Stuart

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Memory Loss and Life in the East End

Alfred later explains that Batman and Deathstroke fought at the ACE chemical plant, fell into the Gotham River, and both lost their memories. Slade subsequently spent a year drifting through Gotham’s East End under the name Stuart, which Wolf gave him 9 20 45.

Stuart became a celebrated underground fighter. His introduction before the two-on-one match against Dean Black credited him with 69 victories in 69 fights. Despite his popularity, he disliked boxing: his opponents were so weak that controlling his strength to avoid killing them was the hardest part 13 14.

Mistaken for Batman

William befriended Stuart while trying to establish whether he was Bruce Wayne. Attempts to check Bruce’s records and consult Alfred produced no confirmation. Gordon remained doubtful even after seeing Stuart’s extensive scars and fighting ability 9 14.

When William called him Bruce Wayne, Stuart experienced a repeated twitch in his temple and accepted the identification without demanding further evidence. However, William’s account of Bruce’s childhood and parents’ deaths produced no emotional connection; Stuart still did not feel that he and Bruce were the same person 14 15.

Stuart agreed to act as Batman for $200 a night. His first operation exposed the mismatch between his methods and Batman’s expected conduct: he killed a captive despite promising William otherwise, threatened Wayne Manor’s temporary butler, and suggested disposing of the man with their stolen car 15 16.

Partnership with William

At the Glacier Club, Stuart initially hoped to attract Sal Maroni’s attention and leave William for a more advantageous position. That plan collapsed when Maroni drew a gun and William stood between them. Stuart recognized that he had misjudged both the gangs’ danger and William’s willingness to protect him 18 19.

He later apologized and stopped deliberately provoking William with cutting remarks. Their reconciliation marked the first time Stuart genuinely accepted another person since losing his memory. William’s attempts to awaken “Bruce’s” compassion by showing him the slums failed, but Stuart gradually became more comfortable wearing the Batsuit 20.

Falcone Documents and Batwoman

Stuart advised William that Norman Steele’s document-theft assignment likely targeted him or Maroni’s organization. During the operation, Batwoman posed as Stuart, stole the envelope, and struck William on the neck. The real Stuart caught William before he fell from Falcone Manor’s roof, then pursued her 21 23 24.

Their chase ended at Wayne Manor. Excited by an opponent who could evade his attacks, Stuart offered Batwoman the Batman title if she could defeat him. He largely controlled their fight until her concealed hydraulic exoskeleton powered an elbow strike to his face. William subsequently intervened, and Stuart recovered the sealed envelope 24 25.

Failed Rescue and the Deadshot Search

While patrolling an abandoned chemical factory, Stuart encountered Hila collecting scrap metal and helped him dismantle equipment rather than arresting him. When a bridge collapsed, Stuart caught Hila with a grappling hook, but the hook tore through his shoulder before Stuart could reach him. Hila fell into the chemical pool 28.

The failed rescue left Stuart unusually dejected. He asked William whether Bruce Wayne would have done better. After William’s reload returned him to that night, William instead assured Stuart that he was the best man for the job; Stuart thanked him 28 30.

Their subsequent search for Deadshot led to No Man’s Land, where Stuart fought through a gang while coaching William. Deadshot later escaped when his daughter Lika clung to Stuart’s leg. Stuart stopped himself from striking her, then attacked Bane in frustration and was thrown out a window 31 32 34.

Harold Wayne Infiltration and Return as Deathstroke

After pursuing Bruce Wayne’s double through Gotham, William, Stuart, and Gordon planned to substitute Stuart for him inside Harold Wayne’s operation. With Floyd’s reconnaissance support, Stuart abducted the double and returned to the estate wearing facial bandages 35 37 38 39.

At Wayne Tower, Stuart abandoned William’s instructions to remain undercover and searched Harold’s office. He escaped with envelopes and a safe, but Harold exposed him and sent his elevator plunging. A Talon attacked him in the shaft, severed his escape grapple, and pierced his heart. The safe contained valuables and compromising photographs, but no evidence capable of convicting Harold 42 43.

Stuart still had a pulse when his handlers took him to Dixon Docks. They dumped him into the sea, only for him to return and kill them. He then drove to his Diamond District house, retrieved his combat equipment, and discovered that his injuries had healed except for severe damage to his right eye. His memories returned, and he resumed his identity as Deathstroke 44.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and muscular; even casually bending his arms makes the contours of his muscles stand out 13 20.
• Scars: His back bears numerous knife wounds and marks left by bullets passing through his body. William initially treats these as circumstantial evidence that he is Batman 14.
• Ring demeanor: Enters with a cold, silent gaze and minimal showmanship, despite an enthusiastic audience 13.
• Everyday clothing: Wears a hoodie and running shoes for training, along with an oxygen-restricting mask 16.
• Deathstroke equipment: Black-and-orange leather combat gear, paired swords on his back, and a mask divided into yellow and black halves 44.
• Right eye: After recovering from the Talon attack, the eye is dull gray with a cloudy film and has lost most of its sight 44.

Personality

Stuart is suspicious, calculating, and openly self-interested. Life in the slums teaches him to distrust unsolicited kindness, and he immediately questions what William gains by asking him to become Batman. He has little interest in the Wayne fortune if recovering it means inheriting its disputes and responsibilities 15 19 38.

His pride and appetite for violence repeatedly complicate their plans. He enjoys provoking William, favors coercive interrogation, and becomes excited when Batwoman offers a genuine combat challenge. At Wayne Tower, impatience overrides William’s instructions; once he discovers that the stolen safe contains no useful evidence, he regrets failing to remain calm 16 17 24 38 42 43.

His attachment to William reveals a less detached side. He apologizes after the Maroni confrontation, protects William in combat, and takes Hila’s failed rescue personally. He also restrains himself from harming Lika despite losing his chance to catch Deadshot 20 28 32 34.

Abilities & Skills

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Stuart retains formidable fighting ability despite losing his memories 13 14.

• Uses the Philly Shell stance and evades two simultaneous attackers without moving his feet during the first round 13.
• Breaks a clinch by crushing his captor’s toes and twisting free, causing Dean’s punch to strike his own partner 14.
• Combines punches, kicks, throws, headbutts, and improvised shields against the No Man’s Land gang 32.
• Coaches William to relax his muscles, avoid encirclement, and break through the weakest point 32.
• Can be caught off guard by concealed equipment, as demonstrated by Batwoman’s hydraulic elbow strike 24.

Strength, Reflexes, and Conditioning

His physical capabilities let him perform demanding feats without specialized equipment 28 43.

• Catches a heavy iron lid one-handed and rapidly removes rusted metal fittings 28.
• Escapes a falling elevator and hangs from a metal frame less than an inch wide while carrying a safe 43.
• Maintains a daily routine of a five-kilometer run followed by two hours of weight training, even while amnesiac 16.

Regenerative Recovery

Stuart survives wounds initially treated as fatal and later finds that his injuries have healed 43 44.

• Survives a blade piercing his heart and subsequent disposal into the sea 43 44.
• Recovers his memories following the apparent death and recovery 44.
• Does not fully restore his right eye; most of its vision remains lost 44.

Perception and Tactical Analysis

Stuart notices details that others overlook and quickly identifies hostile intentions 14 21 27.

• Has exceptionally sharp hearing, allowing him to overhear William and Gordon’s whispered discussion 14.
• Identifies Maroni’s apartment visit from the damaged lock, footprints, and distinctive cologne 27.
• Recognizes the likely political purpose behind Norman’s assignment 21.
• Senses Bane’s dangerous presence before turning to face him 32 33.

Infiltration and Weapons Handling

He adapts disguises and equipment to covert operations 18 39.

• Infiltrates the Glacier Club disguised as a security guard 18.
• Evades estate guards by blending in with a display of knight armor 39.
• Impersonates Bruce’s bandaged double, limiting his speech to avoid revealing a voice difference 39 42.
• Hot-wires a stolen car and shoots out both rear tires of a fleeing Ferrari with a shotgun 16 35.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Batsuit — Supplied by William for paid Batman operations; Stuart initially feels an instinctive aversion to it 15.
• Grappling gun — Used for traversal and rescue attempts. Its hook fails to hold Hila’s tearing flesh, and the Talon later cuts another hook before it can secure Stuart’s escape 28 30 43.
• Shotgun — Used to disable the fleeing double’s Ferrari and smash its windshield with the stock 35.
• Oxygen-restricting training mask — Worn during his morning exercise routine 16.
• Deathstroke combat gear and two swords — Retrieved from a fingerprint-secured basement cabinet after his memories return 44.

Relationships

• William Hans — Employer, roommate, and eventual friend. William’s intervention against Maroni changes Stuart’s attitude toward him; William’s later character panel records Slade’s affection at four and a half stars 15 19 20 45.
• James Gordon — Investigative ally who initially doubts Stuart’s identity but later insists on protecting him from Harold’s operation 14 37.
• Wolf — Gives him the name Stuart and pays Dean to participate in the two-on-one boxing match 9 13.
• Bruce Wayne / Batman — His former opponent and mistaken identity. Their chemical-plant fight precedes both men’s memory loss 14 45.
• Sal Maroni — A prospective patron whom Stuart tries to impress; the encounter instead ends with Maroni threatening him at gunpoint 19.
• Batwoman — Opponent during the struggle over Falcone’s documents; challenges his treatment of Batman’s identity as a prize 23 24 25.
• Hila — A struggling scrap collector Stuart helps and then fails to rescue, leaving him troubled by his own inadequacy 28 30.
• Floyd Lawton Jr. / Deadshot — Initially pursued as William’s would-be killer; later provides reconnaissance for Stuart’s estate infiltration 31 34 38 39.
• Harold Wayne — Target of the undercover investigation; exposes Stuart at Wayne Tower and arranges the fatal trap 42 43.
• Talon — Masked assassin who pierces Stuart’s heart and apparently kills him before his regenerative recovery 43 44.