Published Oct 20, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
A major new villain team was just introduced to official DC canon, rewriting decades of lore to unveil a secret group operating behind the scenes of many of the publisher's biggest stories.
The reveal comes in the ongoing Deathstroke: The Terminator, from Tony Fleecs and Carmine Di Giandomenico, as it's established that one of the master assassin's most iconic moments led to the creation of a massive group of allied villains.
The team are known as the Merchants of Death, and as a preview for Deathstroke: The Terminator #8 reveals the modern-day members, fans have the full picture regarding this major villain team (see the end of our article for the preview itself.)
DC's Merchants of Death Explained
DC's newest retcon goes all the way back to 1980's The New Teen Titans #2, and the death of Deathstroke's son Grant Wilson. A professional mercenary working for HIVE, Grant died from superhuman enhancements he accepted in order to take revenge on the Teen Titans for perceived wrongs.
Now, Deathstroke: The Terminator has revealed that in the aftermath, Deathstroke gathered together the DC Universe's top mercenaries and assassins, forcing them to create a syndicate known as the Merchants of Death. Deathstroke intended to create a world where what happened to his son would never happen again, laying down a set of rules for assassins in DC lore.
Rule #1: Follow orders.
Rule #2: Family is off-limits.
Rule #3: No credit and no freebies.
Rule #4: Exclusivity.
Rule #5: Discretion.
Deathstroke convinced various killers to join by arguing that there needed to be a clear line between professional killers and insane supervillains, otherwise their business would collapse. The members are charged with killing any of their number who break the rules.
Deathstroke's latest series sees him pursued by members of the Merchants of Death for seemingly assassinating his friend and fellow syndicate member W.R. Wintergreen. Of course, he was framed, and in the recent preview for Deathstroke: The Terminator #8, his hidden enemy attempts to take his place on the Merchants of Death, revealing all the syndicate's current members...
Deadshot, aka Floyd Lawton
One of the world's greatest assassins, Deadshot is known for his perfect aim. A longtime member of the Suicide Squad, Deadshot is also a contract killer and rival of Batman, having briefly pretended to be a heroic vigilante at the start of his career.
Along with Deathblow, Deadshot pursued Deathstroke on the Merchants' behalf, not realizing that Slade had already been pushed over the edge by the murder of Wintergreen. Shot by Slade, he barely survived the assignment.
Deathblow, aka Michael Cray
A former black-ops soldier, Deathblow is a gifted killer whose digitized consciousness can be downloaded into new bodies upon death. Deathblow was initially tapped to hunt Deathstroke for the Merchants of Death, but quickly realized Slade was being framed, saving the life of Slade's daughter Ravager after she was shot by Adeline Kane (on who more shortly.)
Vengeance, Daughter of Bane
A recent addition to DC lore, Vengeance is the clone daughter of iconic Batman villain Bane. Mentally conditioned to hate the Joker, Vengeance has superhuman strength and incredible combat skill, utilizing the Venom drug to temporarily enhance herself to superhuman levels.
Merlyn the Dark Archer, aka Malcolm Merlyn
A gifted archer, Merlyn is the nemesis of Justice League hero Green Arrow. Merlyn is a trained assassin and a former member of Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins - a group who are active rivals of the Merchants of Death, and have tried to kill off the syndicate in the past.
Cheshire, aka Jade Nguyen
A terrorist and assassin, Cheshire is the world expert on poison, able to kill her targets with a single scratch of her golden claws. Cheshire has a huge body count, and even detonated a nuclear device in the nation of Qurac, killing millions. Despite this, family has been shown to be a major vulnerability, especially when it comes to her children.
Captain Boomerang, aka George "Digger" Harkness
An old enemy of the Flash and former Suicide Squad member, Captain Boomerang has immense skill in thrown weaponry. Digger utilizes a number of hi-tech boomerangs and is an expert on traps and ambushes, capable of killing entire squads of elite soldiers and landing blows on the Fastest Man Alive.
Copperhead, Real Name Unknown
An assassin who uses snake venom to kill her victims, Copperhead has fought both Batman and Flash, and even ascended to the position of crime boss in Central City, hiring fellow Merchant of Death member Black Spider as her enforcer.
The Silencer, aka Honor Guest
Introduced as part of DC's 'New Age of DC Heroes' initiative in 2018, Silencer was formerly employed as the chief assassin of Talia al Ghul's Leviathan group. While she tried to retire and embrace a quiet life, she was dragged back into combat by old enemies. Able to project a cone of silence around her body, Silencer boasts peak human physiology and a mastery of modern weaponry.
Mister Teeth, Real Name Unknown
Mister Teeth is a surprise member for the Merchants of Death, as he has many similarities to the 'Gotham style' supervillains the group ostensibly rejects. A former serial killer who forced his victims to swallow their own teeth, Mister Teeth later transitioned to paid assassin work. He was hired as part of a team designed to go up against Batman in 2020's Batman #86, working alongside both Deathstroke and Cheshire.
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