Arrow season 6 spoilers: Title for huge Manu Bennett episode revealed
It was previously reported that the Slade Wilson character would get a two-part story this year, and based on the Twitter post below via show executive producer Marc Guggenheim, “Deathstroke Returns” is the title for the fifth episode of the season. Presumably, this is the first part of this story, given that Bennett has been working as of late on a project in Iceland and hasn’t been anywhere near Vancouver. (He’s probably going to go back soon in order to start filming.)
The simple assumption to make from this title is that Slade is going to go back to being the notorious villain that he was in season 2, otherwise known as the one responsible for killing Moira Queen and making Oliver’s life into a living hell. Is that really the case? Well, it’s something that we won’t know for certain until this episode airs, but we’re hoping that if he does turn evil again there’s a specific reason for it. Maybe he’s been conning Oliver from the moment the two met in the season 5 finale, or maybe Oliver does something to enrage him in a way that is similar to how he once was. Maybe Slade just gets his hands on mirakuru again and he’s addicted to the stuff at this point.
No matter the reason, Deathstroke is one of the show’s best villains. He also happens to be the only former Big Bad on the series who is actually still alive. Think about it this way — you’ve got the death of Malcolm Merlyn in “Liam Yu” alongside Adrian Chase, and beyond these two, both Ra’s al Ghul and Damien Darhk are also gone. Neal McDonough is technically over on Legends of Tomorrow still, but it is some sort of past version of the character as opposed to the one who murdered Laurel Lance and is fully aware of Team Arrow and some of the insanity that went on there.
Slade’s essential as a part of Oliver Queen’s history, but he’s a great character on his own and Bennett’s perfect for the role. We’ve already noted that there is a movement out there to get the character his own spin-off, and it would be interesting to see a show about more of an antihero as opposed to someone who strictly fights for good. (It’s a stretch to even call Slade an antihero at this point.)
What do you think about this “Deathstroke Returns” title, and what are you hoping to see the most of on Arrow season 6 from the character? Share below! (Photo: The CW.)