn to put her gun to Oliver's head, but as Harkness expressed gratitude at Slade being smart in his decision, Slade berated Digger for simply assuming that he was on the winning side and suddenly assaulted his former friend. Oliver quickly disarmed Sharp and Talia was forced to escape with Harkness as Malcolm Merlyn and Nyssa al Ghul arrived on Oliver's side. As Slade forced Sharp into a cage, he coldly advised Sharp to pick better friends since they left her behind, but she remained defiant, stating it might as well be part of the plan. After Malcolm led Oliver's friends to the plane to escape, Nyssa, Oliver and Slade went to track down Talia's trail to the hideout. As Nyssa went ahead to recover the lost trail, an amused Slade mentions how Oliver married Ra's al Ghul's daughter Nyssa instead of Felicity, and helped Oliver to come to terms with his father's suicide. Slade told Oliver he needed to forgive himself and not blame himself for his father's death, advice that Oliver later accepts to make peace with his past sins.

Upon reaching the enemy hideout, Slade helped Oliver reunite with his friends by feigning betrayal yet again, and then assisted Nyssa al Ghul against her sister's acolytes upon her triumph over Talia. Slade then fought alongside Team Arrow and Nyssa in defeating the acolytes with Adrian Chase, and witnessed Oliver besting Chase, but was visibly shaken when Chase claimed to have murdered Oliver's son William. He took his mask off and stepped towards Oliver with sympathy, only for Oliver to express disbelief at the claim. Oliver had Slade accompany his friends in getting off the island. When Team Arrow learned the plane they wanted to use was sabotaged, Slade said that they would not leave without Oliver and William, even though Oliver asked him over comms to escort the others to an A.R.G.U.S. supply ship. When Adrian Chase killed himself to detonate the explosives covering the island,^[38] Slade and Team Arrow had managed to survive, although Slade survived due to his durable armor rather than the plane. He and Team Arrow then split up to look for survivors, where he came across a comatose Thea. He then bumped into Oliver and took him to Thea.^[40]

Aftermath of Lian Yu[]

Five months after the events on Lian Yu, Slade visited Oliver in Thea's hospital room, informing him that thanks to Oliver's intel, he finally got a lead on his son Joe's whereabouts in Calgary, and how he was flying there later that night. Slade then gave Oliver the advice on how he should be prepared to choose between being the Green Arrow and being the father of his son, and how they could only do both for so long, before Oliver and Slade wished each other luck.^[40]

Searching for his son[]

"I am not Deathstroke anymore."

—Slade Wilson to his son, Joe^[src]

He called Oliver on his cellphone a few weeks later asking for help in finding his son, Joe.^[41] Slade asked Oliver that he needs his help getting Joe out of prison which Oliver agrees to help, but informs Slade that his son was killed in prison. When Slade and Oliver return to get the body, they discover that Joe wasn't killed but kidnapped by the Jackals. Slade discovered where they are located and drugs Oliver and leaves a message for Oliver to return to his son. Slade attacks the Jackals and kills many of them but he is soon surrounded where he discovers that the leader of the Jackals is in fact Joe.^[3]

Slade is able to talk to his son, who supposedly convinces Slade to join the Jackals, Slade and Oliver reunite and the pair agree to stop Joe, but Oliver is captured and Joe tries to force Slade to kill him. Slade contemplates killing Oliver, but instead frees him, and the pair escape. Slade confronts his son, and the two end up fighting. Even though Slade holds back during the fight, he still has Joe beaten, until Joe reveals that Slade has another son, Grant. This causes Slade to drop his guard and subsequently almost be killed by Joe, but Oliver saves him. Slade tells Oliver not to kill him. Joe escapes and Slade and Oliver part ways with Slade planning on finding both Joe and Grant.^[6]

Anti-Monitor Crisis[]

During the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Slade as well as everyone in the multiverse except for the seven Paragons, was killed in an antimatter wave by the Anti-Monitor on December 10, 2019,^[42] only to be restored a month later, after the Paragons and the Spectre created a new universe.^[43]

New multiverse[]

During the Anti-Monitor Crisis in 2019-2020, Oliver sacrificed his life to reboot the multiverse, creating a new universe, Earth-Prime, where he ensured that Moira would be able to survive Slade, thus; altering Slade's own history and fate to some degree.

