DC Icons Deathstroke Review (600 Words or Less)

I pre-ordered the DC Icons Deathstroke from Amazon, not expecting anything phenomenal. However, I am a huge fan of the DC Icons line. In fact, I’d say it’s my favorite mass-produced domestic line.The comic accurate sculpts and some really cool accessories make them aces in my book. That being said, the line is not doing well right now, with several high profile pre-orders being canceled. The line is in a tough spot, as its too audience specific to put in retail stores and at least my local comic shop owner has said, they’re too over priced to sell in his shop.

When you couple this with a big scale drift between waves (Blue Beetle, for instance, dwarfs Batman), a lot of collectors had a tepid response as well. I really liked the Batman from wave one, but he is almost comically tiny in comparison to new figures like Firestorm and John Stewart. Also, let’s not get me started on pea-head Superman.

This article, however, is about the DC Icons Deathstroke (I covered the Mezco Deathstroke here). I’ve never been someone who was enamored with the character, but I do appreciate how bad ass he is every time he shows up. I had a large section here dedicated to how he killed Firestorm in Identity Crisis, but it was the Shadow Thief. A pointless death made more pointless by a useless character. The important lesson is, Deathstroke inspires fear every time he shows up and is one of the top hand to hand combatants in the DC Universe.

What’s in the DC Icons Deathstroke box?

The paint apps on this figure pull you in right away. The lighter blue chain mail grabs your eyes and doesn’t let them go.

I imagine modern fans will be turned off by the DC Icons Deathstroke’s orange swashbuckling boots. The same group of people who are put off by Firestorm’s classic puffy sleeves. Those people are wrong. He comes with his trademark sword, a generic looking assault rifle, and a revolver (looks like a “Dirty Harry” .44) that because of how poorly it fits in his holster, is super easy to lose. I lost mine almost immediately. Fortunately, I had some weapons from a pack I purchased and painted. He also has two sets of hands, an unmasked Slade Wilson head and a staff that breaks up into three pieces for easy storage.

He has a great range of motion in his hips as well. The range of motion, however, is hampered by his holster if the handgun is in it. Keep that in mind when posing/displaying him.

I mention that range of motion because the head on the DC Icons Deathstroke has zero range of motion. No tilt, no up and down, only side to side.

Also, the legs seem a little floppy to me. Maybe that is the trade-off for being able to pull them down for more displaying options. The unmasked Wilson head is actually really well detailed, if not a little too neutral for my tastes. I just feel like a sneer or an angry face would have been more appropriate, but this isn’t too shabby.

Should you get the DC Icons Deathstroke?

Personally, I think he is a flashy enough figure that you should have him in your collection. The biggest obstacle to overcome (and I hate to beat a dead horse) is the scale. The Icons line are getting bigger. Yet I feel they are not there with more readily available figures, like the Marvel Legends line. While also 1:12 scale, you can see below, he is still on the short side.

If you haven’t purchased any of the Icons and you’re on the fence, the DC Icons Deathstroke is a great place to start. Likewise, if you do collect them and don’t have Deathstroke, you need to pick him up. If you’re not interested in the line at all, this is probably an easy pass for you. You can still pick him up here: