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| What is Deathstroke's character alignment? Read on and see. |
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| I'm not sure what this contributes to the world other than maybe fun, but fun is still good, though. |
The origin of the alignment system itself traces back to the original 1974 edition of the pioneering fantasy pencil-and-paper role-playing-game, Dungeons & Dragons. The game's co-creator, Gary Gygax, wanted a way to assist players in creating their characters and devised a continuum based upon an individual's disposition toward the themes of lawfulness (aligned to the good of a law, community good, and honor above all else) and rebelliousness (aligned to the good of the individual above all else). So, characters could be identified in three was as either "lawful," "rebellious," or even "neutral," if the player favors a balance between the two extremes.
In 1977's Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, a second factor was introduced to the character alignment system. Added to the lawfulness/rebelliousness factor of the original edition was a good/evil factor that incorporated the idea that a character's attitudes toward causing harm or ending life should enter into the alignment equation. Utilizing a two-variable co-ordinate plane model where the original lawfulness/rebelliousness continuum, redefined as a Lawfulness/Chaos continuum, as an x-axis, and the new Good/Evil continuum as a y-axis, the new alignment system could yield nine possible, and more specific, character alignments rather than the just original three. Another benefit of the second axis is that it allows for the separation of "good" from "lawful" allowing for the possibility of a corrupt official rather than assuming that all officials are by definition "good." It is this dual-axes version of the D&D alignment system that caught the public's attention and serves as the basis of the character alignment memes.
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| The basis for the classic D&D character alignment memes. Who says you never use this stuff after jr. high math? |
Given the three possible designations for the x-axis of "lawful", "neutral," or "chaotic," and the three possible designations for the y-axis of "good," "neutral," or "evil," the nine possible alignments are defined as follows. All definitions listed below come directly from http://easydamus.com.
- Lawful Good
- A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished.
- Neutral Good
- A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them.
- Chaotic Good
- A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.
- Lawful Neutral
- A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs her. Order and organization are paramount to her. She may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or she may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government.
- True Neutral
- A neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. She doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil-after [sic] all, she would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, she's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way.
- Chaotic Neutral
- A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn't strive to protect others' freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it.
- Lawful Evil
- A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order but not about freedom, dignity, or life. He plays by the rules but without mercy or compassion. He is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He condemns others not according to their actions but according to race, religion, homeland, or social rank. He is loath to break laws or promises.
- Neutral Evil
- A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. She has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make her any better or more noble. On the other hand, she doesn't have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has.
- Chaotic Evil
- A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are poorly organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him.
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| The apparent unofficial poster child for the Chaotic Evil alignment. Art by Brian Bolland |
When Slade Wilson is examined strictly in terms of the alignment definitions listed above, he fits best within the Neutral Evil category. Despite society's or the legal system's stance on murder, Slade is a contract killer without any moral objections to ending human life. Some point out that his personal code of all contracts getting fulfilled may not fit this alignment unless one considers that this code is not based upon any sense of morality. His code is instead based upon upholding his reputation as an assassin, which without a doubt is a tremendous benefit to him both financially and professionally. He was all-too-willing to let harm befall members of his own family just to keep this elite and lethal reputation intact.
Slade Wilson kills for money, not for any particular political or philosophical ideology. When asked by a dying Phantom Lady why he was about to finish her during the events of Infinite Crisis, his plain and succinct answer to her was, "Sorry, darlin'. Just business." He will work for governments all over the world, but he is neither loyal to, or even particularly trustful of them. They are simply paying clients; nothing more. Though Slade has admitted experiencing a thrill from engaging in the violent action of his profession, the thrill alone does not drive him as much as the recognition of being the absolute best in the world at what he does.
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| A textbook example of why Deathstroke is a Neutral Evil Art by Phil Jimenez |
Even on those occasions when Deathstroke appears to be working on the side of good, there is always an ulterior motive driving his actions. When Deathstroke was asked by Superman to help him lead a group of heroes to combat the forces of Brainiac during the "Panic in the Sky" storyline, Deathstroke agreed to help, not simply because it was the "right thing to do," but because a world under Brainiac's control is not a world in which an assassin could ply his deadly trade. To Deathstroke, helping Superman win was ultimately what was best for business. He made a similar decision during the "Forever Evil" event when he switched alliances from the Crime Syndicate to Lex Luthor's band of not-heroes, not just because Luthor offered payment, but Slade also surmised that the Syndicate would eventually come after him once all other threats were eliminated.
So, does it really matter if Deathstroke is a Chaotic Evil or a Neutral Evil? I don't think so. Ultimately, whatever character alignment Deathstroke fits into is more a matter of entertainment or amusement than anything else. I know I enjoyed learning about the world(s) of character alignment and I've never even created a D&D character.
