Summary
Deathstrokeis gaining traction as a popular DC character, and like many villains of recent lore, he’s starting to get his own antihero treatment. One of the key pieces of his character is the missing eye on his mask — or his eye patch when he’s maskless. In the harsh wintry Elseworld ofDark Knights of Steel, Deathstroke loses his eye in a nod to the original comics with a brand-new twist.
Fans are gettingthe Deathstroke they have always deservedinDark Knights of Steel: Allwinter#2by Jay Kristoff and Tirso Cons. In a bleak, Nordic setting, Deathstroke has transformed from a slimmer mercenary into a bulky Viking. The one thing Slade Wilson still retains, however, is his missing eye, as revealed in a preview for the second issue.
The moment flashes quickly, from wedding to a blood eye, but the meaning is clear:it was no superpowered hero or villain that took Deathstroke’s eye, even in this universe, but his own wife.
Deathstroke’s Latest Feat Officially Makes Him DC’s Biggest Badass (Sorry, Batman)
Sorry, Batman fans, but nothing the Dark Knight ever does will compare to the levels of badassery Deathstroke just achieved with this one feat.
Panels fromDeathstroke#3 by Christopher Priest, Joe Bennett, Mark Morales, Belardino Brabo, Jeromy Cox, and Willie Schubert
The loss of Deathstroke’s eyeinAllwinteris certainlya reference to the contemporary facts of DC lore. In the same way, his wife Adeline shoots him in the head after his work ruins their family life and endangers their son, a status quo re-established by Rebirth-era continuity. This complicated family dynamic is one of the more fascinating aspects of Deathstroke’s character.Allwinterseeks to replicate that dynamic by increasing the complications to the next level — by going immediately from a panel of a wedding to a panel of the scouring of his eye.
Allwinteris truly giving Slade Wilson a reboot as a sympathetic antihero.
As DC’s ultimate assassin,Deathstroke has been a thornin many heroes' sides for some time now, sometimes even taking down the entire Justice League.But inAllwinter,fans are given a quieter, more complex version of the character.The sympathetic version of this character — an older man who lost his eye to the woman he loves — will inevitably result in a new fanbase for Deathstroke.Allwinteris truly giving Slade Wilson areboot as a sympathetic antiheroinstead of just keeping him as a stagnant and heartless assassin.
Deathstoke’s Newest Story Cements Him as a Sympathetic Hero
Slade Wilson, the Viking Mercenary
His missing eye is the key symbol of his character in this way. It stands for the complex person Slade Wilson is: that love and grief are the pillars that hold him up, hidden just behind an eye patch. There’s no doubt thatDark Knights of Steel: Allwinterwill give fans theDeathstrokeof a lifetime — and it all began with a wedding and a missing eye.
