Does Deathstroke Still Matter in a Deadpool World?

DC Comics fans got a serious shot of excitement recently with the reveal of the DC Extended Universe version of Deathstroke The Terminator – aka, Slade Wilson.

If you haven’t read DC Comics and don’t know about Deathstroke, he’s basically the master assassin/mercenary of the DC universe: a master of war, espionage and killing. Despite many comic book series and storylines dedicated to “deepening” his character, Deathstroke has managed to cultivate a Boba Fett-style reputation as a badass, anti-hero icon — successfully making the jump to television via the show Arrow, as its main villain in season 2.

Fans (ourselves included) are understandably excited to be getting a movie version of Deathstroke in the DCEU – especially if an actor like Joe Manganiello is playing him. But while traditional fans are excited for Deathstroke’s debut on the big screen, will the larger, less ingrained, public care, now that a character like Deadpool has already made a huge pop-culture impact?

Remember the Non-Fans

Let’s be clear: We love Deathstroke. If you’re a DC Comics fan reading this, you love Deathstroke. People who met the character on Arrow love Deathstroke. But beyond that, people don’t necessarily know Deathstroke. 

People outside of Marvel Comics or Marvel Animation didn’t really know Deadpool once upon a time – to the point that passionate creatives like director Tim Miller and actor Ryan Reynolds had a long, hard, time trying to get a movie about the character made. It seems like a bizarre story now that the Deadpool movie has gone on to make over $780 million worldwide – but it’s true: Deadpool was a serious underdog for a long time before he was a superstar. Some fans may want to argue that if Deadpool can make it big as a movie star, then Deathstroke should be able to do the same; but is there room enough for him to do that, with Deadpool already standing there? 

The thing to remember is that, to mainstream viewers who are not comic book fans, two assassins with similar sounding names (Deathstroke/Deadpool; Slade Wilson/Wade Wilson) are going to be somewhat hard to keep separated.

Even their looks are of similar themes (two-tone color spandex/armor with bandoliers/belts loaded with weapons)… it’s enough to make the average viewer confuse the two names with enough frequency to annoy hardcore fans to no end.

So will the average person be able to keep these two Marvel/DC assassins straight in their minds? Well… 

Deathstroke Has Already Made His Mark

Of course, we could look at this in reverse and still find good evidence that Deathstroke can become a DCEU breakout star. The fact is that Deathstroke actually had the head start at mainstream media fame, when he was featured in Season 2 of Arrow. Actor Manu Bennett made his version of Slade Wilson into a true deeper more rounded version than we’ve seen, while still making him a formidable badass in his signature armor. But having Deathstroke on a popular TV show had zero hindering effect on Deadpool‘s big screen rush. 

There was no one who saw the first Deadpool trailer who came away saying, “Deadpool? Like that guy on ‘Arrow’?” Or left with questions about whether or not Manu Bennett was going to be wearing the tights onscreen.

Reynolds and Co. made what was not only different from similar characters in comic book lore, but was distinctive enough to make people actually forget that he played a failed version of the character in X-Men: Origins: Wolverine. From that example, one could surmise that Deathstroke has every bit of the same chance to break out from the under the shadow of Deadpool. 

Morever, the DCEU version of Deathstroke — especially in the hands of an actor like Joe Manganiello — has just as much potential to separate himself from his beloved TV counterpart. Will Smith and his version of Deadshot became a successful leading man in the DCEU, despite the love of actor Michael Rowe in the role on Arrow. Moreover, Actor Ezra Miller seems to have already carved out a place for himself as the movie version of The Flash, despite the intense love of actor Grant Gustin in the TV role. 

It’s all about how the DCEU presents Deathstroke to audiences – and so far, so good. 

Different Characters, Different Potential

Any comic book fan knows that, at the end of the day, there is a world of difference between Deadpool and Deathstroke.

On a personality level, the two aren’t even close: Deadpool is a wise-cracking killer who’s a lot of fun to be around while Deathstroke is a stoic and militant hard-ass, with a presence that pretty much lives up to his nickname: The Terminator.

The former is a psychopathic Spider-Man; the latter is a killer version of Batman. Take away the superficial similarities (the costume, name, and occupation) and the two are polar opposites. 

That wide divide also extends to their potential in the cinematic market.

The simple fact is that while they are both anti-hero icons in their own right, Deadpool always had a huge lead when it came to merchandise and marketing: the character found brand success in cosplay, comic books, TV shows, and movie cameos, long before he broke out in a solo film. Deathstroke is a great featured characters in DC cartoons, TV shows, and video games – and has even done alright for himself on the comic book page – but he has nowhere near the branding power that Deadpool does.

So while Deathstroke will likely be an awesome feature of the Justice League and/or Batman movies, it’d be harder to envision him carrying an entire film franchise (not impossible, just harder to envision).

So, to reiterate: Does Deathstroke still matter in a Deadpool world?

Yes, of course! Just, you know… not as much. 

Deadpool will return in Deadpool 2 on January 18, 2018. 

Deathstroke could pop up in Justice League on November 17, 2017 – or in Ben Affleck’s upcoming solo Batman movie sometime thereafter. 

NEXT: Deadpool Director’s Batman vs. Deathstroke Fight Scene