WARNING: Spoilers for Deathstroke Inc. #7 ahead!
The mini-me of young Lazarus Tournament competitor Respawn, is finally unmasked by Slade Wilson in a preview for the Deathstroke Inc. #7. While the true identity of Respawn has not yet been revealed by DC, preview images show the first full shot of his face, confirming that whoever he is, he certainly looks like a younger replica of the infamous Deathstroke.
First introduced in Robin #1 during the Lazarus Tournament plotline, Respawn is a young martial artist whose costume bears a striking resemblance to Wilson's own, as well as that of Ravager's, Deathstroke's biological daughter Rose Wilson. The resemblance is so similar that the first thing Damian Wayne ever says to Respawn is, "Nice copyright infringement," calling out how unoriginal the young anti-hero's look is. While Respawn eventually became friends with Ravager, Robin, and others in the tournament he has remained incredibly secretive about his true identity, refusing to allow Damian to unmask him. There are truly so many theories on who Respawn could be, from a clone of Slade's, to a child between him and a mystery partner, to a version of Wilson' deceased son Grant reborn in the Infinite Frontier era!
Deathstroke Inc. #7 - written by Joshua Williamson with art by Stephen Segovia - follows Slade's continued descent into becoming "King of the Super Villains" after one of his only weaknesses as a ruthless mercenary.
There are so many theories as to who Respawn truly is, while the preview does finally show his face fully revealed, the fact that he looks so much like Slade doesn't actually definitively give an answer to his identity. Wilson has three identified biological children, Rose his youngest, the Teen Titans member Joseph who goes by Jericho, and his oldest son Grant who was the original Ravager and died back in 2017 in the pages of Teen Titans. While Respawn could be a clone of Slade, his unmasked face clearly shows green eyes while Deathstroke' eyes have almost always been shown to be blue. Following along with his green eyes, Respawn could also be the son of Deathstroke and Talia al Ghul, who is often portrayed with green eyes, which would make Respawn the half-brother of Damian Wayne, a fun and unexpected twist. Respawn could also be a clone or resurrected Grant Wilson (with that codename, a clone of someone does seem likely), especially since Rose mentioned that she felt as though she recognized Respawn's voice. In the new Infinite Frontier era many previously dead characters such as Roy Harper and the Justice Society of America have returned to Prime Earth continuity.
With so many options as to who Respawn could truly be, hopefully his real identity will be revealed when the full issue of Deathstroke Inc. is released. The solicit for the issue states that "past secrets explode" so regardless of who Respawn is revealed to be, rest assured that it will be dramatic and shocking. Deathstroke Inc. and Robin are leading directly into the "Shadow War" event, a massive war between the al Ghuls' forces and Deathstroke's new corporation of villains, and the identity of Respawn could potentially play in integral role into how the war shakes out. Be sure to check out Deathstroke #7 when it debuts on March 22nd 2022 to see DC Comic's Slade Wilson fight his daughter Ravager and her partner, the mysterious Respawn, before his identity is finally revealed.
Source: CBR