In 2014, after Slade abducted Moira, Thea, and Oliver in order to exact revenge on Oliver, Moira volunteered herself to be killed so that her children would be spared. After admiring Moira's courage, Slade brandished his sword and prepared to kill her but was subdued before he could do so and viciously attacked by Oliver, who had broken free from his bonds.^[44] The same year, like in the original multiverse, Slade still managed to lead an army against Starling City before being defeated and later incarcerated on Lian Yu. However, by early 2020, Slade was no longer being held in A.R.G.U.S.'s prison on the island.^[45]

Slade is presumed to make amends with Oliver and reconciliates with him as in the original multiverse.

Personality[]

• As a civilian
• As a Mirakuru soldier/Deathstroke
• As a cured Slade/Deathstroke

"Yeah, well, you don't really strike me as the type of guy who accepts apologies, so."
"Well, everybody is in this life for themselves."
"Learn that at Australian spy school?"
"No. I learned that here."

—Oliver Queen and Slade Wilson^[src]

In the flashbacks, Slade is less cold and distant, but retains his appearance of an anti-hero. Slade is a man of honor and good morals, who puts up a tough act, but underneath is a caring individual, as displayed by his rescue of Oliver from Edward Fyers and Billy Wintergreen, even after stating that he'd leave the island if Oliver didn't return in time. Slade does not take well to traitors, which he displays by killing Billy, his friend and partner for many years until he betrayed Slade in exchange for his own life. Slade is very open about his opinions of people, frequently calling Oliver an idiot, and doesn't hide that he likes Shado, which she often smiles at. Slade only trusts and cares for people who have proven themselves genuinely trustworthy to him, as he trusts Oliver Queen and Shado, but was less trusting of Sara Lance as they had barely known each other.

Slade was a realist but also open-minded. Upon realizing Oliver was hopeless in helping him take down Edward Fyers, he decided to perform a coup de grace on Oliver to spare him any suffering from facing Edward, but also to prevent his location from being given up. However, upon realizing being on the brink of death began to awaken the warrior inside Oliver, Slade changed his mind about killing Oliver and decided to train him. Slade's isolation on Lian Yu and Wintergreen's betrayal has turned him into a little bit of a cynic, admitting to Oliver that he was disgusted how Billy could have betrayed him despite being the godfather of his son even believing that "everyone in this world is out for themselves". Slade's cynicism was also shown in his sense of humor, normally being tough, sarcastic and a little bit deadpan towards Oliver and his incompetence, however, he was also capable of being impressed as a mentor would be. He soon began seeing Oliver more of a brother than a friend.

"Death would be a release from this life, and his sentence has yet to be carried out. I'm going to tear everything he cares about away from him. Destroy those who choose to follow him. Corrupt those he loves. Once he has lost everyone and everything he values, I will drive an arrow through his eye."

—Slade Wilson^[src]

Slade's personality takes a turn for the worse after his injection with the Mirakuru, which combined with his grief over the loss of Shado makes him impulsive, reckless, aggressive, violent, and bent on revenge against Ivo. Once he discovers Oliver's shared role in Shado's death he becomes completely hell bent on revenge against him which would stay for years after, tarnishing the brotherly bond they once had and making them bitter enemies.

In the present day Slade's anger and hatred has increased more to the point of full vendetta against Oliver upon learning of his survival on the island. Slade is intelligent, calculating, and patient; he waited 5 years to get/plan his revenge against Oliver. He is also arrogant, overconfident and boastful of his Mirakuru powers, as has no fear of Oliver because of them; these traits are well deserved as bullets do no harm to him and even getting cut to the bone doesn't affect him as it all heals back, though explosives and poisons can still harm him but only for a brief time.

