Over the years, there have been numerous names linked to the DC Extended Universe. One of the most exciting ones mooted was Fawlty Towers and Monty Python actor John Cleese. Granted, the rumor started on Twitter, so it's best to take this with a grain of salt.

In late 2016, an eagle-eyed fan spotted that the U.K. account of Batman V Justice: Dawn of Justice and Justice League photographer Clay Enos followed Cleese on Twitter. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Cleese had recently followed both Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck on the social media platform, leading to some wild Reddit theories.

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While following a few celebrities on Twitter means absolutely nothing, a January 2017 post by Cleese added credence to the hypothesis. The caption was innocent enough, but if you looked carefully, you could spot a stack of graphic novels -- featuring Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Justice League: Origin and Batman Noir: Black Mirror -- on his table. This only fueled the speculation that Cleese was set for a role in Justice League -- or perhaps even The Batman.

For many years, Cleese was pegged as the perfect actor to portray Alfred Pennyworth on the big screen, but that role had already been filled by Jeremy Irons at that point. So, hypothetically, who could he have been cast as? Well, if you look at the timeline and Affleck's video tease of Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke in Justice League (plus, the worst-kept secret that he was set to be the main villain in The Batman), it's fair to assume that Cleese was probably being eyed for the part of Wintergreen, Slade Wilson's associate.

Now, keep in mind that this casting was never confirmed and belongs purely in the gossip section, but it does sound highly probable when you consider all the evidence. The events that followed, however, most likely dented any chance of us ever seeing Cleese as Wintergreen.

For one, Affleck departed The Batman and his original story (featuring Deathstroke) was scrapped in favor of Matt Reeves' vision of the Caped Crusader (sans Deathstroke). Second, we all know how Justice League was massively reworked after Snyder vacated the director's chair, so it's possible that there could've been more footage of Slade -- with perhaps a Wintergreen cameo -- that didn't make the final cut. Third, the news has run cold on a potential Gareth Evans-directed Deathstroke film, which was first announced in October 2017.

Deathstroke Justice League Joe Manganiello

At the moment, no one knows what's happening with Slade in the DC Extended Universe. In April 2018, Manganiello told Variety that "there are things in the works," but we haven't heard anything else since then. With a version of the character appearing sporadically on Arrow and a potential new one arriving in the second season of Titans, coupled with the fact that Reeves is exploring a younger Caped Crusader, maybe Manganiello's Deathstroke has been put on ice for now.

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Unfortunately, that doesn't bode well for Cleese's supposed casting as Wintergreen. The lack of Slade means that we won't be seeing him either, since the two are as closely linked as Alfred and Batman. In addition, it's possible that a younger version of Wintergreen could be set to appear in the upcoming Pennyworth TV series, alongside or as an adversary to Alfred, since those two have a storied history.

Unfortunately, it looks as if Warner Bros. missed the boat in terms of bringing Cleese to the DC Extended Universe. The only thing that could still salvage his participation in future DC Films is if Reeves decides to offer him the role of Alfred. In that case, we don't think many fans will be too upset to learn of this switcheroo.