In the comics, Slade/Deathstroke's son, Joseph Wilson, is a meta-human who goes by the superhero name of Jericho and can possess people after making eye contact with them. He has been a member of the Teen Titans, while his father has long served as their arch-enemy.
An old friend of Slade/Deathstroke's calls him "The Terminator," to which he replies that he hasn't heard that name in a while. This was his original villain name In the comics, before becoming Deathstroke the Terminator and finally just Deathstroke (to avoid confusion the then recent Terminator film).
Joe's mother's maiden name in the episode is Wolfman. This is a reference to Marv Wolfman, the writer of "The New Teen Titans," which introduced both Deathstroke and his son, Joe, who is also known as Jericho in the comics.
Though solely in flashbacks, this is the first time Slade is seen without his trademark eye patch since the second season
Channel 52 was the name of a fictional television station within the DC Universe that was used to promote the New 52 line of comic books.