Slade is rarely caught off guard, he also has little tolerance for disobedience, failure and disloyalty, as multiple times he threatened to kill Sebastian Blood for his failures, eventually having him killed for betraying him. Due to the Mirakuru, Slade's sense of honor has become twisted, and when it comes to Oliver, he is cruel, sadistic and ruthless. He displays little emotion when killing innocent people. He also has developed a complete disregard for human life and watched in amusement as his army tore Starling City apart, his only regret being that Shado couldn't be there. He also holds little regard for his own allies as he cared little for his own men being cured, however Slade seems to be close to Isabel as he seemed desperate to have her revived by the Mirakuru. However Slade was still willing to abandon her to Oliver during the attack and it's unknown if he is aware of Isabel's death at Nyssa's hands or how he feels about it. Slade also suffers from hallucinations of Shado which have lasted from the past to present.

Even when cured from the Mirakuru, the physiological effects have still remained as Slade still vows to kill Oliver even when confined and defeated. Even a whole year later this vendetta still stayed when Oliver and Thea were trapped on the island with him. Though he had become less hostile and wasn't even phased by being imprisoned again and even gave advice to keep Thea away from Malcolm, but reminds him that he will break if he loses more people, hinting that he has regained some respect for his former protegé and friend. When Thea had him at gunpoint, Slade tried to goad Thea into killing him; knowing that this would cause permanent emotional damage that would send her into the same darkness that he and Oliver had experienced.

"Are you... are you afraid that he's gonna see you as Deathstroke? Not the man you were, the... the man I think you are now?"

"I gave up my right to be his father when I stepped out of the light into the shadows and became this monster."

—Oliver Queen and Slade Wilson^[src]

In May 2017, 3 years after Slade's imprisonment on Lian Yu; when he sees Oliver come to visit him in his cell, he express gratification and respect Oliver again, as he no longer hates/blames the latter for Shado's death; due to the fact that; the psychiatric and psychological effects of the Mirakuru had worn off long ago, Slade has reverted to his original personality, as he genuinely feels guilt and remorse for his actions while under the drug's influence, he was willing to help Oliver save his son, William Clayton and friends, remaining loyal to his old friend despite several chances to betray him. Slade; even helps save Oliver's friends and family; including Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen, Curtis Holt and Nyssa al Ghul. He was visibly shaken; when Adrian Chase claimed to have killed Oliver's son, William, likely; due to the fact that; he is a father himself.

Slade; even elects to not abandon his old friend or his son despite Oliver wanting Slade to get off the island with the rest of Team Arrow, showing that Slade has genuinely regained his sanity, morals, honor and loyalty to Oliver, as Slade and Oliver once thought of each other as brothers; prior to the former being injected; with the Mirakuru, Slade once again respects Oliver and helps the latter come to terms with his father's suicide, he tells Oliver not to continue to blame himself and to forgive himself in order to finally make peace with his past. Oliver later follows Slade's advice and frees himself of the guilt of his past sins.

But Slade's loyalty only extends to Oliver or someone that; he cares about; as evidenced; by the fact that; he had abandoned Oliver's friends and half-sister, Thea; when Lian Yu was about to be blown up; by Adrian.

Slade's loyalty to Oliver is so strong that; when he chooses to save Oliver over his son's offer of killing Oliver during Slade's attempt to reconcile; with his son, Joe Wilson. He is also willing to go to any means necessary to save someone that; he cares about' such as storming a mercenary groups compound and slaying close to twenty men looking for his son Joe, who he thought had been captured.

Powers and abilities[]

Former powers[]

"I swam. But it wasn't without its obstacles. The rip current dragged me under. The rocks on the reef cut up my flesh to the bone. But the Mirakuru... It regenerated everything. Except this."

—Slade Wilson to Oliver Queen^[src]

