Batman recently lost his billions and the ability to pay for his arsenal of gadgets. Happily, Deathstroke has a use for the Dark Knight’s technology.
Warning: spoilers ahead for Deathstroke Inc. #1!
In DC Comics’ new Deathstroke Inc., Slade Wilson has become even more dangerous now that he has his hands on Batman‘s arsenal of tech and vehicles. Having lost his billionaire status in the aftermath of The Joker War, the Dark Knight can no longer afford his nearly limitless supply of expensive gadgets, many of which were scattered throughout the city. This vacuum has resulted in the secret organization known as T.R.U.S.T. buying up his arsenal for their own use. Furthermore, now that Slade Wilson is one of their top agents, he has free reign to use Batman’s gear on missions.
In the Joker War, Joker stole Bruce Wayne’s billions while also taking several of the Dark Knight’s vehicles and weapons for his own, arming his men and instructing them to unleash complete chaos with Batman’s gadgets. While the Clown Prince of Crime was ultimately beaten, Batman did not receive his money back and is no longer a billionaire going forward. As such, he can no longer afford to store, let alone run, the majority of his high-tech and extremely expensive gear, nor the services of Hiro Okamura (aka Toyman 2.0), who the Dark Knight had hired to maintain it all and make new gadgets for him when needed.
Instead, Deathstroke Inc. #1 from Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter reveals that the vast majority of Batman’s arsenal is now in the possession of T.R.U.S.T. (Transparent Researchers United for Strategy and Technology), who chose to purchase all of the Dark Knight’s technology left over from the chaos of Joker War (while also hiring Toyman 2.0.) Not only that, but they’ve also recruited Slade Wilson’s Deathstroke, who now gets to use all of Batman’s wonderful toys for himself, becoming even more formidable than he already was as he adds his own arsenal to the best tech and vehicles money can buy. The series’ first issue sees him driving the Batmobile before revealing a minigun addition that’s all his own.
Clearly, T.R.U.S.T. has big plans and is going all in, hiring one of the greatest mercenaries in the DC Universe and arming him with the most effective gear possible. Sparing no expense, Slade Wilson now has the resources that once belonged to the Dark Knight himself, which is quite fitting as this first issue sees Slade explaining to Black Canary that walking the moral line between good and evil is no longer working. Instead, Deathstroke has taken the opportunity offered by T.R.U.S.T. to make a play at being a hero – albeit a deadly one. As a result, it’s pretty cool that he’s using the tools that once belonged to likely DC’s greatest hero of all time. Whether he can honor that legacy is another question entirely.
Slade Wilson and T.R.U.S.T. end up using a Batmobile, grapple guns, and drones in this first issue, though there’s plenty of teases that there will be many more gadgets at Deathstroke’s disposal as the series continues, including one of the Dark Knight’s sizable mech suits. Furthermore, having Toyman 2.0 as a fellow agent means that new tech will most likely be built as well, potentially giving Deathstroke his own high-tech arsenal over time that could rival the one Batman used to have in the DC Universe.
About The Author
