Respawn’s identity has been a subject of mystery since his debut, but all the clues given hint that he is Deathstroke’s son.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Deathstroke Inc. #6, on sale now.
Since his first appearance on Lazarus Island, Respawn has been one of the biggest mysteries in the DC Universe. His grudge against Robin aside, the question of who hides behind the mask has been the driving force of his story. A definitive answer has yet to be given, but there have been a lot of clues leaning towards only one outcome: That he is related to Deathstroke.
However, it may be possible that Respawn isn’t just the son of Deathstroke, but a very specific son. Respawn could very well be the late Grant Wilson, Deathstroke’s eldest son brought back from the dead.
Respawn caught attention early on with his costume design. It was clearly inspired by Deathstroke (and to a lesser degree Deadpool), but what at first seemed like copyright infringement quickly transformed into a mystery. It was clear that Respawn had a high level of training, able to make it all the way to the finals of the Lazarus Tournament. This piqued Ravager’s curiosity and she began investigating his identity.
Respawn’s face has not been seen clearly by readers just yet, but a few characters have gotten a peek behind the mask. Damian Wayne was the first, managing to pull the mask off slightly during a fight between the two. Respawn managed to cover himself back up, but not before a little bit of white hair poked through. This white hair of course is a signature of the Wilson family or at least, Slade’s children from someone other than Adeline Kane. Ravager would later get a good look at Respawn’s face when he lifted the mask. When she saw him, any hostility between the two seemed to die as they left the island together. The mystery here is whether Rose recognized who Respawn was or if she simply accepted that he was another lost child of Deathstroke. Either case has equal merit.
The biggest clue of all though comes from Deathstroke Inc. #6 (by Joshua Williamson, Paolo Pantalena, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Steve Wands). After Deathstroke crowned himself king of the villains, Ravager and Respawn appeared, keeping an eye on Deathstroke from afar while contemplating that they had shown up just in time. Ravager then referred to themselves as Deathstroke’s family, confirming that Respawn has a biological tie to Deathstroke.
The chances of him being Grant Wilson are still up in the air though. Grant died while fighting the Teen Titans due to strain on his heart from genetic modifications, but he has been resurrected in the past. In fact, it was Grant’s death that led to Deathstroke taking a darker path than he already was. It also seems too big a coincidence that Deathstroke references Grant in this same issue when Respawn appears. Adding to this is that Grant despised his father and may not have wanted him to know he was back, hence why he hid behind the mask.
All of this is circumstantial evidence though. Until Respawn unmasks and declares otherwise, the only thing that is certain is that he is related to Deathstroke in some way. It’s entirely possible that Respawn is simply another of Slade’s illegitimate children, but if this is Grant, that could change the trajectory of Deathstroke’s entire character. Grant has been a core pain for Deathstroke all his life and having him back, and seemingly intent on steering him to do good, could be the catalyst for Deathstroke finally becoming a hero and sticking to it.
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