• Artificially-enhanced physiology: In an effort to save his life after he was fatally wounded, Slade was injected with the Mirakuru serum, which altered his physiology and transformed him into a super soldier. The injection initially made him either faint or temporarily die as Oliver felt no pulse before Slade woke up, with extreme pain and bloody tears as side effects. After his awakening, his whole body boosted to levels that far exceed those of a normal human. Among these physical capacities were increased stamina, strength, durability, agility, senses, reflexes, and an accelerated healing factor. However, Slade lost his powers after he was injected with the Mirakuru cure by Felicity Smoak.
  • Enhanced strength: Thanks to the Mirakuru serum, Slade's muscular system was greatly enhanced, allowing him to exert incredible strength. He was capable of effortlessly lifting Oliver by the neck with one hand, and could tackle him into a wall with enough force that it smashed portions off of the wall. He was able to launch Ivo's men several meters through the air, and could easily break an assault rifle in half with his bare hands. He could pierce a man's chest just by punching them with his fist at full strength and could apply enough force to The Butcher's head with both hands to kill him.
  • Enhanced durability: The Mirakuru serum increased the resistance of the muscle and bone structure of Slade, causing them to become more durable than a normal human's, as he was barely fazed while being hit with large tree branches, which was done by both one of Ivo's men and by Sara. He could survive being repeatedly shot in the chest at close range, and endured the journey from Lian Yu without permanent injuries. In addition, when Slade was punched by Roy, also injected with the Mirakuru, he was barely fazed.^[27]
  • Enhanced speed: Slade could run at speeds that surpass any olympic athlete. He was able to run from the submarine to the other side of the island, where Oliver and Shado were held, in minutes while it took at least a few hours for everyone else to traverse the island on foot. Slade also killed three of Sebastian Blood's men behind him, dove in front of Blood and disappeared again in a matter of seconds. When Oliver was out on patrol looking for him, Slade was already behind him on one of the rooftops, when Oliver turned around he was already gone. Slade may be fast enough to disappear in a second when someone looks away.
  • Enhanced agility: Despite already possessing impressive mobility due to the training he received as an A.S.I.S. agent, the Mirakuru serum made Slade much more agile than any normal human could be. This may have allowed him to quickly appear on a rooftop behind Oliver, and disappear from sight in the mere moments in took for Oliver to turn around.
  • Enhanced stamina: Thanks to the Mirakuru serum, Slade's body produced far less fatigue toxins, allowing him to exert himself at peak capacity for longer than any human could. His stamina was so seemingly inexhaustible that Slade was able to swim non-stop across an entire ocean to escape from Lian Yu without drowning, as well as allowing him to take down and kill multiple highly trained A.S.I.S. agents.
  • Enhanced reflexes: The Mirakuru serum further enhanced Slade's reflexes, allowing him to react to attacks instantly. He was able to instantly catch an attack from Oliver, as well as catch Sarah when she launched at him, despite the fact that on each of these occasions they were both coming at him from behind. Slade was also able to use his sword to slash multiple arrows shot at him from a close range.
  • Enhanced senses: Slade displayed greater sensory range after receiving the Mirakuru serum. He was able to smell the TNT of a Japanese landmine strapped to Hendrick Von Arnim. It can also be assumed that he is able to see as well as hear, at a far greater range, and in a greater capacity than any normal human could. His loss of sight in one of his eyes did not seem to affect his visual awareness, as on multiple occasions he has been aware of attacks that were coming from the opposite direction of where he was facing.
  • Accelerated healing factor: The Mirakuru serum injection had greatly augmented Slade's ability to heal, allowing him to rapidly recover from even the most crippling, debilitating and grievous of injuries, so long as they would not immediately be fatal. By the time he awoke after the injection, the injuries on the right side of his face and the after-effects of his injuries earlier were completely healed. He was shown to be shot through the chest, and it does not affect his abilities. According to him, Slade was carried under the water after his defeat by Oliver and was badly torn apart by the rocks, but his body was eventually healed.^[27]
  • Immunity: The Mirakuru also made Slade somewhat insusceptible to liquor and drugs. Although not too immune, as Oliver was able to knock him out using a tranq arrow.

Abilities[]

• Peak of human physical condition: Slade is in exceptional physical condition for a man of his age. His reflexes allowed him to catch an arrow shot at him by Oliver Queen. Even while having relied on Mirakuru's powers for years, upon being cured, Slade still proved to be an incredibly resilient and physically powerful fighter, as he was able to quickly recover from the side-effects of the cure, which knocked out just about any other member of his army, and still managed to challenge and injure Oliver quite badly and despite being ultimately battered, he was able to withstand the beating Oliver put on him without any lasting injuries. After retraining himself on Lian Yu, Slade appears to have regained his physical prowess, as he was able to easily knock out Oliver and Thea with a single punch and break out of Oliver's pummel-hold and overpower and restrain him.

