Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke had a bright future in the live-action debut came on Arrow, where Manu Bennett made him the show's best antagonist. Still, the possibilities of what could happen with Joe Manganiello under the mask were tantalizing.
Manganiello was a long-time favorite to play Deathstroke in live-action, but it wasn't until 2016 that his casting became official. The actor made his debut as Slade Wilson the following year in Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) meet with Deathstroke to discuss putting their own team together. And so far, this glorified cameo for Manganiello has been the only instance he's suited up as Deathstroke.
With such a limited role, it is fair to say that Manganiello's Deathstroke has been wasted to this point in the DCEU. While there hasn't been a great spot for him to appear in recent films, the real disappointment comes with seemingly no plans for him to appear in the future. The uncertainty follows previous plans for Deathstroke to be a massive part of the DCEU not coming to fruition, leaving many to question what future he has — if any.
The Original Plan For The DCEU's Deathstroke
Deathstroke's time in the DCEU was initially slated to begin as it did with Justice League, but his scene was a bit different. Instead of Lex forming a league of his own with Deathstroke, the version of the scene that will be included in the Snyder Cut set up his next appearance. Snyder's version of the encounter sees Lex hire Deathstroke to take out Batman, which would perfectly set up the character's previously confirmed role in Ben Affleck's movie.
Affleck was the one responsible for revealing to fans that Deathstroke was coming to the DCEU in the first place. He released test footage of the The Batman. At the time, Affleck was set to write and direct The Batman in addition to star as Bruce Wayne. Details from Affleck's script for The Batman have been difficult to come by, but it would've pitted the world's greatest detective against someone who is nearly just as tactically brilliant.
Once Deathstroke's appearances in Justice League and The Batman were complete, the plan was then for Manganiello to star in a solo movie. DC spoke to The Raid director Gareth Evans about helming the solo project, and he was working on the film for some time. Evans described his take on the movie as a bit of an origin story for Deathstroke, so it appears that audiences would've explored how Slade became Deathstroke after he went toe-to-toe with Batman. This is where the known plan for Deathstroke ends, but Manganiello has teased there were multiple other projects he was supposed to appear in.
Why The Deathstroke Movie Stalled
The initial pitch of Evans — the director of one of the best action movies in recent memory (The Raid) — helming a movie centered on DC's deadly assassin was exactly what fans wanted to hear when the movie was announced in 2017. Yet, Evans only developed the film for about a year. He said in late 2018 that he wasn't actively developing Deathstroke anymore, even though Manganiello said the solo movie was still in the works not too long before. So why didn't Deathstroke move forward?
Evans was very interested in tackling the movie and appeared to have a good sense of what he would do with it, so this isn't an instance where he walked away from the project. Instead, the changes that occurred during and after Justice League could be directly responsible. DC Films got a new leader in Walter Hamada, and Warner Bros.' executives went through a significant changeover. The new leadership might not have seen the appeal in Deathstroke. It also probably didn't help that Affleck and Snyder left the DCEU behind — they were the two creators involved in getting Deathstroke's story started, but with them gone, the setup for a solo movie was nonexistent.
Will Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke Ever Return?
Without Snyder and/or Affleck being part of the DCEU's future, it is unlikely that Deathstroke will have a place in the universe moving forward. There is a chance that the Snyder Cut of Justice League will feature a bit more of Manganiello's Deathstroke, even beyond the original post-credits scene. Even then, there will hardly be enough Deathstroke footage to make up for the lost potential of Manganiello's interpretation of the character.
Given the potential of Manganiello's Deathstroke and the multiverse future of the DCEU, one can't rule out the possibility that he will return in some fashion. The ultimate dream scenario is that fans get their wish of Affleck coming back to DC by turning his script for The Batman into an HBO Max original series, which would then likely guarantee a significant role for Deathstroke. Since that is possibly far-fetched, fans could still look towards HBO Max as a potential landing spot for Deathstroke. While former executives might have been hesitant about a Deathstroke movie, a mini-series revolving around the character could be an action-heavy DC story that is completely standalone from the rest of the universe.
If WB and DC do want to bring Deathstroke back in a proper capacity, he could also appear in any number of DC movies. There's no sign that he'll appear in James Gunn's Deathstroke would be a perfect fit for the franchise, so maybe he could appear in a possible sequel. Deathstroke could even have a role to play a Teen Titans movie (if one ever happens). So, even though Deathstroke might not have a clear future in the DCEU at the moment, there are plenty of opportunities for that to change going forward.
