Deadpool was already a Marvel Comics fan favorite for years before his solo movie debuted, but thanks to Ryan Reynolds' portrayal, the Merc with the Mouth's popularity has significantly increased over the last few years. Meanwhile, over at DC Comics, there's a character who looks an awful lot like Deadpool, though their personalities couldn't be any more different: Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke. While Slade has clashed with numerous DC heroes over the years, he's arguably best known for being a Teen Titans villain, and with him serving as the main villain in Teen Titans GO! To the Movies, the marketing for the movie has been poking fun at his similarities to Deadpool, most recently with a text message conversation, as seen below.
Here's a little background for those of you unfamiliar with comic book history. Deathstroke was introduced in 1980, and 11 years later, Deadpool was designed to resemble Deathstroke. He was even given a similar name: Wade Wilson. Since then, Deadpool has carved out his own path with his fourth wall-breaking antics, but Teen Titans GO! To the Movies can't help but reference him in relation to Deathstroke, who's known simply as Slade in this movie. In the trailer that premiered last month, we saw Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg immediately assumed it was Deadpool they were dealing with, prompting Slade to wisely point out that he was the one who came out first.
Unfortunately for Slade, it's in one ear and out the other with the Teen Titans, or maybe they're just trolling him in the above text message conversation from Twitter. Regardless, Slade isn't going to get any respect from these young'uns. But while the animated version of Deathstroke suffers through these Deadpool jabs, Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke from the DC Extended Universe has his own movie in development, so it isn't all bad news for the character. As for Deadpool, his sequel adventure came out a few weeks ago and has performed incredibly critically and commercially. Just don't expect this R-rated version of the character to ever pop up in an all-ages animated movie... ever.
Keeping the comedic tone seen in the Teen Titans GO! TV series, Teen Titans GO! To the Movies sees Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg setting out to find a director for their movie. Upon learning that no one takes them seriously, the team of young heroes uses their conflict with Slade as an opportunity to prove that they're worthy of a movie. Along with the main voice cast from the TV series reprising their respective roles, Teen Titans GO! To the Movies' cast includes Will Arnett as Slade, Kristen Bell as Jade Wilson, Nicolas Cage as Superman, Jimmy Kimmel as Batman, Halsey as Wonder Woman and Lil Yachty as Green Lantern.
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies opens in theaters on July 27. As for what else is hitting the silver screen later this year, head to our 2018 release schedule for that information.