"Don't forget who taught you how to fight, kid."

—Slade Wilson to Oliver Queen^[src]

• Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Slade is proven to be a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, likewise he was able to effectively mentor Oliver in his ways of combat and survival. He was able to spar with Shado to a stalemate in combat, although it can be implied that Slade held back a little. He also soundly beat and killed his former partner Billy Wintergreen, who was also a master combatant with enough skill to fight on par with Yao Fei Gulong. His fighting style incorporates Escrima, Muay Thai, Karate, Silat, Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. While augmented by the Mirakuru, Slade's combat skills became far deadlier, due to his physical prowess being dramatically enhanced, which allowed him to one-sidedly pummel Oliver in their final brawl on the island, with Oliver only surviving due to Slade being trapped by rubble, and in the present, he was able to easily defeat Oliver, John Diggle and Sara Lance simultaneously, despite all three being seasoned combatants. However, even while cured of Mirakuru and struggling to remain conscious, Slade proved that he retained an immense amount of combat prowess despite having become reliant on his powers, as he was able to fight on par with and even at times dominate Oliver before being eventually defeated. A year after being imprisoned on Lian Yu, Slade has retrained himself to regain much of his combat skills, as he was able to knock out Oliver and Thea in mere seconds when he had them off-guard. In a second encounter, he was able to take on and separate Thea and Oliver at the same time and easily broke out of Oliver's hold and quickly overpowered and restrained him, only being defeated when Thea pulled a gun on him and shot him in the arm, as he has been retraining himself (off-screen) and that his combat skills will eventually return to the way they used to be, before he became too reliant on his Mirakuru powers. By the time Oliver recruited Slade against Adrian Chase and his allies, having spent 2 years on Lian Yu, Slade has regained all of his former combat skills, as seen when he is able to swiftly overwhelm Digger Harkness and easily defeated Talia al Ghul's acolytes whose training were nearly identical to the League of Assassins in mere seconds as well as swiftly and easily take out numerous members of the Jackals without sustaining any injury and while holding back, fight evenly with and eventually beat his son Joe Wilson, forcing Joe to resort to trickery to defeat him. Slade is also one of the most deadliest combatants in the entire multiverse.
  • Master swordsman: Slade is a highly skilled swordsman, as he was able to cut down multiple armed mercenaries in mere seconds. He has explicitly stated his weapon of choice are swords. He killed his former partner, Billy Wintergreen, in a sword-fight, who was also a master swordsman. In the present day, while amplified by the Mirakuru, Slade was able to kill three of Sebastian's bodyguards in a matter of seconds. However, even without the Mirakuru, he remained a formidable swordsman, matching Oliver's bow with his sword. It has been seen that the years he spent imprisoned in Lian Yu without properly practicing his sword-fighting skills has not reduced their efficiency, as Slade was able to swiftly cut down multiple students of Talia al Ghul on multiple encounters when helping Team Arrow against Adrian Chase and Talia's forces, who had training similar to the League of Assassins and later did the same to nearly 20 members of the Jackals and also fought on par with Joe in their sword fight and managed to gain the upper hand while holding back, only being overpowered by his son through trickery. Besides his prowess at close range, he was also shown to be able to kill a guard by drawing his sword and throw it in one single motion.
  • Master stick-fighter: Slade is a highly proficient stick-fighter, as he was seen sparring with Oliver in stick fighting, teaching him everything he knows about this form of combat. When he fought Oliver in the Arrowcave when they both used sticks, Slade was able to easily match and disarm Oliver, although he was empowered by the Mirakuru.
  • Master knife-wielder/thrower: Slade is highly skilled at using a knife in combat. This is seen during his training session with Oliver. He was also able to throw a knife into a guard's back, killing him instantly.
