In the original animated “Teen Titans” TV series, which aired from 2003 to 2006, the DC Comics characters regularly faced off against their nemesis, Slade. But on the sillier “Teen Titans Go!,” airing on Cartoon Network since 2013, the infamous villain has yet to appear beyond the occasional cameo.

Now, as the TV show jumps to the big screen this Friday, the time has finally arrived.

In the very meta plot of “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies,” Batman’s sidekick, Robin, heads to Hollywood in search of getting his own blockbuster. When he’s quickly shown the door, he and his pals — pint-size rejects of Justice League — embark on a quest to find an arch nemesis, all in the hopes of convincing the movie studio that Robin’s worthy of the spotlight.

Enter Slade, an evil mercenary packing swords and guns, whom the heroes meet as he attempts to rob the (fictitious) research facility, STAR Labs.

Slade first appeared in comic books as Deathstroke, a name too scary for the kiddos watching Cartoon Network. The filmmakers referenced past iterations of the character for their design but gave him an overall vibe that Aaron Horvath, one of the flick’s two directors, calls “sleek and modern.” It helps that he’s voiced by Will Arnett, who’s also one of the movie’s producers.

“We didn’t want him to look goofy,” explains Peter Rida Michail, the other director. “So when serious scenes play out, you believe him.”

If Slade looks an awful lot like a certain foul-mouthed anti-hero played by Ryan Reynolds, it’s no coincidence: While Marvel’s Deadpool is the more popular character today, DC’s Deathstroke actually predates him. The confusion between the two makes for one of the film’s many inside jokes.

But audiences won’t need to know superhero lore to get in on most of the laughs. One crowd-pleasing, recurring bit has characters shouting “Slaaaaaade!” in a deep, dramatic voice, in an effort to sound ominous. They do so several times, but could have done so way more.

“I think there’s probably a cut of this movie where every time somebody says ‘Slade,’ [someone] responds with ‘Slaaaaaade!’ ” jokes Horvath. “Runtime was over 200 minutes.”