Minor spoilers for Deathstroke Inc. ahead!
As one of the strongest villains to Batman, Green Arrow, and every member of the Teen Titans, Deathstroke stands as DC Comics’ deadliest assassin. In Deathstroke Inc., Slade proves that he’s not only a skillful warrior but a resourceful teammate and leader. After the events of DC’s Shadow War event, Deathstroke Inc. reorients the story closer to Slade than ever, focusing directly on the possible origins of his iconic costume!
Whether it’s the Injustice video games, the Teen Titans animated series, or his original comic book series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Deathstroke proves he is one of the most skilled assassins in DC Comics. Originally, he starts out as a normal mercenary with slightly enhanced capabilities courtesy of a super-soldier serum. While his origins have been explored before, the new arc of Deathstroke Inc., titled “Deathstroke: Year One,” will evidently explore DC’s “Terminator” like never before—with all-new secret origins.
The variant covers for Ed Brisson and Dexter Soy’s Deathstroke Inc. #10-11 prominently feature Slade next to a dog. While Deathstroke infamously has one of DC’s most dysfunctional families, this newly introduced dog shows a lighter side. Slade’s new pet appears faithful and has a face designed with split colors, just like Deathstroke’s iconic mask. While it’s not confirmed, DC is hinting that the design of Slade Wilson’s costume may come from the assassin’s new furry friend. Deathstroke’s split mask design historically resulted from the character’s lost eye. However, this dog’s natural fur depicts a color scheme identical to Slade’s mask.
This dog’s design is too coincidental for Deathstroke not to take inspiration from it. While “Year One” may revisit and even retell how the mercenary loses his eye and redesigns his outfit, Deathstroke’s traditional DC color scheme may be a mere wink at his newly revealed dog. It’s funny to note that Nick Fury, Marvel’s most famous eyepatch-wearing sharpshooter, also had a rebooted explanation for his eyepatch in the MCU, resulting from Captain Marvel’s cat scratching him. Maybe Marvel and DC enjoy simply having the most unlikely furry friends inspire the designs for both universes’ epic, one-eyed assassins.
The next phase of Deathstroke Inc. definitely seems like a great place to pick up on a new story (or for existing fans of DC’s assassin to continue reading). It already has a noteworthy cast of characters and promises to retell some of the most significant moments of Slade’s life. DC Comics’ stories hardly ever fail when it comes to Deathstroke, and it doesn’t seem like they’re about to start now.
Look for Deathstroke Inc #10 & 11 when they release on June 28th and July 26th respectively.