DC Comics Fans Are Debating If Deathstroke Is A Batman Villain

A debate is raging online between DC Comics fans regarding Batman and Deathstroke. The online discourse boils down to whether Slade Wilson can truly be counted as one of the Dark Knight's villains. The two DC characters have crossed paths numerous times across different media, including comics, video games, and animated TV shows and movies. Deathstroke is primarily thought of as a Green Arrow nemesis, but his reputation as the deadliest assassin in the DC Universe means he's the perfect foil for Batman. This debate comes a week before the premiere of Matt Reeves' The Batman starring Robert Pattinson.

Joe Manganiello portrayed Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe, first appearing in a post-credits scene in 2017's Justice League movie. The actor returned to reprise the role in another post-credits scene in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which was released exclusively on HBO Max in 2021. Manganiello's Deathstroke was all set to face off against Batman in a film directed by and starring Ben Affleck. However,  Affleck eventually stepped away from the project, leading to Matt Reeves taking over and Robert Pattinson's addition to the Batman mythos.

"Shadow War" is an upcoming DC Comics crossover between Batman, Robin, and Deathstroke Inc. Joshua Williamson is the writer of all three books, and the three-month crossover kicks off with Shadow War Alpha #1 by Williamson and artist Viktor Bogdanovic (Detective Comics) on Tuesday, March 29. Shadow War Alpha #1 finds Deathstroke committing an unthinkable act, which sends Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne's mother and the Daughter of the Demon, out for blood. With Deathstroke Inc. under attack from the League of Shadows, Batman and Robin reunite to track down Slade Wilson so he can be brought to justice. Meanwhile, preludes in Robin #12 by Williamson and artist Roger Cruz, and Deathstroke Inc. #7 by Williamson and artist Stephen Segovia help set up the crossover's events.

There have already been sequel talks concerning The Batman, with Reeves fanning those flames during the film's premiere. "I really believe in what we've done and I'd be excited to tell more stories... We are already telling other stories in the streaming space, we're doing stuff on HBO Max, we're doing a Penguin show with Colin [Farrell], which is gonna be super cool," Reeves told The Independent. "And we're working on some other stuff, too, but we have started talking about another movie."