Deathstroke

The Nuclear Family may be history on DC Universe’s ‘Titans’, but make way for another family affair.  Reportedly, Deathstroke the Terminator will be the main antagonist of Season Two, with his offspring Rose Wilson and, as previously revealed, Jericho/Joseph Wilson also appearing.

Deathstroke has been a major villain on ‘Arrow’ (above), but that’s completely separate.  This take on Slade Wilson will be completely new.  Reportedly, producers are looking for a Latinx, Asian or Caucasian male, age 40-55 to play the role.  He is described as a lifetime military man who is so strict that he drives his family away.  But even after his dedication to the military, he is forced into early retirement and vows to take his revenge against those that have wronged him.

Chris Murphy from That Hashtag Show announced that he had learned that Deathstroke would be the main antagonist of Season Two on Twitter, although he offered no further information.

While Deathstroke has become an all-purpose DC villain, clashing with Batman and even the full Justice League, he made his debut in 1980’s ‘The New Teen Titans’ #2 and has been one of their most persistent foes, although they have, at times, put aside their differences.

During the famous ‘Judas Contract’ storyline, Nightwing recruited Joseph Wilson, Slade’s son, into the Titans as Jericho, who possessed the power to take possession of other people’s bodies.  Jericho is mute and was mostly created by George Pérez (although he collaborated with Marv Wolfman) as a challenge to himself to consistently draw a character who was forced to rely on body language to communicate.

Joe was rendered mute as a child, when enemies of Slade’s kidnapped him and his throat was partially slit, severing his vocal cords, during the altercation.  Angered over Joe’s injury, on top of learning of Slade’s secret life as a mercenary, Slade’s wife Adeline shot him, taking out his eye, which is why he wears an eyepatch and half his mask is black.

Jericho was sensitive and artistic, but after Pérez left the book, other artists had trouble dealing with such a subtle character and he was turned evil, then killed off, although he was later resurrected.  He formed a close, somewhat romantic bond with Raven, although due to her demonic nature, she kept him at arm’s length.  In more recent comics, he has been depicted as bisexual.

As previously reported, the show is seeking a deaf actor, which is obviously different from being mute, but it may be more relatable for him to be deaf, as there are a lot more deaf people than those that are simply mute.  The show is seeking an Asian or Latinx actor, 18-21.

Slade also fathered another child, Rose Wilson, with a Cambodian woman, Lillian.  Originally, this happened after his divorce from Adeline, but in more recent comics, it was depicted as an extramarital affair.  Rose has been a member of the Titans, but has also been depicted as mentally unstable and has fought against them.  She stabbed herself in the eye to prove her allegiance to Slade and to make herself more like “Daddy.”

She has precognitive abilities, but that has largely faded into the background, with her fighting skills being more heavily emphasized.

Her teammate Kid Devil harbored a crush on her.  While she seemed to be fond of him, it was not necessarily in a romantic way.

‘Titans’ is seeking a mixed-race, half-Latinx or half-Asian actor, age 18-21 to play her on ‘Titans’.  Summer Glau portrayed Isabel Rochev on ‘Arrow’, a character that had certain elements in common with Rose.

Though he isn’t mentioned, it’s possible that ‘Titans’ will also introduce Deathstroke’s eldest son Grant, a.k.a Ravager.  It was Ravager that initially went after the Titans, under contract by the evil organization The H.I.V.E.  But he died before defeating them.  Deathstroke agreed to assume the contract on his son’s behalf, which is what led to his lengthy conflict with the Titans.  This origin has never been adapted to any other medium.

When Rose became a costumed adventurer, she adopted the name Ravager.  Slade Wilson’s half-brother, Wade DeFarge, has also operated under the guise of Ravager.

‘Titans’ Season One ended with Trigon (Seamus Dever) seeming to assume the role of the show’s main antagonist.  It’s unclear how Deathstroke will factor in.  It’s possible that Trigon could slip into the background to pull strings a bit, allowing other foes to emerge.

Season One of ‘Titans’ is currently available on DC Universe in the US and on Netflix elsewhere.  DC Universe has not announced when Season Two will begin production or be available to view, but check back for updates!