How I would retcon Slade’s relationship to Terra if I worked at DC and had the authority to do so.
I would make it so that while Terra thought their relationship was going in the direction of being a romantic and sexual one, Slade was under the impression that he was fulfilling all the requirements to be an over indulgent Father Figure.
Letting her wear revealing cloths and far too much makeup for a girl her age. Letting her be suggestive and flirty. All in order to manipulate her to be obedient.
And They would never have sex!!!! He would never Fuck Her because she’s a girl the same age or younger than his own daughter.
He’s still a manipulative asshole using her for her powers, but it no longer has the context of sexual grooming.
She would be under the delusion that he’s her “Prince Charming”. That she’s going to become his wife once this mission is over. She’s already signed paperwork to take his last name! But she didn’t read it like he thought she would, and it was adoption papers. They couldn’t submit the paperwork until After the mission of course, because the Titans would link her back to him if they had.
When he betrays her and leaves her for dead is when her delusions shatter. He throws out a line like “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I never submitted that paperwork. I can’t imagine having to disappoint my other kids about not getting that new sister after all. Oh well, that’s just business. It was fun playing at being a dad again, but this is the end of it. So long kid.” Or something to that effect.
She says somthing about how she thought that was marriage paperwork but he’s already gone.
That’s the direction I Thought and Hoped they were going to go when that Judas Contract movie came out.
They had Terra perfectly primed to be looking for a good father figure. Salde could have done the bare minimum at being a good dad. He could still be a total scumbag using her past abuse to manipulate her into trusting him. He could have used him missing his own kids to make her think she’s filling a void in his life. Maybe make her think that all his kids are dead!
It was the perfect setup. And DC squandered their chance to go that route.
They could have still kept Slade being an absolute bastard and not had him be a sexual predator! It would have made it easier for them to make him a somewhat sympathetic character in the comics (you know, like they’ve been trying to do) if they would just retcon this shit with Terra. Like they retconed the ending on Red Hood: Lost Days. That’s a great retcon! More of that please!
