Deathstroke Knows The Secrets of Batman's Training | Screen Rant
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Batman#122.
Out of all of the raw hand-to-hand fighters in the DC universe, there's no question that Deathstroke and Batman are among the best. In fact, it was revealed that Deathstroke knows exactly who trained Batman, too.
While there has been some debate recently, Deathstroke has typically been seen as a nemesis for Nightwing. Despite this, his similarities to Batman also make DC's terminator a fitting rival for the Dark Knight. Both are ultra-rich men with butler confidants and, more importantly, both are some of the greatest non-powered fighters in the DC Universe. A new comic reveals that their similar skills are actually no coincidence.
In Batman #122 by Joshua Williamson and Trevor Hairsine, someone hires Deathstroke to come to Gotham and kill Dick Grayson during his time as Robin. Knowing about the hit, Batman uses Robin as bait to lure the assassin into the open. This is the first meeting of Batman and Deathstroke. Batman doesn't even know who he is. It was only at the end of this first part of the story that it was revealed that the Joker was the one to hire Deathstroke. When Batman first engages with Deathstroke, the assassin can immediately tell who taught Batman his moves. Deathstroke lists off the mentors David Kane, Ducard, Ted Grant, Master Kirigi, and H'sein Tsan as they exchange blows. The two of them appear to be evenly matched because of this. Deathstroke then mocks Batman (or praises him) by saying the only move he's impressed with was using Robin as bait to draw the assassin out, something that seems to have struck a nerve with Batman as he responds by tackling Deathstroke off the building.
It's unclear if Deathstroke was able to recognize Batman's teachers because he was a student himself or if he gained the knowledge some other way. As an assassin, it's certainly possible that Deathstroke merely studied the great teachers rather than train under them. It's also equally plausible that Deathstroke sought them out to gain firsthand knowledge of their teachings. Either way, this explains why fights between the two are usually so great. If Deathstroke knows who taught Batman then the Dark Knight has to think outside the box and be original to defeat him. What this fight also shows is that Deathstroke is so much more than his fighting skills. Deathstroke was previously able to manipulate Superman and here he does it again with Batman by provoking Bruce into fighting recklessly.
An interesting side note to this revelation is that Deathstroke might also be able to recognize all of Ghost-Maker's moves as well. Batman and Ghost-Maker were peers and trained together in their search to become vigilantes. As a new character, it's uncertain if Ghost-Maker and Deathstroke have any history, but it's not that big of a leap to assume that if Deathstroke could easily recognize all of Batman's moves then he can also identify other students of those teachers during a fight.