I’m thinking about Deathstroke: Defiance again, and how visceral Slade’s sexual abuse of Tara is even when “retconned”.
What I find so immediately striking is Slade’s choice of wording here.
“It was wrong.” Not “it was wrong of me” or “I was wrong”, but a very neutral statement in which Slade detaches himself from blame, even as he tells Tara directly that he was taking advantage of her. He can’t bring himself to really admit that HE harmed this girl. That HE manipulated her for years on end and that he’s not sorry. And that brings us to…
One of the hardest-hitting panels I’ve read for the character. Tara’s put right back into that spot she was in as a child—complete with her classic outfit—in a harrowing parallel to the flashback we got of them only two issues earlier. She’s lashing out and she’s upset and that hurt and that hate is boiling in her core to the point where she can’t think before she acts, and Slade once again downplays what it is that he did to her. “You were rent, Terra. I paid it.” A statement in response to Tara speaking about her suicide attempt in response to his abuse. He then immediately contradicts that statement with his next. I can’t read the last two sentences on that panel without getting a little nauseous. “God, you’re easy. Admit it—I own you.” Is such a disgusting and intentional statement displaying his true feelings on the matter. He ENJOYS the power he exerts over her. He’s taking pleasure in tormenting her just to have it again.
Even if the extent of what he did was retconned here, it’s very clear that Slade still sexually abused Tara. He’s a predator, and he’s not sorry, either.
(I could also talk about how debatable the actual retcon of Tara’s molestation after from That One Annual Panel, but that’s a whole post on its own.)
