DC will crown Deathstroke king in 2022 - and give him his own army

Deathstroke Inc. #6 cover
Deathstroke Inc. #6 cover (Image credit: Howard Porter (DC))

Deathstroke has a new name: King Deathstroke.

In February 2022's Deathstroke Inc. #6, the hero once subtitled "the Terminator" will find himself on a literal throne, Conan the Conquerer-style - and in charge of his own army.

Deathstroke Inc. #6 variant cover (Image credit: Ivan Tao (DC))

Although DC is holding back the 'why?' and 'how?' until we can read the issue (and the ones before it), the impending reign of King Deathstroke has something to do with a secret that Deathstroke and his team's employer - TRUST - has been keeping.

Deathstroke and his recently-recruited colleague Black Canary have been quick not to trust their new benefactors at TRUST, and one of its secrets will be found as early as November 23's Deathstroke Inc. #3 according to an advance description of the issue.

We know that upcoming issues will have TRUST recruit an 'army' of DC villains of their own - perhaps that army will become King Deathstroke's army in Deathstroke Inc. #6. The closest thing Slade Wilson has had to an army before this has been his brief family of heroes, Defiance.

Deathstroke Inc. #6 cover (Image credit: Howard Porter (DC))

In the description for Deathstroke Inc. #6, DC rhetorically questions if Deathstroke will use this new-found army for good or evil, but seemingly answers their own question by saying Black Canary will try to escape and warn the Justice League of this "new force in the DCU."

And if secrets and mysteries weren't big enough, the enigmatic villain Libra is scheduled to pop up in January 2022's Deathstroke Inc. #5.

Deathstroke Inc. #6 will be written by series writer Joshua Williamson, and drawn by guest artist Paolo Pantalena - who is also drawing Deathstroke Inc. #5, stepping in for series artist Howard Porter. Deathstroke Inc. #6 goes on sale on February 22.

You can find this and much much more at your local comic shop. 

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)