• Master marksman: Slade is an excellent marksman, as he took out many soldiers with his sniper rifle and was able to take out several soldiers with only two handguns. He was also able to easily shoot down many members of the Jackals using a single rifle before they could attempt to fire.
• Genius-Level Intellect/Master Tactician/Leader: Slade is extremely intelligent and a near flawless tactician, as he is able to create extremely efficient plans for combat, infiltration, and destruction even at a great disadvantage or with few resources. He is also able to expertly incorporate his strategical prowess into his fighting style, skillfully developing specific plans of attack by using the environment or distractions to his advantage. Slade with the help of Oliver quickly formulated a plan to take over an airfield crowded with troops, and later managed to destroy much of Edward Fyers' compound alone, using only improvised explosives and distraction. Later, Slade was also shown to be well-versed in mathematics, doing various mathematical calculations to program a missile launcher to directly hit the ship Ivo and his crew were on. He was able to calculate the flight with a parachute to land on the freighter. After the island getaway, Slade, in his personal vendetta against Oliver, was capable of tactically outsmarting the also highly skilled tactician Oliver Queen for the majority of their conflict until he was eventually outsmarted and trapped by Oliver presenting Felicity as the woman he loved, allowing Oliver to cure and defeat him, but nevertheless making him one of the very few to ever outsmart Oliver. He devised an extremely complex plan that could keep his enemies, like Team Arrow and Oliver overwhelmed, as well as to infiltrate the government of Star City, taking Queen Consolidated away from Oliver, and by the end create an army of superhumans that can generate chaos and destruction throughout the city. Slade is also a very capable leader, as he was able to lead an organization known as the Church of Blood with even greater influence than the one who founded it, Sebastian Blood, allowing him to easily inspire his superhuman soldiers into disobeying Sebastian, and was able to do it in secret and could lead the army so efficiently that he overwhelmed the efforts of Team Arrow until they received aid from the League of Assassins.
  • Master of deception/Manipulator: Slade is a very good liar, able to feign betraying Oliver twice by pretending to side with Adrian Chase when he is actually helping Oliver and his team get out of a bad situation. Much like Adrian Chase, Slade was able to stay many steps ahead of Oliver in his vendetta, and was able to predict and use Oliver's actions against Slade against him. Slade was able to use deception to be released from police custody after kidnapping Thea in order to get Quentin Lance arrested and to prove to Oliver that he was always able to stay ahead of him.
  • Eidetic memory: Slade has a perfect memory, as he remembered the exact details of Shado's dragon tattoo, as Slade had one of the Amazo's crew brand it on Oliver's back, as a way to always remind Oliver that he was partly responsible for Shado's death. He also remembered the exact circumstances of his meeting with Oliver, as well as his first words to him, “Twitch and I will open your throat.” Which he reminded Oliver of 7 years later.
• Master of stealth/infiltration: As a former member of the ASIS, Slade is well versed in stealth and infiltration. Slade was able to steal a file from the archives without being seen on the security cameras. Slade was able to stalk Oliver without getting noticed. Slade was able to enter Verdant and then enter the Arrowcave, without being seen, noticed or making any alarms go off. On Lian Yu he was able to sneak up on Thea and Oliver multiple times before they had a chance to react, and later against Talia's acolytes.
• Indomitable will/High pain-tolerance/Master survivalist: Slade has a high tolerance for pain, Oliver had to pull a bullet out of Slade's arm without any form of anesthetic, albeit he had to tie him up (on Slade's suggestion) because he might kill Oliver otherwise. He was also able to take down several of Edward Fyers' henchmen with an injured leg. Slade also has the skills of a natural survivor as he continued to live stranded on Lian Yu by himself and later with Oliver and Shado.

