'Titans' Season 2 actor Esai Morales says Deathstroke will be more overprotective parent than executioner
Deathstroke the Terminator is one of DC's most easily recognizable characters thanks to his appearances in multiple shows, comics, and Joe Manganiello's brief appearance as the character in 'Justice League'. Esai Morales, who will be taking on the role of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke for the DC Universe show 'Titans' told MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) that while he does respect the work done by actors who came before, his Deathstroke is going to be a very different take on the character.
"I'm not exactly a 6’4”, 250-pound guy," Morales said. "I was brought in for the emotional content. So, I look forward to providing more of an emotional background and nuances to the character who tends to fall into the troubled role of the executioner and we've all seen that before but what this show is doing is exploring the emotional dynamics between the characters and their origins."
In Season 2, 'Titans' is expected to focus on the past of the team and the origins of Deathstroke's vendetta against the original team of Titans, which consisted of Dick Grayson/Robin (Brenton Thwaites), Donna Troy/Wonder Girl (Conor Leslie), Hank Hall/Hawk (Alan Ritchson), Dawn Granger/Dove (Minka Kelly) and Garth/Aqualad (Drew Van Acker). Season 2 will also be introducing the world to Slade Wilson's children, Rose Wilson/Ravager (Chelsea Zhang) and Chella Man's Joseph Wilson/Jericho.
Morales explained Deathstroke's relationship with his children is a bit troubled, not because he doesn't love them but because he is a bit of an overbearing father. Wilson's constant traveling to provide for the family is also something that might have been a cause of friction, according to the actor.
"They come from different mothers and I would definitely say that for Slade as an old school parent, he was as loving as he can be but he's old-school," Morales explained. "He's a much more hands-on and controlling presence when he’s there but the problem is that he's not there, you know, as in most cases where the parent has to travel to provide for the family and that builds a good deal of resentment from your children who have limited exposure to you."
"So, he’s like many parents that have to deal with the sins of his past and make sure that they don't come back to haunt his innocent children and that's part of the dynamics of the show. It's basically confronting his kids that are growing up and looking to be independent of his control and his trying to provide protection by keeping them under his wing," he added.
The first episode of 'Titans' Season 2 is already available for streaming on DC Universe. Episode 2, titled 'Rose', will be arriving on the service September 13.
