Let’s imagine an alternate reality where the DCEU went off entirely without incident, creative reshuffles and behind the scenes drama, and Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke wasn’t constantly f*cked over by constant setbacks that were out of his control.
Having debuted in the post-credits scene of Justice League, Slade Wilson went on to headline a $40 million R-rated origin story from The Raid‘s Gareth Evans, antagonizing Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne as the big bad of The Batman. From there, Manganiello played an increased role in the final two chapters of Zack Snyder’s trilogy, and was even positioned as the leader of Task Force X in a Suicide Squad sequel.
Sadly, precisely none of that happened, and it’s a crying shame when the actor’s combined screentime in the franchise runs to about three minutes, tops. The Knightmare timeline was a tantalizing glimpse of what Snyder had in store, and we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones who told us Jared Leto’s Joker was getting a brand new look in the Snyder Cut long before it was confirmed – that Deathstroke was set to be a co-lead in Justice League 2 and 3.
While he’s obviously a villain in the strictest sense of the word, he was geared up for a prominent role after Lex Luthor sent him after both Batman and his superpowered buddies. He also ended up as a member of the Justice League in the Knightmare scenario, so that’s a pretty clear indication that a substantial arc was in store to reposition Deathstroke from relentless antagonist to reluctant ally.