Weaknesses[]

• Mirakuru side effects: Although the Mirakuru enhanced Slade's physical abilities it greatly deteriorated his mind. Slade frequently experienced violent and often uncontrollable moments of rage, and was tormented by hallucinations of Shado, who seemed to represent his uncontrollable rage and violence. As the current status of Slade's abilities are unknown, he may still be experiencing these side effects.
• Limited healing factor: Despite the Mirakuru in his body accelerating Slade's rate of healing; it was not able to heal his right eye, after Oliver stabbed an arrow into it.
• Mirakuru cure: The Mirakuru cure is the only thing that could take away Slade's powers. After the events of the crisis and Oliver altering the timeline, it is unknown if the cure was used on him.

Equipment[]

• Deathstroke mask: Slade possesses a black and orange mask. The version worn on the island is a solid mask with a fabric balaclava. The version in the present day appears to be a metal helmet, with the black side acting as an eyepatch. The back of the helmet features a strip of bandana, giving the illusion that the mask is tied on. Slade wears this mask as his villain alter-ego Deathstroke, to protect himself and hide his identity.
• Deathstroke suit: In present day, Slade wears a protective suit as his villain alter-ego, Deathstroke, to hide his identity from his victims. It is a tactical suit of body armor custom tailored to his needs. It is predominantly black, but also adds blue protective plates and composite fiberglass, which overlap the feet, shins, forearms, chest and shoulders. The costume also has orange details on all of the joints. There are various equipment pockets on the costume, and there are three smoke grenades and ammunition strapped on to the chest. In addition, the suit could house all of Slade's primary weapons; there is a sheath on the back for his katana sword, a holster on his right thigh for his pistol, another sheath on his left leg for his tactical knife, and a pocket on the back of his belt for his throwing daggers.
• TiSAS Zigana Sport: In both the present day, Slade carries this handgun in the holster on his right leg.
• Katana: In the present day, Slade wields a katana sword as his primary melee weapon. He used it to kill three of Sebastian's bodyguards in a matter of seconds.^[33]
• Combat knife: In both the present day and on the island, Slade carries a combat knife in his boot.
• Throwing knife: In the present day, Slade used a throwing knife to stealthily dispatch of a security guard.

Former equipment[]

• AK-47: On the island, Slade used a stolen assault rifle to kill several soldiers.
• ASIS uniform: During his time with the ASIS and on the island, Slade used a customized military uniform. It was predominantly black in color and was composed of a bulletproof vest, along with the protective shoulders and forearms. The uniform also had a holster for pistol, a support for grenades, and two sheaths for swords on the back.
• Ninja Sword: On the island, Slade wielded two customized swords that he carried on his back.[1][2]
• Sniper rifle: On the island, when Slade stormed the runway with the help of Oliver, he used a sniper rifle to kill most of the soldiers.
• Sub-machine gun: Slade used a sub-machine gun in conjunction with his sword during his attack on the Jackals.

Appearances[]

Arrow[]

The Flash[]

DC's Legends of Tomorrow[]

Season 1[]

• "Star City 2046" (mentioned)

Season 2[]

• "The Chicago Way" (mentioned)

Comics[]

Arrow[]

• "Wintergreen"

Arrow: Season 2.5[]

• "Return" (montage)
• "Haunted" (vision)
• "Assault" (mentioned)

Novels[]

• Arrow: Vengeance (non-canon)

Gallery[]

Concept artwork[]

Helmet of Deathstroke.

Season 1, Slade Wilson.

Deathstroke 1.0.

Season 2, Deathstroke suit.

Promotional images[]

Arrow[]

Season 2[]

Trivia[]

