Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke was planned to have a major role in the DCEU in 2016. In the post-credits scene of Justice League, Deathstroke was supposed to learn Batman’s secret identity, with Lex Luthor revealing that he was Bruce Wayne. This was intended to set up Deathstroke hunting Bruce Wayne in Ben Affleck’s version of The Batman.
The plans changed after Affleck decided not to direct The Batman. In Joss Whedon’s Justice League, Slade Wilson was instead recruited into the “Injustice Society,” but this storyline was later scrapped. Following that, rumors emerged about a standalone Deathstroke film directed by Gareth Evans. However, the original Deathstroke setup was eventually shown in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, released in 2021.
Deathstroke Nearly Had a Much Bigger Role in the DCEU
Speaking to The Rich Roll Podcast, Manganiello discussed his health struggles and the disappointment of The Batman being scrapped while promoting his new book, Bloodlines. He recalled preparing to get as healthy as possible for a six-month action movie shoot that was expected to begin a year later.
Manganiello said he needed that motivation, but the cancellation of Ben Affleck’s The Batman ended his plans for the role. He only got to reprise his role as Deathstroke for approximately two minutes during the reshoots.
For the next six years, Manganiello repeatedly heard about potential projects involving his character. These possibilities included appearances in Aquaman 2, the The Suicide Squad sequel, and a standalone Deathstroke movie. He was also told he could face Will Smith’s character in one of the proposed projects. Despite the repeated possibilities and changes in plans, none of these projects materialized as expected.
Manganiello said, “I’m lucky that I got that part, but at the time I felt like I was unlucky because I got this thing that then got cancelled and went away. So, I’m like, how unlucky am I? I feel like I’m cursed. I get this thing. It gives me hope, and now it’s gone. And then all these other projects are now gone. But looking back, I was lucky that that thing came my way.”
Manganiello added, “That thing—like, if it wasn’t for that role, I don’t know that the reconnection would work. I don’t know that I’m healthy enough. I don’t know that I gain that weight back. I don’t know that I can walk. I don’t know that I can function the way that I do now. I don’t know that mentally I’m in as good a place as I am now. That role. I have the helmet in my office, and it’s the greatest accomplishment of my life.”
It’s disappointing that Manganiello’s Deathstroke never got the chance to fully explore the role. Meanwhile, DC Studios has reportedly planned a Deathstroke and Bane movie titled Savage Hunters. The film is in early development at DC Studios, alongside The Brave and the Bold, Teen Titans, Swamp Thing, and Wonder Woman.
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