Arkham Asylum: Patient Files

Deathstroke

FULL NAME
Slade Joseph Wilson

OCCUPATION
Mercenary
Assassin
Soldier (Formerly)

BASE OF OPERATIONS
Mobile

AFFILIATIONS
Black Mask(formerly)
Suicide Squad(formerly)
Scarecrow
Arkham Knight
Hugo Strange(formerly)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

HAIR
Grey

EYES
Blue

HEIGHT
6' 5" (1.96 m)

WEIGHT
225 lbs (102 kg)

Originally a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Slade Wilson was part of an experimental super-soldier program where he gained enhanced strength, agility, healing factor and intelligence. Deathstroke became a mercenary soon after the experiment and rapidly gained a reputation as one of the world's greatest assassins. Following his defeat and incarceration at the hands of Batman, Deathstroke escaped from the maximum security wing of Blackgate Prison and worked as an ally of Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, serving as an advisor and overseer of their siege of Gotham and campaign to defeat Batman both mentally and physically, unmask him and turn Gotham City into a city of fear, specifically. After the Arkham Knight was defeated, Deathstroke replaced him and took his place as commander of the Militia and Scarecrow's second-in-command.
Slade was an accomplished member of the special forces and held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This distinction earned him admittance into a covert program where he was subjected to extensive mental and physical augmentation. The procedures left him with increased mental function, as well as enhanced speed, strength, healing factor and stamina, although the experiment was claimed to be a failure later on. Though much of the file was redacted, it appeared that Slade was eventually discharged from the military, though the exact circumstances were not specified. He had taken up work as a mercenary. His augmentations, coupled with his mastery of hand-to-hand combat made him a formidable opponent.

Following his military service, Wilson worked for various private military contractors before striking out on his own - and allegedly becoming one of the highest paid contract killers in the world, and specialized in high profile assassinations. FBI files linked Slade Wilson to the assassination of various offshore dictators and business people. Less was known about his domestic activities. Additional skills included: Weapons expert, Demolitions expert, Close-quarters combatant, and Ambush techniques. Deathstroke was armed with multiple weapons, and was considered an expert with edged weapons, firearms, and explosives. Distinguishing characteristics included an impaired right eye, graying hair, and orange accented black body armor. By the time he was contracted to take out Batman, Deathstroke had managed to commit at least 30 instances of murder, including 26 of the first degree, and 14 that were related to the assassinations of public figures, and he was 45 years old.

At an unspecified time, Wilson was under fire in a Hindu Kush valley, where his lung had been deflated. He would later remark that fixing it and surviving the barrage of bullets was the only riddle that he would ever have to figure out. In all his years fighting, Wilson considered the most beautiful thing he's seen to be a napalm bomb going off at night.

Known by reputation as "The World's Greatest Assassin", Slade Wilson is a consummate professional, jaded by the work he does and attracted towards a contract basis, especially jobs that regard Batman - whom after beating him once, is dedicated to a rematch and finally defeating his rival. He feels a personal obligation to complete a job, but is too pragmatic and professional to let a job become a personal matter. He fully admits that he only does his work if he is positive he will receive compensation and because of this did not attack Batman while imprisoned in Blackgate as the Joker had no means of paying him. Despite his assassin lifestyle, Slade does have a sense of honor and follows a warriors code, no matter how warped it is, specifically he will grant his opponents a quick death in battle.

A heavy flaw he did possess was that Slade could be too arrogant and overconfident regarding his own abilities. Having killed all of the men he fought, he believed Batman would simply be an easy target. It was likely this hubris that was a factor of his defeat and he seemed to have learnt his lesson in Arkham Knight as he appears less arrogant but still rather boastful about his war stories which he told Batman repeatedly. It was likely that these many past victories which caused his arrogance. As a result of being defeated a second time by Batman, Slade appears to have hypocritically forgotten his own code of not becoming personally involved in a job and becomes obsessive of finally killing Batman, claiming he would not need payment and would "do it for free".