Batman villains get all the love. On the comic side of things, The Joker never misses out on a big event. Just look at all the attention that the Absolute Universe version of the character is receiving right now. Things aren’t all that different on the big screen, with the Clown Prince of Crime getting a duology of films and several other major appearances. Not every iteration of the villain is a winner, but there’s far more good than bad. Other members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery, such as The Riddler, Catwoman, and Bane, are in the same boat, having plenty of chances to embrace their unique personalities in live-action.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Not every bad guy can make the jump from the page to the screen with ease, though. There are a select few that need a perfect runway to land on, and more often than not, they don’t get it. In fact, one Batman villain’s best live-action showing comes in an 11-year-old fan film that doesn’t pull its punches. And if the DC Universe ever wants to do the characters justice, they should take some cues from the project.
Deathstroke: Arkham Assassin Lets the Terminator Loose
Gotham City’s crime lords always have one thing on their mind: taking out Batman. After all, without the Dark Knight, they would be swimming in cash and have every major player in the city in their pockets. Well, in Deathstroke: Arkham Assassin, Black Mask takes matters into his own hands by sending a group of his goons to take the hero off the board. Like everyone before them, they fail spectacularly, running back to their boss with their tails between their legs. Black Mask doesn’t accept failure, so he starts killing. Before he can wrap things up, he gets interrupted by the titular character, Deathstroke, who is willing to face off with Batman for $50 million.
Not wanting to hand over a hefty sum to an unknown quantity, Black Mask requests that his interviewee demonstrate what he’s capable of. A battle breaks out after Deathstroke hands over his weapons, and he doesn’t hold back against his opponents. Blood starts spilling quickly, with the Terminator even going as far as to smash a man’s head with his boot. It’s an impressive display, and by the end, Black Mask doesn’t even care that all his lackeys are dead; he’s just happy to have another missile to send at the Bat. Deathstroke: Arkham Assassin ends there, not showing the battle between Slade Wilson and the Dark Knight, but it leaves behind a blueprint that the DCU can follow.
The DCU Needs to Give Deathstroke the Deadpool Treatment
Very few thought Deadpool could work on the big screen in the early 2000s, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine proved the doubters right. However, that movie’s mistake was trying to fit the Merc With a Mouth into a PG-13 setting. His foul mouth and love of violence meant he needed a mature platform to prop him up. It took a few years, but he eventually got one, and he’s been moving in a positive direction ever since. Not even the Marvel Cinematic Universe could consider trying to rein Deadpool in.
In Deathstroke’s case, he’s yet to embrace his dark side in live-action. The Arrowverse’s version of the character is excellent, but he has to hold back in more ways than one. As for the DC Extended Universe’s Slade, he only gets a couple of brief appearances that leave a lot to be desired. The only project that even comes close to doing Deathstroke right is Titans. Unfortunately, the story he’s part of in that show is at best lackluster, which rains on the parade. Arkham Assassin seems to be the only Deathstroke project in recent memory that really gets the character, and the DCU should wrap its head around that. That way, when it comes time to develop his next live-action iteration, nothing gets lost in translation.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of HBO Max
