The first decade of the DCU was defined by stops, starts, reshuffles, and overhauls, but there arguably wasn’t an onscreen talent who suffered more than Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.
At one stage, the actor was being lined up as one of the most pivotal figures in the franchise’s future, seeing as his post-credits cameo in Justice League was designed to set up an increased role in Zack Snyder’s planned sequels, while he was also due to go toe-to-toe with Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight in The Batman V1.0, as well as headlining a solo movie to be directed by The Raid‘s Gareth Evans.
We haven’t even mentioned that he was initially planned to be a key component of a Suicide Squad sequel, either, but when the dust had settled Manganiello was left with virtually nothing. It stings for a lot of fans, and that extends to the character’s creator too, after Marv Wolfman sided with SnyderVerse supporters to throw his weight behind Affleck’s Batman happening.
The downside is that it almost certainly isn’t coming to fruition, with the two-time Academy Award winner’s surprise appearance at Snyder’s Full Circle event more a show of solidarity than anything else. He’s made it clear that he’ll be retiring the cape and cowl for a second time once The Flash has been and gone, although history has shown that won’t do a damn thing to dissuade the most ardent backers to carry on campaigning.
If anything, it’s Manganiello who deserves a shot at redemption, having been so woefully misused the first time around.
Published: May 4, 2023 01:47 am