Titans' New Deathstroke Actor Praises His Role on DC Universe

Slade Wilson, better known as Deathstroke the Terminator, has had a spotty record in the live-action arena -- early takes in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville were less-than-stellar, and while the more recent takes on Arrow and in the Justice League movie were more in line with what fans had hoped for, the troubles with DC's movie universe seems to have compromised both to one extent or another. It is likely that a rumored role as the villain in The Batman is why Deathstroke was pulled from Arrow, and when that movie never managed to materialize, all fans got was a tantalizing 30 seconds or so at the end of Justice League, a movie that wildly underperformed.

Next up is Esai Morales, who will tackle the role in Titans. The second season of the series is coming soon, and will feature not only Deathstroke, but his children as well, and will reference a long backstory between his family and the Titans. He took to social media to share with fans how honored he felt to be playing the fan-favorite villain.

"I am both thrilled and honored to inhabit the character and supersuit of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke," Morales told fans on Facebook (via GWW). "I am having the time of my life in the role for a variety of reasons but mostly because he's just such a badass and very much willing and able to take on all comers to protect his family and his reputation at his craft. Thank you all for such a warm and lovely welcome. I can't wait to see what you think."

Walker also explained that the team's history would inform many of the events of the season, teasing that a prior interaction with Deathstroke will put him in their crosshairs once again when the Titans reunite. That will likely inform a theme that has been dominant in a lot of Deathstroke comics since the Rebirth era began: his deeply damaged and damaging relationship with his children.

"That's one we're the most interested in writing, and I think it's in the Wolfman, Perez work too," Walker explained. "At first it would be teenagers rebelling against their families, and then having to... at some point you can't define yourself, or you can no longer define yourself as being against your family, you just want a family of your own and then how do you deal with that? So the challenges and pressures of wanting a family and keeping it together are a big themes for this season."

Titans Season 2 is set to premiere on DC Universe on September 6th