Wintergreen (comics)
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William Randolph Wintergreen is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
appearing in
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s published by
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
, often depicted as an associate of
Slade Wilson Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
(the
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
's live-action
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'' in the first season, where he was portrayed by stunt performer Jeffrey C. Robinson as the show's first incarnation of Deathstroke. He returned in the final season as well. He was also featured on the second season of the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
series '' Titans'', played by
Demore Barnes Demore Barnes (born February 26, 1976) is a Canadian actor. Barnes is best known for his roles as Sergeant First Class Hector Williams in the CBS television series ''The Unit'', the archangel Raphael in '' Supernatural'' and Deputy Chief Christia ...
.


Publication history

Created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman, William Randolph Wintergreen was introduced to the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as the
butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
of Deathstroke the Terminator.


Fictional character biography

William Randolph Wintergreen grew up in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. At university, he avoided sports and squirreled himself away in the library, which was open to him due to his father's title. He possessed strong research skills, and knowing the conduits through which information flowed later aided him in his work with MI5. Wintergreen met Sergeant
Slade Wilson Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
during his time at the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, and the two developed a close friendship. When General Sampson sent Slade on a suicide mission, Wintergreen, now a member of the
Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...
, rescued Slade from perishing in an explosion, while Sampson was given a minor reprimand. Wintergreen served as Slade's best man when the latter married his captain, Adeline Kane. Still holding a grudge for Wintergreen's disobedience, Sampson later sent Wintergreen on a suicide mission. Slade commandeered a plane and made his way to
Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
, where he freed Wintergreen from a Viet Cong prison. Slade then revealed to Wintergreen that his physical attributes had been enhanced by a military experiment. Slade was subsequently discharged for disobeying orders to save Wintergreen. Following his discharge, Slade secretly began operating as the mercenary "Deathstroke". When Slade's occupation resulted in an accident involving their son, Joseph Wilson, Adeline divorced Slade and left with their children. Wintergreen then became Slade's butler and mentor, acting as his moral conscience, comrade in arms and medic. Wintergreen also began cataloguing Slade's adventures in journal entries. Slade took up hunting in Africa for a brief time, with Wintergreen at his side. Slade eventually returned to his mercenary ways, and Wintergreen continued to catalogue his missions. Slade later discovered that he had a daughter named Rose Wilson. Fearing that he would not be a good father, Slade left Rose in the care of Wintergreen, who grew to care very much for her and was even prepared to adopt her, though Rose ultimately joined the
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
. When Slade was later caught in an explosion, he retired and cut ties with both Pat Trayce and Wintergreen, claiming that they were no longer part of his life. Despite suspecting that this explosion actually restored Slade's memory (since details of his past life crept up in idle conversation), Wintergreen knew that Slade had his reasons for distancing himself, and thus respected this unspoken request from his student by giving him his space. In Slade's absence, Trayce and Wintergreen honoured him by continuing to run Vigilance, Inc. (a search-and-rescue operation originally set up as a mercenary organisation by Adeline). Sometime later, Slade discovered that Joseph's spirit had taken refuge deep within his body. With the help of Wintergreen, he attempted to exorcise his son from himself, but was quickly overpowered. The possessed Slade then murdered Wintergreen, mounting his severed head on a wall as he vowed that "Deathstroke hunts alone". Before his death, Wintergreen had apparently believed that he would inevitably be murdered by Slade, evidenced by his last words, "I suppose it was only a matter of time". Slade would forever be haunted by his mentor's dying words.


''Blackest Night''

During the '' Blackest Night'' storyline, Wintergreen was revived by a Black Lantern Ring, and went back to haunt Deathstroke with Adeline Wilson and the Ravagers as members of the
Black Lantern Corps The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of deceased fiction ...
.


DC Rebirth

Wintergreen returns in the '' DC Rebirth'' relaunch, once again serving as an ally of Deathstroke from his time in the army.


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 occasional non-speaking appearances as Slade's butler in the ''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'' animated series. * Stuntman Jeffrey C. Robinson portrays Bill "Billy" Wintergreen on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
's live-action
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
''. As evenly skilled in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat as
Slade Wilson Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
is, this version of the character is the first person in the "'' Arrowverse''" to utilise the
Deathstroke Deathstroke (Slade Joseph Wilson) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character debuted in '' The New Teen Titans'' #2 in December 1980 as Deathstroke the ...
persona, and appears in the flashback scenes of
season one Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguat ...
. Bill Wintergreen (codename "Bishop") was once a member of an elite division of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) alongside his best friend, Slade Wilson, whose
son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
he served as godfather. Before 2007, the pair were sent to the island of Lian Yu to rescue Chinese army deserter Yao Fei from a group of terrorists that sought to cripple China's economy. After their plane was shot down by Edward Fyers, the mercenaries' leader, Wintergreen defected to Fyers' side and left Slade to survive on his own. In the episode "Damaged", Fyers has Wintergreen torture shipwrecked playboy
Oliver Queen Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
for Yao Fei's location, only for Fei to launch a surprise attack and rescue Oliver. In "Year's End" and "Burned", Wintergreen frees Fyers from Yao Fei's capture and bests the latter in combat. In "The Odyssey", Fyers orders Wintergreen to execute a captured Oliver, but Slade triggers an explosion and engages his former partner. Although Wintergreen initially gains the upper hand, he is stabbed by Slade in his right eye. In the season eight episode "Purgatory", Team Arrow and Lyla Michaels encounter Wintergreen, Fyers, and their group on Lian Yu when the energy build-up restored them. When Lyla activates the weapon that is tied to her DNA, the energies are absorbed causing Wintergreen, Fyers, and their group to disappear. * Wintergreen appears in the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
live-action series '' Titans'', portrayed by
Demore Barnes Demore Barnes (born February 26, 1976) is a Canadian actor. Barnes is best known for his roles as Sergeant First Class Hector Williams in the CBS television series ''The Unit'', the archangel Raphael in '' Supernatural'' and Deputy Chief Christia ...
. The series depicts Wintergreen as a younger black man who serves as Deathstroke's handler to
H.I.V.E. The H.I.V.E., which stands for the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination, is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The H.I.V.E. organization appeared on the fourth season of ...
after being part of the same Delta Force team.


Video games

In '' Batman: Arkham Origins'', Deathstroke's profile lists William Wintergreen as one of his associates.


Web series

Wintergreen appears in '' Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons'', voiced by Colin Salmon. This version is depicted as an aging Black British former MI6 agent.


Merchandise

DC Collectibles DC Direct was a division of WarnerMedia that sold collectibles based on DC Comics characters (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.). Prior to 1998, merchandise sold by DC Comics was branded with the DC Comics logo rather than with the DC Direct ...
has released a 6.75-inch action figure of Bill Wintergreen's Deathstroke in a two-pack with Oliver Queen, based on their respective appearances in the first season of the TV show ''Arrow''.


References


External links

* Wintergreen at the DC Database * Deathstroke at the DC Database
Wintergreen at the DCU Guide

Wintergreen at Titanstower.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wintergreen (Comics) 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 torturers Fictional Vietnam War veterans