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Like so many other DC Comics fans, I walked away from New York Comic Con 2025 with a few additions to my pull list at my local comic shop. Next year, as part of the Next Level initiative, eight new ongoing series will be launched. And to that we say, holy squirrel cage, Batman!

One of the most surprising additions to DC Next Level is a book starring Deathstroke The Terminator. No, I'm not just being an old man: the old school "Deathstroke The Terminator" trade dress that originated in the 1980s was projected onto the screens at the DC K.O. - What's Next panel at NYCC 2025. While not much was said about any of the series announced for Next Level, Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder took to his Substack newsletter to elaborate on what's to come. 

Snyder explained the gist of the upcoming Deathstroke book: "The pitch for Deathstroke was from a creator who said, 'I really want to do Deathstroke and I really want to make Deathstroke just straight up badass assassin. I wanted to decouple him from all of the other superheroes and this and do something that shows the world of assassins inside of DC in this really dark and fun and brutal way.' We were like, 'You know what? That sounds great. We don’t have a crime book like that.' So we were really trying to give you things you don’t have, but let creators lead to charge."

Look, I'm a certified Deathstroke Hater (I don't hate the character's existence so much as I hate the things he's done, and the fact that I wouldn't be able to beat him in a fight because of his damn healing factor), but I think moving him away from superheroes and letting him slice and dice in the world of assassins would be cool. Anything to keep him away from bothering any of the Titans! 

Deathstroke will launch in 2026 as part of DC Next Level, which begins in March.

Need more? Here's our picks for the best DC Comics stories of all time.