WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Deathstroke Inc. #7, on sale now.
The Shadow War is set to break out in just a few weeks time, and the major players have all been positioned to stake their claim. However, an unexpected development might add a previously hidden fourth element to the war’s volatile mix.
In the epilogue to Deathstroke Inc. #7 (by Joshua Williamson, Stephen Segovia, Hi-Fi, Steve Wands), Lex Luthor received a message from the Legion of Doom, warning him about the powerbase Deathstroke has been building for himself. They make it clear that they want him removed, but Luthor chose to wait, wanting to see what sort of trouble Deathstroke’s actions will cause before making a decision. As such, while the Legion has no immediate plans to attack Deathstroke, the possibility exists that they will see the Shadow War as an opportunity to be rid of Deathstroke.
The solicits for the Shadow War have positioned Deathstroke as the most wanted man in the DC Universe, and the target of Talia al Ghul and Damian Wayne’s wrath. The Legion may see this as a chance to eliminate a future threat. Cheetah has already been hindered by Deathstroke, but that before his mission changed. Now Deathstroke seeks to use his reformed secret society to prevent groups like the Legion from throwing the world into chaos and causing another crisis. For a group as power-hungry as the Legion of Doom, this is something they would oppose. It becomes even more important when remembering that while Deathstroke’s organization is comprised of mostly minor villains, he is capable of training them into something deadly.
At the moment though, Lex has chosen to wait. It’s a valid strategy as the Legion of Doom was responsible for almost destroying the multiverse the last time they gathered. If the world knew that they were still organized then it would only be a matter of time before the Justice League and every other hero would come after them. If there’s one thing the Shadow War promises to not be it’s subtle. To participate would expose them in a way they haven’t been in years.
A chance to kill Deathstroke might be too good to pass up and there will almost certainly be plenty once the war is in full swing. It could change the entire outcome of the conflict, perhaps even uniting some of the other factions in opposition to the Legion of Doom. As individuals its members are extremely dangerous, together they have felled gods and nearly brought existence to an end. Granted, that was largely an indirect result of not comprehending the powers they were manipulating, but it was still largely their fault for unleashing it in the first place.
With such destructive capabilities even as a mistake, having them as active players in the way would be too dangerous. It could force an alliance between the other three factions to put them down for good. The one point countering this argument is that the Legion has never once been mentioned in the solicits for the story. Then again, their presence would be a twist, and spoiling that early could ruin the surprise, but observant fans may note that the Legion wouldn’t have been included in the prelude to the Shadow War unless they had some role in its outcome.
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