Concept art of Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke from Ben Affleck's axed version of The Batman has surfaced.
Artist Keith Christensen shared an image of Deathstroke sporting a decidedly more tactical costume than what he donned in Justice League. "My design for Deathstroke from the Ben Affleck version of The Batman," he wrote.
Manganiello was cast as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe in late 2016, and he made his debut the following year in the theatrical cut of Justice League. However, the character was also supposed to feature as the main villain opposite Affleck's Bruce Wayne in The Batman and headline his own solo film from director Gareth Evans.
"This is a real opportunity to figure out who this guy is on the inside," Manganiello explained in 2018 while noting he helped craft a backstory for Deathstroke. "There are villains who are the people who are opposing them but from the inside this is a person who is struggling with all types of things."
In the years that followed, The Batman became a Matt Reeves-directed and Robert Pattinson-starring project outside of the DCEU, meaning Manganiello's Deathstroke was no longer involved. Moreover, his solo film seemed to fall by the wayside. "When the dust settled, it was not seen as a priority to make a $40 million movie about a villain origin story in which you show the backstory," Manganiello explained in early 2021 while discussing why Deathstroke was scrapped. The actor also confirmed he was removed from the original Suicide Squad sequel plans.
"It was more of a Tom Clancy ripped from the headlines sort of story, or even like a Bourne Identity where it was going to be really grounded, and political with military drama as far as what it would take to go from devoting his life to his country for this life he believed in to, you know, having the rug pulled out from underneath him and being stabbed in the back and not knowing who to trust," Manganiello said of Deathstroke's plot.
In December 2021, Manganiello seemingly put any hope of his Deathstroke returning to rest. When asked if he'd reprise the character, the actor said, "No, I let that go a while ago."
Source: Instagram