Deathstroke, a playable character in Batman: Arkham Origins, was seen as one of the most underwhelming aspects of the game despite being an overall popular character. As the DC Universe’s best assassin, Deathstroke was expected to have a fighting style and toolkit unique to himself; however, his design ended up being a mixture of preexisting characters’ moves and abilities, leaving Deathstroke feeling uninspired and unoriginal. Despite these similarities with other characters, Deathstroke’s design in Arkham Origins actually does a subtle yet fantastic job at communicating aspects of his lore.
Unfortunately, it can be argued WB Games Montréal did too subtle of a job, as seeing anything special about Deathstroke in Batman: Arkham Origins is a difficult task at first glance. His design is largely copied from Robin’s, with both characters using a bo staff and the same combat style with the exception of a few specific moves. Deathstroke also shares Robin’s “Detective Mode”, called “Tactical Vision”, colored green rather than blue. The only facets of their fighting styles that differ are Deathstroke’s grapple, which is modeled after Batman’s, and the lack of a cape, requiring him to move around like Nightwing and Catwoman.
While it is undeniable that Deathstroke plays almost exactly like Robin, their similarities in Arkhan Origins actually have a lot to do with Deathstroke’s lore. Both inside and outside Batman: Arkham‘s story and timeline, Deathstroke functions as an antagonist – and sometimes as an accomplice – to Nightwing and the other Robins more than he does to Batman. His design mirroring Robin’s consequently makes a lot more sense. On top of this, Deathstroke has peculiarities in his kit that are specific only to him and his history as an assassin in the DC Universe.
Batman: Arkham Origins – Why Deathstroke Being Similar To Robin Makes Sense
Deathstroke has a long history with the Robin in both the comics and the Batman: Arkham games. His animosity toward the Caped Crusader’s sidekick started with Dick Grayson, who was once hired by Deathstroke to train his daughter Rose while undercover. During training, Dick steered Rose toward the side of the heroes before Deathstroke eventually found out, creating a longstanding grudge on Deathstroke’s side. This grudge led to his involvement in the Battle of Metropolis, during which he was stopped not only by Nightwing but also Batman and Tim Drake, who is the version of Robin in the Batman: Arkham series. The feud between Deathstroke and the Robins continued to develop to a point where Deathstroke eventually gained control of Damian Wayne’s mind to follow Dick Grayson when he became Batman. Deathstroke’s design in Arkham Origins seems more in character after knowing he imitated Robin in the comics while controlling his mind. Deathstroke’s and Robin’s similar fighting styles reflect Slade’s long history of not only fighting the sidekick but also inhabiting his body
Additionally, Deathstroke has some special moves and abilities that refer to his origin story. Before becoming Deathstroke, Slade Wilson was in the US military and volunteered for an experiment in which he was genetically enhanced to become a super soldier. He thus gained abnormal strength, a healing factor, a superior mind, and many other abilities. Arkham Origins manages to incorporate these strengths into Deathstroke’s design. For instance, he is the only character in the Batman: Arkham games who can punch the glass part of a riot shield and knock opponents down in the process because of his super strength, and he can also rip open doors and air ducts with one click. To add to this, Deathstroke is the only character to immediately start healing after taking damage due to his special healing attribute. When looking at these details, the Deathstroke of Batman: Arkham Origins is a more unique and special character than he first appears, making him a more interesting character to play.
