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An image confirming Deathstroke’s live-action introduction in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight Risesmay not be what it seems.Each installment of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knighttrilogyfocuses on oneDCvillain at a time.Batman Begins' main threat is Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow,The Dark Knight’s famous main antagonist is Heath Ledger’s Joker, andThe Dark Knight Risesconcludes the franchise with Tom Hardy’s Bane serving the role of Batman’s final villain. Each movie also featured a secondary enemy who played a key role in the story — Liam Neeson’s Ra’s Al Ghul, Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent, and Marion Cotillard’s Talia Al Ghul, respectively.
WhileChristopher Nolan’sDark Knightuniverse may be more groundedand thus less populated by comic book characters than other Batman adaptations, the trilogy does include a few well-known characters. For instance, the serial murderer Victor Szasz makes a cameo inBatman Beginsand Catwoman plays a supporting role inThe Dark Knight Rises. Fans have also theorized the secret appearance of other villains, likethe Riddler inThe Dark Knight, who may have been named Mr. Reese instead of E. Nygma. Likewise, theories say Deathstroke was hidden in plain sight duringThe Dark Knight Rises' opening sequence.
Aidan Gillen’s Bill Wilson Isn’t Deathstroke In The Dark Knight Rises
The ID That Reveals Bill Wilson’s “Slade” Nickname Is Fake
Aidan Gillen plays the CIA agent who questions Bane and his henchmen aboard the plane inThe Dark Knight Rises' airplane hijacking opening sequence. A few years afterThe Dark Knight Rises' release, an ID detailing the agent’s background began to pop up on internet forums and social media. According to the image, Aidan Gillen’s agent is named “William Joseph Wilson” and goes by the alias “Slade”, making him theDark Knighttrilogy’s adaptation of Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke — the famous DC master assassin who becomes a sworn enemy to Batman and the Teen Titans. However,the image that identifies Aidan Gillen as Deathstroke is fan-made.
The fan-made image also lists Adeline Kane Wilson as Bill Wilson’s spouse. Adeline Kane is Deathstroke’s ex-wife in the comics.
Aidan Gillen’s character isn’t named on-screen. In fact, he only introduces himself as “CIA”. It’sThe Dark Knight Rises' novelization that reveals his name to be “Bill Wilson.” Beyond that, no further official information about the character exists anywhere. The fan-made image also makes a mistake: organizations like the CIA have no reason to list an alias if the subject isn’t a suspect. In order to have an alias separate from his codename (which in turn would have to be different from a mere nickname like “Bill”), Bill Wilson would need a more complex backstory.
The Dark Knight Rises Referenced Two Other Batman Villains
Christopher Nolan Did Reference Other Batman Villains In The Dark Knight Rises
Deathstroke may not be inThe Dark Knight Rises, but the film did include references to at least two Batman villains, and clues to the existence of another. First, Ben Mendehlson plays John Daggett, who shares his last name with Roland Daggett a.k.a. Clayface. Second, Detective John Blake tells Bruce Wayne that when he told his superiors about Bane, they"asked me if he saw any giant alligators"in the sewers, referencing the DC villain Killer Croc. Of course,Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake is a stand-in for Robin. And, as a bonus, Gotham’s prison breakouts entail Joker’s off-screen freedom.
