WARNING: This article contains potential spoilers for Titans #18!
In an exciting development for the DC Universe, one of its most notorious supervillain teams is making a highly anticipated comeback. With its sights firmly set on the Justice League and Titans, this revival is not as straightforward as it seems. A crafty DC villain has taken it upon himself to assume the team’s identity, rebranding it with a striking new membership.
The recent issue, Titans #17, penned by John Layman and illustrated by Pete Woods, ended with a significant plot twist: the return of Deathstroke to the Titans storyline. Previously absent since the Dark Crisis, his dramatic re-entry culminates in a clandestine meeting with Clock King, marking the start of a dangerous alliance.
Continuing this intense narrative, Titans #18 takes a gripping turn with a final page revelation: Deathstroke is not only collaborating with Clock King but also orchestrating plans to reconstruct the notorious CRIME SYNDICATE, one of DC’s most infamous groups of villains.
Deathstroke’s Ambitious Scheme: Rebuilding The CRIME SYNDICATE
Latest Insights from the Last Page of Titans #18 (2024)
The announcement regarding Deathstroke’s efforts to revive the Crime Syndicate has caught many fans off guard, largely due to the significant departure from the traditional lineup and their connections to Earth-3. Typically, the Crime Syndicate features evil counterparts of the Justice League, including infamous characters such as Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman, each mirroring a member of the Justice League.
By indicating that he aims to recreate the Crime Syndicate, Deathstroke is effectively appropriating the name of this legendary team and reshaping it into a new entity with a different set of members. In Titans #18, Slade clarifies his objectives by calling the Crime Syndicate a “fake Justice League,” culminating his declarations with a proclamation of power, stating, “…the newly re-formed Crime Syndicate will hold all the power.”
Will Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate Participate in Deathstroke’s New Justice League?
Cover B Variant of Crime Syndicate #1 (2021)
As Deathstroke unfolds his strategy to re-establish the Crime Syndicate, many fans are left questioning whether original members from Earth-3 will join his newly assembled team. However, the likelihood of this happening is slim. Following the events of Absolute Power, Earth-Prime was effectively cut off from the multiverse, including Earth-3, thereby preventing Slade from engaging with the original Crime Syndicate members.
Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Absolute Power #4 illustrated this separation when Barry Allen severed Earth-Prime’s connections to other universes, trapping villains like Ultraman and Owlman on their home planet. Given this confinement, it is improbable that Deathstroke will collaborate with traditional Crime Syndicate members.
Who Will Populate DC’s New Crime Syndicate?
Main Cover Featuring Psycho-Pirate in Titans #21 (2025)
With the absence of the original Crime Syndicate members, the focus now shifts to which villains will join Deathstroke’s reconstituted team. Titans #17 hinted at Clock King being a member, a detail confirmed in the subsequent issue. Additionally, Slade expresses interest in recruiting Mammoth, while his sister, Shimmer, currently remains under the Titans’ custody, suggesting potential future recruitment.
Upcoming issues are generating buzz as Titans #19 hints at the involvement of Killer Frost, supported by the issue’s synopsis and cover art. As we look ahead, Titans #21 is set to bring Psycho-Pirate into the fold, indicating a conscious effort by the writer to introduce less established villains, thus creating a fresh narrative dynamic within the Titans’ storyline.
Deathstroke’s Crime Syndicate: An Adversarial Force for Titans AND Justice League
Cover F 1:25 Variant Featuring Superman, Wonder Woman, and More from Justice League Unlimited #4 (2025)
Throughout his menacing soliloquy in Titans #18, Deathstroke lays bare his intentions for the new Crime Syndicate. He reveals his ulterior motive: to knock over the first domino in his confrontation with the newly expanded Justice League, targeting primarily the Titans. While his immediate focus is on the Titans, his plan ultimately aims to weaken all of the Justice League, which has recently expanded its roster in DC’s ALL IN initiative.
For readers interested in following this developing storyline, Titans #18 is now available from DC Comics!
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