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William Randolph Wintergreen is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, often depicted as an associate of Slade Wilson (the supervillain Deathstroke). Although Wintergreen lacked Slade's superhuman physical attributes, he possessed far more combat experience and thus acted as Wilson's mentor.

A re-imagined version of the character appeared on The CW's live-action television series Arrow, portrayed by stunt performer Jeffrey C. Robinson and depicted as the first incarnation of Deathstroke. He also appeared in the DC Universe series Titans, played by Demore Barnes.

Publication history

Wintergreen was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman, and first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2 (December 1980).

Fictional character biography

William Wintergreen is a friend of Slade Wilson / Deathstroke who he met while serving in the British Army. After Slade is discharged for saving Wintergreen from a Viet Cong prison, he becomes a mercenary, with Wintergreen acting as his butler and mentor.

After Slade cuts ties with Wintergreen, the latter establishes Vigilance, Inc., a search-and-rescue operation that Slade's ex-wife Adeline Kane created as a mercenary organisation. Wintergreen is later killed by Jericho, who has possessed Slade's body.

In Blackest Night, Wintergreen is temporarily resurrected as a Black Lantern. He is permanently resurrected following the DC Rebirth relaunch.

Powers and abilities

Wintergreen has received extensive training in military protocols and espionage, making him a proficient hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist. He has also proven an exceptionally skilled marksman in the use of various firearms.

In other media

Television

• Wintergreen makes non-speaking appearances in Teen Titans.
• Bill "Billy" Wintergreen appears in Arrow, portrayed by Jeffrey C. Robinson. This version is a former member of an elite division of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) under the codename "Bishop", friend of Slade Wilson, godfather of Slade's son Joe Wilson, a skilled swordsman and hand-to-hand combatant, and the first individual to utilize the Deathstroke persona. In flashbacks depicted in the first season, Wintergreen and Slade were sent to the island of Lian Yu to rescue Chinese army deserter Yao Fei from a group of terrorists led by Edward Fyers. However, Wintergreen defected to Fyers' side and abandoned Slade before being killed by the latter. In the eighth season episode "Purgatory", Wintergreen, Fei, and Fyers are revived by Lian Yu's supernatural energy until Lyla Michaels and William Clayton build a device to absorb the island's energy, causing the revived individuals to disappear.
• A young, African-American incarnation of Wintergreen appears in Titans, portrayed by Demore Barnes. This version previously served with Delta Force before joining H.I.V.E. and served as Deathstroke's handler while he was with the organization.

Video games

Wintergreen appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.

Miscellaneous

Wintergreen appears in Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons, voiced by Colin Salmon. This version is a Black British former MI6 agent.

Merchandise

The Arrow incarnation of Billy Wintergreen / Deathstroke received a 6.75-inch action figure from DC Collectibles as part of a two-pack with Oliver Queen.

References

1. The New Teen Titans #2
2. The New Teen Titans #2
3. Teen Titans (vol. 3) #2
4. Teen Titans (vol. 3) #77
5. Deathstroke #1
6. Goldman, Eric (October 12, 2012). "Arrow: Exclusive First Look at Deathstroke". IGN. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
7. Hughes, Jason (November 8, 2012). "Arrow: Deathstroke Makes His Much-Anticipated Debut in the Latest Flashback (VIDEO)". Entertainment/TV. Huffington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
8. "Arrow (Ep.105) - Damaged". The CW.
9. Hayes, Jackson (September 2, 2019). "The Flash Actor Demore Barnes Cast As Wintergreen In Titans Season 2". Full Circle Cinema. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
10. Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
11. Burlingame, Russ (October 4, 2019). "First Look at CW Seed's Michael Chiklis-Led Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons". comicbook.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
12. "DC Collectibles Arrow Oliver Queen and Deathstroke Action Figure, 2-Pack". Amazon. Retrieved 2017-06-13.

External links

• Wintergreen at the DC Database
• Deathstroke at the DC Database
• Wintergreen at the DCU Guide
• Wintergreen at Titanstower.com

• DC Comics supervillains
• Characters created by George Pérez
• Characters created by Marv Wolfman
• Comics characters introduced in 1980
• DC Comics martial artists
• DC Comics television characters
• Fictional assassins in comics
• Fictional Australian people
• Fictional British people
• Fictional butlers
• Fictional mercenaries in comics
• Fictional murderers
• Fictional Special Air Service personnel
• Fictional swordfighters in comics
• Fictional Vietnam War veterans