Slade

""It's been a long time, hasn't it, Titans? A month, a year, a millennium? Far too long for my tastes anyway. I was beginning to think I'd never see you again!""

- ~Slade

Slade is the most prominent archenemy of the Titans in the Teen Titans animated series. He is based on the DC Comics character of Deathstroke the Terminator. This article specifically covers the animated version of the character.

Origin
If there's one villain who hates the Teen Titans the most, Slade Wilson is it. A soldier in the Vietnam War, Slade was the test subject of a new steroid that would make soliders into super soliders. With his new found strength and speed, Slade became an infamous assasin for hire called Deathstroke the Terminator. An incident involving his crazed wife cost him his right eye. Slade first came into contact with the Teen Titans, when he turned down an offer by the crime organization H.I.V.E. to eliminate the team. H.I.V.E. then turned Slade's son, Grant, into the superhuman Ravager, and sent him after the Titans. When he failed to kill them, H.I.V.E. killed him, using the faulty enhancements they used on him. Blaming the Titans for Grant's death, Slade has vowed to kill the Teen Titans, no matter who's on the team...even if it's his own children.

Role in the Teen Titans animated series
Slade plays a main role as one of the main villains in the animated series. His first appearence is Divide And Conquer and Final Exam where he first appears as a sillhouetted figure. In Divide And Conquer, Slade sent Cinderblock to free Plasmus from jail as well as other criminals. After Cinderblock and Plasmus were defeated and sent back to jail, Slade then hired Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth to defeat the Teen Titans.

In Forces of Nature, Slade disguised himself as an old man and Thunder and Lightning formerly worked for him until the two brothers realized that their "fun" was harmful and wrong (thanks to Beast Boy teaching them a lesson). Robin fought the disguised Slade while his team took out the flame monster. After Robin kicked Slade's face, his real face was revealed, then vanished into thin air.

In the episodes Apprentice Part 1 & 2, he tricked Robin into being his apprentice, but Robin refused to work for him. Slade then threatened to give his friends high blood pressure, but Robin's friends arrived and defeated Slade for the first time.

Slade returned in the 2nd season, where he discovered a girl named Terra, has tremendous power, and convinces her to be his apprentice. In the end Terra betrays Slade, and Terra knocked Slade into a pit of lava, semingly killing him.

Sometime after the final battle with Slade, he became a figment of Robin's imagination, haunting Robin's mind. After Robin was knocked out by Cinderblock, he saw that Slade returned, but every time Robin attacked him, Slade didn't have a scratch and couldn't even touch him. Robin's friends couldn't see Slade, especially Starfire, because only Robin can. Slade easliy beaten up Robin badly, and Robin became even more angry. Back at the tower, Slade was still haunting Robin's mind, and got beaten up some more. There was only one weakness: the flickering lights made Slade dissappear. Just as Slade was about to kill Robin, Robin believed in his friends and switched on the lights and Slade disappeared completely.

In the 4th season of the Teen Titans animated series, Slade surprisingly returned after Terra took him down after he was revived, thanks to Trigon, Raven's demonic father. Slade gained a new power, which was fire attacks and the cresent S on his head. He is after Raven this time.

After Raven sacrificed herself to release Trigon, Robin had no choice but to join Slade to look for Raven. Slade then came face to face with a demonic guard and stole his weapon. Slade betrayed Trigon and Trigon blasted Slade away. He was never seen again after this, although he mad one final appearence in the episode, "Things Change" as a robot.

The Judas Contract
Slade's most vile act was when he used rogue Titans member Terra to infiltrate the crew. Working together with the young sociopath (although recent evidence suggests that he may have brainwashed her), Slade used her to gain information on his archenemies, and when the time was right, attacked and captured them. It was only thanks to Nightwing and Slade's own son, the mute body snatcher Jericho, that the Titans were freed. In the ensuing fight, Terra was killed, and Slade got away. Although Terra was honored as a hero, this act remains infamous amongst Teen Titans members old and new, especially to Beast Boy.

Powers
Slade's physical strength, speed, endurance, and agility are all at superhuman levels, as are his senses. He has a bionic eye to replace his lost one. His body has a regenerative healing factor, which makes him immortal.