Warning! Spoilers ahead for Shadow War: Omega #1
In the final chapter of DC's Shadow War, Deathstroke has returned even darker than ever before with a sinister new purpose. While Slade Wilson had hoped to prepare for the imminent Dark Crisis on the horizon, that's all changed following his recent death and resurrection. Now, Deathstroke's become something far worse than a mercenary, erasing any chance the character might have had at being a hero in the DC Universe.
In recent issues of Deathstroke Inc, Slade Wilson intended to make an honest attempt at being a hero alongside Black Canary. However, when the organization they were working for proved to be a front for the Secret Society of Supervillains, Deathstroke decided to take over the cabal once he heard their plans to prepare for the Dark Crisis that's about to befall the DC Universe. However, being framed for the murder of Ra's al Ghul certainly took precedence for Slade, especially when al Ghul's daughter Talia killed him during the resulting Shadow War event.
Now, the new Shadow War: Omega #1 from Joshua Williamson, Stephen Segovia, Mike Henderson, and Howard Porter reveals that a whole new kind of Deathstroke has emerged in the wake of the Secret Society battling the League of Assassins. Submerged in the resurrecting waters of the Lazarus Pits thanks to his army of supervillains, the hope was to bring Slade back good as new. However, the recent teases that the Pits had become cursed prove true in this new issue with the green waters turning black as Deathstroke rises from the dead. Seemingly possessed by the Demon who powers the supernatural waters, it seems Deathstroke no longer cares about Dark Crisis now that he has "a new contract".
It certainly looks as though Deathstroke has been chosen by the Demon to cleanse the world. After all, there aren't a lot of ways "we're killing everyone" can be interpreted. Before his dark baptism, Deathstroke was looking to prevent the next crisis even if that meant allying with superheroes in order to save their collective existence. Now, his motives have become so much darker with all signs pointing to Slade becoming a vessel for the Demon (just as it had tried to corrupt Green Arrow's son in recent issues of Robin).
Now that the heroes of the Justice League have all been killed ahead of Dark Crisis, one has to wonder if Deathstroke will come to his senses before the multiverse falls to the Great Darkness. However, this issue certainly implies that Slade will become a major obstacle that gets in the way of the surviving heroes as they attempt to endure the oncoming storm. Either way, it's become evident that the current version of Deathstroke is far darker than he ever has been before in the DC Universe.