• Slade was Oliver Queen's second mentor after Yao Fei Gulong and arguably his most effective one, as he taught Oliver most of his melee combat and athletic skills. Oliver later acknowledged that Slade is the reason he survived Lian Yu.^[30]
  • Slade claimed to have "created" Oliver as the Arrow, turning him into a fighter and killer before becoming enemies. Similarly, Oliver later claimed to have created Adrian Chase as a near equal fighter and serial killer known as Prometheus.
• Slade was the first of Oliver's mentors to become his enemy.
  • Slade was also the first of Oliver's former mentors-turned-enemies to make amends with Oliver, with Anatoly Knyazev and Talia al Ghul following suit.
• Slade is one of only three Arrow​ main antagonists who survived past their debut season, with the others being Malcolm Merlyn and Ricardo Diaz. He's also the only one who survived to the end of the series.
  • Damien Darhk does not count as he was revived postmortem and then migrated over to DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
• Slade is one of the only two Arrow​ main antagonists who was spared by Oliver at the end of the season. The other one is Adrian Chase.
  • Malcolm Merlyn doesn't count because Oliver tried to kill him, but he survived. Ricardo Diaz was inadvertently allowed to escape by Black Siren in her attempt to kill him before Oliver could make a decision on what to do with him (though it was heavily implied he was going to spare Diaz as well).
• Slade is one of the only three main antagonists on Arrow whose fighting skills are not learned directly from the League of Assassins, the other two being Ricardo Diaz and Emiko Adachi.
• Slade was the only character who played a major antagonistic role simultaneously during Arrow Season 2 in both the present day and flashbacks.
• Despite wearing two swords on the island, Slade was never seen wielding both swords at once during combat.
• Slade is indirectly responsible for Ray Palmer becoming The Atom and Carrie Cutter becoming Cupid; During the Siege, Slade's soldiers killed Ray's fiancée, Anna Loring, while Oliver saved Carrie's life from one of the soldiers.
• While enhanced by Mirakuru, it's possible Slade could have been considered as a meta-human.
• Slade as Deathstroke is the first Arrowverse main antagonist credited as a main cast member and the second main antagonist overall. He is also the longest surviving main antagonist on Arrow, having appeared from the Season 1 flashbacks to the present, and was eventually redeemed.
• Slade is the only main antagonist of Arrow who did not die before Crisis, with Malcolm having been killed on Lian Yu in Season 5, Ra's al Ghul and Damien having been killed by Oliver at the end of their respective seasons, although Damien was revived during the third season and the fifth season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow before dying again, Adrian Chase having killed himself at the end of season 5, and with Diaz having been killed by Emiko halfway through season 7, who in turn was killed by Beatrice at the end of the season, although she was also revived in the series finale ("Fadeout"). Slade was finally killed in Crisis,^[42] but was revived on Earth-Prime.^[44]

Behind the scenes[]

• In the DC comics, his full name is "Slade Joseph Wilson".
  • Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke is usually an adversary of the Teen Titans, Batman, and Green Arrow, and was an American soldier as opposed to an Australian one.
  • Slade has had three children in the DC comics; two sons and a daughter. His oldest son, Grant, was known as Ravager and his second son, Joseph, was the Teen Titan Jericho. His daughter, Rose, became the fifth Ravager some time after Grant's death.^[5]
• Slade is portrayed by Manu Bennett throughout the first and second season of Arrow. Bennett reprised his role as Slade in one episode of the third season, two episodes of the fifth season, and three episodes of the sixth season.
• Slade is the only main character of Arrow​ to first appear in the previous season before he became an antagonist.
  • Slade is also the first main antagonist in the Arrowverse who had already appeared in a previous season of Arrow​, albeit only in flashbacks.
• Slade is the first antagonist to be credited as a main character.
• The design of Slade's second mask, as well as his partnership with Brother Blood, is also reminiscent of a version of him from the Teen Titans cartoon series.
  • The Deathstroke name was used in Arrow, although most characters still simply referred to him as Slade. In Teen Titans, he was not referred to as Deathstroke because the censors of Cartoon Network considered Slade's alias "too dark" for the show's format.
• Slade is the first main antagonist in the Arrowverse to appear in both the flashback storyline and the present storyline, followed by Malcolm Merlyn.
  • Slade is also the first main antagonist of the Arrowverse with no connection to the League of Assassins, followed by Ricardo Diaz.
• Slade became the second main antagonist to kill a main character when he killed Moira Queen. The first was Malcolm, who killed his son, Tommy Merlyn. However, since Tommy's death was indirect and unintentional on Malcolm's part, Slade was the first main antagonist to directly and intentionally kill a main character. He is followed by Damien Darhk (who killed Laurel Lance) and Ricardo Diaz (who killed Quentin Lance).
• Slade is one of the main antagonists of the Arrowverse to not die at the end of the season in which he was the main villain. The others are Malcolm Merlyn, Hunter Zolomon, Ricardo Diaz, Ben Lockwood, and Mobius.
  • As of "Finish Line" and "Lian Yu"​​, Hunter was killed by Killer Frost while Malcolm was killed by a landmine on Lian Yu.
  • Diaz was finally killed by Emiko Adachi in "Brothers & Sisters".
• Due to the fact that the DCEU is making a Deathstroke movie, the CW can no longer use Deathstroke. This makes the sixth season of Arrow the last time Slade will appear for the foreseeable future.
• Slade served as the main antagonist of Season 2 of Arrow.

References[]