Every so often, I’ll be talking about fun controversial topics within DC comics and choosing one side over the other. I’ll be playing devil’s advocate and explaining my argument to spark some conversation, so be aware!
Note: While the topics I discuss may be relatively controversial, it’s all in good fun.
Deathstroke, also known as Slade Wilson, is a cold blooded killer that seemingly has no mercy for his victims. We’ve seen him come after the Titans time and time again, toying with them incessantly, but have we really considered his words to them? “Kids shouldn’t wear costumes,” he proclaims… but why? Maybe it’s because he knows all too well the dangers of allowing kids to think they’re superheroes; his own son took a blade to the chest trying to defend Robin. Of course, anyone would be wildly upset and jump to conclusions after an event like this, but even members of the Justice League try to discourage the Teen Titans from dawning an outfit to save the day. And for good reason, too… Unfortunately, the list of Teen Titan deaths is a long one. Kid Flash, Duela Dent, Hawk & Dove, Danny Chase, Aquagirl… must I continue?
Credit: Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day (Volume 1)
Saving the day is important, but at what point should we draw a line in the sand? Maybe it’s when kids put on outfits and die trying to be like their own heroes. Change my mind.
Did I Change Your Mind?
You’ve opened my mind to new possibilities… yes. Let’s end the deaths.
How can I agree with you? You’re siding with Deathstroke!
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Anything that Slade W., the DCU’s most notorious teenager beater upper, has to say regarding the safety and well being of a minor (hero or not) should be taken with a grain of salt.
I agreed with the statement (probably to the surprise of some people), however, I do find it interesting that it’s coming from someone who has also tried to kill them too. Like, “You kids shouldn’t do this, allow me to demonstrate and show you why!” instead of someone who says it and is peaceful in the process. Usually when an adult tells a sidekick or legacy hero that it’s too dangerous, they usually care for them in some way or are just looking out for them.
So… I’ll say that I agree, but mostly because of the point of the statement. He’s technically not wrong, however the way he carries it out is… odd.
Nah. They’re not normal children. They either have powers, or were trained by the Batman and might as well be considered super powered. They live in a world where threats from homicidal clowns, alien despots, and super powered psychopaths not only exist, but aren’t currently imprisoned. Their world needs all the help it can get, and if they choose to use their great powers in service to saving as many lives as possible, thats their choice.
Y’know Deathstroke may be a villain (I think he’s actually an anti-hero in N52 and Rebirth), but he has always been one of the smartest villains (without super smarts). I think he’s right, and he knows he’s right. He’s not delusional or insane like Joker or Polka-Dot Man. He has the facts and evidence to back it up, and throughout the years I’ve sat in an awe-filled-grief-ridden silence for like 10 minutes after a superhero show like 50 times in the past year. We’ve seen in Robins what superheroics can do to kids.
Begging the question fallacy, as you are currently assuming they are not actually superheroes. You are ignoring all the times they saved the world, which means they are superheroes. There is nothing better.
Missing information. Nobody stays dead. What world are you living on where death is permanent. Everybody knows that the afterlife is a revolving door.
Jason is literally at my house right now playing Axis and Allies with me (my RAF is invincible!). Also Jason always was his own even as a boy. Just ask all those molesters he faced.
I train them to love saving people, and in our world full of supervillains that normally requires beating people up.
Not to mention stuff like Stargirl saving Philadelphia from the sonic booms by reuniting a mother and her daughter, which did not involve beating anybody up.
Seriously though, I think if one of your most popular stories involves doing some statutory things with a thirteen year-old, you’re probably the last person to have a point about the safety of kids.
Now, some might say that this is a “poisoning the well” argument, and honestly, they’re probably right. Do I care? No. Not at all.
Honestly, there is an argument here not just for kids to not wear costumes for adults to not as well. Anyone who puts on a mask and/or cape seems to think they are invincible and only bad things happen when people start thinking like that.
As for the actually conversation here though, I can’t agree with Slade on this. With everything he has done? I just can’t. Especially recently, Slade was literally training his son Respawn to fight and work with him but he was killed in the Shadow War event. Heroes or not it is a dangerous line of work that people chose.
And, yeah, it is concerning how young some of the Titans are sometimes. But they all choose to be there. It would be a very different conversation if people were forcibly recruited to the Titans but they aren’t. They all choose to do what they do. Most of them have adults that have trained them. They are on a team of equally or better trained people, some or most of them with super powers. The costumes save their secret identities. I think what they are doing is the right thing. They want to help people. They like to help people and they are doing what they can to do exactly that.
Okay, I rambled a bit but I think I hit the points I was trying to make.
I wanna start my rebuttal by saying this: What Slade did was absolutely disgusting. That being said, it doesn’t make his opinions wrong on this subject. His actions are horrific but what he said about kids being heroes is something I agree with.
At some point actions speak louder than words though. Slade might ‘have a point’ but if he doesn’t follow his own ideals then it doesn’t matter. As long as he continues to put kids in danger, his own opinion on what those kids should do does make him wrong.
Actually, yeah, if he knows the dangers that these kids are in why does he keep taking contracts to kill them? He can choose which contracts he takes, right? Stop trying to kill kids, Slade.
Change My Mind: Helspont Can Defeat Superman 
