DC Resurrects One of Its Most Iconic Villains to Reignite a Long-Standing Feud

Image Credit: DC StudiosAn iconic DC villain is back from the dead. Even though it’s become commonplace for comic book characters to find a second life, it can still be an exciting moment when it actually happens. The Titans stepped up during the Justice League’s absence to defend the DC Universe, resulting in a showdown against Deathstroke and his army of villains in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.

You know it’s hard to keep a good villain down for long. That’s right folks, Slade Wilson/Deathstroke is officially back, and he has his sights set on his longtime foes, the Titans.DC released a preview of Titans #22 by John Layman and Bayliss.



It begins months ago with Deathstroke healing in some type of containment tube. However, his stay is interrupted when a character presses an “Emergency Stop” button, sending a shockwave through his system. We learn this person is Tara Markov, aka the former Titan known as Terra.

She has a long, complicated history with Slade Wilson, considering she was secretly a spy for Deathstroke inside the Titans. [RELATED: What Happened to the Teen Titans (And Why Is the New Team Less Popular?)]Slade asks Terra if she’s there to finally kill him. “Kill you? That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day,” she says.

“And I’m sure I will...

eventually.” image credit: dcimage credit: dcimage credit: dcimage credit: dcInstead, Terra frees Deathstroke. She says that every cell in Deathstroke’s body is still burning like a supernova, and she’s also been slowly weaning Deathstroke off painkillers and sedatives.

As a bonus, Deathstroke was given a formula to accelerate his healing and purge him of the Darkness that took over him during Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. So to recap, Deathstroke is just about back to his prime fighting shape.Terra informs Deathstroke that he was being held in a prisoner holding facility for the new Bureau of Sovereignty, a brainchild of Amanda Waller during Absolute Power.

Amanda Waller put bombs in a bunch of villains’ heads to make them work for her, but as readers of Absolute Power know, she was unsuccessful in her power grab. Terra was doubtful that Amanda Waller would win, but still needed Deathstroke’s help to go AWOL. If she was going to be killed breaking free, she might as well take Deathstroke along with her.

The preview of Titans #22 ends with Deathstroke and Terra walking off towards city lights after Terra used her powers over the Earth to break them free. Since that flashback took place months ago, who knows where the two characters are now, or what they’re planning. Most likely, it will involve taking down the Titans.

TITANS #22Written by John LaymanArt by BaylissCover Art by Pete WoodsOn Sale April 16, 2025DEATHSTROKE, BACK FROM THE DEAD?!He’s the world’s deadliest mercenary and the Titans’ oldest and most dangerous enemy. He’s also dead..

. or at least we thought he was dead. Yeah, we’re talkin’ about Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, now back from the dead, building a new team of villains, and ready to take on the Titans.

How did he do it? Find out in this can’t-miss issue!Titans #22 goes on sale Wednesday, April 16th. Let us know your thoughts on Deathstroke’s return in the comments!The post DC Resurrects One of Its Most Iconic Villains to Reignite a Long-Standing Feud appeared first on ComicBook.com.

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