Slade Wilson Slade Wilson is the identity of Deathstroke . He appeared in the " Arrow " DLC in " " . Background . Comics . Slade Wilson was originally a soldier in the US Army who was chosen to become part of an experimental super - soldier project , which he gained enhanced strength , agility , and intelligence as a result of . Discharged from the army , Slade took the name " Deathstroke " and went on to become the greatest mercenary in the world . He is one of the Titans ' s primary enemies , but has also fought against other heroes , including Batman , Green Arrow , Cyborg , Nightwing and the young super hero team , the Teen Titans . At first , Slade was savvy enough to not face superpowered enemies , so he refused a contract from HIVE to finish the Titans . However , when his son Grant AKA Ravager took the contract and his powers killed him in battle against the Titans , Slade accepted to complete Grant ' s contract . He sent Terra to infiltrate the Titans and know their weaknesses , and they were eventually captured , but the tide turned when Dick Grayson , the Titans ' recently retired leader , took the new identity Nightwing and freed his teammates . " Arrow " . Slade appears on " Arrow " as the main antagonist of season 2 . He also serves as Oliver Queen ' greatest nemesis . This version of Slade is of Australian descent and is a former ASIS agent . In the season 1 comic book tie - in , it is revealed that Slade and Billy Wintergreen were sent to the island of Lian Yu to rescue Yao Fei from Edward Fyers . Captured by Fyers , Wintergreen defects and Slade is tortured and held prisoner . Eventually escaping with help from Yao Fei . In season 1 , Slade eventually meets Oliver and trains him to fight . Slade later kills Wintergreen out of vengeance and gains the alliance of Yao Fei ' s daughter , Shado , in discovering Fyers ' plan to disrupt Chinese commercial air traffic with a missile launcher . Fyers murders Yao Fei when he helps the prisoners to escape , but Slade , Oliver and Shado avenge him by killing Fyers and destroying the launcher . In second season flashbacks , Slade secretly develops romantic feelings for Shado ( who is romantically involved with Oliver ) . During Dr . Anthony Ivo ' s bombardment of their hiding place , Slade is severely burned . Later , Oliver tries to heal Slade ' s injuries with the Mirakuru serum ( created by the Japanese in WWII to amplify human performance ) recovered from Ivo . The serum initially appears to have killed Slade , but is only rendered unresponsive . Before he wakes up , Ivo then captures them and forces a captured Oliver to choose whether Sara or Shado lives . He chooses Sara and Ivo shoots Shado . Though the transfusion was successful , Slade also develops enhanced strength and durability ; he also becomes violent and paranoid . When Slade learns of Shado ' s death he becomes enraged and unstable . He , Oliver and Sara launch a coordinated attack on Ivo ' s freighter and free the prisoners . Believing Oliver responsible for Shado ' s murder after hearing the truth from Ivo , Slade captures and tortures both men and takes command of the ship . Slade then trades Oliver and Ivo to Sara in exchange for an engineer who can repair the freighter . Slade maroons Oliver and Sara on the island with the other prisoners , but Oliver and Sara return to the ship attempting to cure Slade . They are captured and as Slade attempts to kill them , Anatoli Knyazev in the submarine on Oliver ' s orders , launches a torpedo at the ship . Sara is lost in the destruction while Oliver fights Slade . Slade is then caught under falling debris and vows to kill Oliver ' s sister , mother and ex - girlfriend Laurel Lance . Oliver stabs him , with an arrow , in the eye , which knocks him unconscious . In season two ' s present day , Oliver suffers hallucinations of Slade , Shado and Tommy Merlyn out of guilt for letting them die . However , in that same episode it ’ s revealed that Slade isn ' t dead and is in fact plotting a vendetta to destroy Oliver Queen by taking everything from him then reducing the city of Starling to rubble with an army of Mirakuru enhanced soldiers . Slade recruits alderman Sebastian Blood / Brother Blood , who he has run a Mirakuru testing experiment in the Glades , perfecting the effect . Slade promises Blood the mayorship in return . He also is in league with Isabel Rochev , a business woman with a grudge against the Queen family . She infiltrates and steals Queen Consolidated from Oliver which encompases everything else linked to it ; including Queen Manor , Verdant and the Arrowcave . Slade then kidnaps Thea , Oliver ’ s sister . He reveals to her the that Malcolm Merlyn is her actual father . The news causes her to shun Oliver and her mother Moira . Thea ' s kidnapping itself is a diversion to steal a prison bus and use its prisoners as subjects for the Mirakuru . When Blood ’ s serum is destroyed by Oliver , Slade instead kidnaps Sebastian ’ s unwilling test subject Roy Harper and uses his blood for the soldiers . Next , Slade murders Moira in front of Oliver and Thea . Blood unleashes the army on Starling as Slade watches from Queen Consolidated . Later after Slade has stolen the Mirakuru cure from Oliver , Blood feeling betrayed steals it back and gives it to Oliver . Deathstroke then sends Ravager to kill Blood . Later Oliver , Sara , Roy , Nyssa al Ghul , and the League of Assassins face Slade ’ s army . Shooting arrows that have the cure attached . Slade kidnaps Laurel and Felicity Smoak , believing her to be Oliver ’ s actual true love as part of a deception between Oliver and Felicity , and has them held at gun point . Oliver shows up and humours Slade , while Felicity uses the distraction to inject Slade with the cure . Oliver then defeats him and places him in an A . R . G . U . S . prison , built beneath the ground on Lian Yu . Slade ' s departing words to Oliver was the assurance that he keeps his promises . In " The Return " , Merlyn arranges for Slade ' s escape ; in order to test Oliver and Thea , on the island . Slade is able to capture both , and lock them in his own cage . They eventually break free and encounter him a second time . Thea gets the drop on him and threatens to take his life . Oliver is able to talk her down , and they return Slade to his underground confinement .