From comics to TV and film, Deathstroke has been hanging around the shadows of the DC Universe for some time. Slade Wilson might be most well-known for tangling with the Teen Titans, Green Arrow, and Batman, but Deathstroke has always been a helluva matchup for even Justice League's strongest members.
However, Slade Wilson isn't a typical bounty hunter or assassin, he's an artificially-enhanced meta-human due to an advanced hormone treatment program.While Deathstroke usually brings an entire arsenal into battle with him, his anatomical abilities are what really allow him to use his weapons to such a lethal effect and go toe-to-toe with DC's greatest superheroes.
1) What Happened to Deathstroke's Eye?
One of Deathstroke's most noticeable features is the one-eyed facemask. Slade didn't lose his eye due to one of Green Arrow's arrows or Batman's Batarangs, but to his own wife. After their son, Joseph, was kidnapped in a ploy to force Slade to divulge the name of a client for one of his assassination contracts. Joseph's vocal cords were slashed. Adeline blamed Slade and attacked him in a blind rage - firing a shot at his face.
Slade survived the attack but lost his right eye in the process. Since then Slade rocks an eye-patch when he's without his mask. Having one eye never hindered his combat abilities. Even after having his eyesight restored at one point, he claimed he still liked fighting with one eye better after he adjusted his fighting style to it over many battles.
2) Why Is Deathstroke Hot?
Deathstroke runs hot, literally. While most humans have a body temperature that overs between 97 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit, Slade's body temperature is extremely elevated at 110 degrees. His metahuman enhancements and healing factor allowed him to thrive with higher body temperature which comes with some surprisingly effective benefits. It keeps him warm in cold environments and has the opposite effect by allowing him to curtail overheating in extremely hot regions. His high internal temperatures also make him resistant to illness and parasites, which enables him to take contracts in nearly any environment on Earth.
3) Why Is Deathstroke So Smart?
Slade's boosted intellect was an unforeseen result of his experimental hormone therapy. It turned his brain into a ruthlessly efficient combat computer that accelerates his brain power by a factor of nine and allows him to use up to 90% of his full brain capacity. This allows him to plan, strategize, fight, and compete with opponents much stronger or faster than he is.
Slade is so adept at recognizing patterns and deploying strategy in real-time that he predicts his opponent's attacks regularly. He's also been known to resist the telepathic influence of metahumans like Jericho because of his mental ability. This is probably the biggest asset during his battles against the Justice League's strongest members in Batman, Superman and Green Lantern.
4) Can You Hurt Deathstroke?
Slade's healing factor is nothing like that of Deadpool or Wolverine, but it's still an incredible ability. Slade has routinely healed from wounds that would have been fatal to regular humans like lacerated organs, long falls and spine-shattering blows from other metahumans.
However, his nearly fatal experiences tend to be much more traumatic than other super-healers. Extreme trauma like being resurrected in the Lazurus Pit made Slade revert into a feral version of himself, but he regained control of his mind eventually.
5) What Are Deathstroke's Other Abilities?
Slade's hormone treatment gave him greatly enhanced senses, agility and reflexes. Deathstroke doesn't rely on brute strength, but rather on speed, technique and diversions to get the job done. Deathstroke can dodge small arms fire and sense even the smallest changes in the air making it virtually impossible to sneak up on him. He'll traverse rooftops and difficult terrain with ease which allows him to keep up with the Batman and Robin on their home turf.
While these are powerful and useful by themselves, Deathstroke's Ikon Suit allows these traits to harmonize in a truly deadly manner. His Ikon Suit is a gravity sheath point defense system complete with an advanced AI installed within. The suit is self-powered by Deathstroke's kinetic energy and is impervious to gunfire and anything about the size of a human fist. Slade's enhanced physical traits allow him to pilot this self-sustaining technologically advanced body armor.