No Deathstroke In The Batman? Put Him In Chris McKay’s Nightwing Then

Another week, another DCEU rumor. This time, fans have lost their minds wondering whether Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke will be appearing in Matt Reeves' The Batman or not. To be fair, Reeves himself probably doesn't know yet, either, as he's likely rewriting the script as we speak, so it's all up in the air at the moment. While all of us would love to see Ben Affleck's Dark Knight and Deathstroke go toe to toe in a battle of strength and wits, the lack of Slade Wilson in the Bat's solo film shouldn't be too big of a concern right now. After all, there are other loose ends that Reeves will need to tie up, so perhaps it's best he sees to those first. For example, Jason Todd's death and how the hell the Joker got that stupid grill and tattoos. What would be cool is if the assassin is saved for Chris McKay's Nightwing instead. Not a lot of information has been released about the former Boy Wonder's solo outing, but considering he's an all-star DC character, he deserves the full house treatment, too. And what better way is there to roll out the carpet for him than by throwing in a legendary bad guy into his debut movie? With that out the way, buckle up and settle down as we discuss all the reasons Deathstroke should be the main villain for the Nightwing film. As always, we welcome your opinion on this topic. So, if you agree or disagree with us, please let us know in the comments section. Nightwing Needs A Big Villain It's a big movie for the DCEU, and they simply cannot sit back and take it easy with this one. Nightwing needs to be a critical and financial hit to prove that DC is much more than just Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman (we're not even mentioning Suicide Squad here). In order to show that they mean business, Geoff Johns and company will need to pull out all the stops and ensure that Dick Grayson does the ass-kicking tango with a massive supervillain rather than a no-name lame-O. Apart from Two-Face, Slade is the big-time villain who has the most history with the original Robin. Already from Dick's time in the Teen Titans, these two have done the dance on more than one occasion and been the constant thorns in each other's sides. You only need to watch Teen Titans: The Judas Contract to see how much drama they have between them. Deathstroke is the perfect foil for Nightwing. He'll push our hero to the limit - perhaps even breaking point - and give him a real uphill battle (with lots of action, naturally) to overcome. Now, this is the sort of film we'd all like to see. Establishes Nightwing's Credibility We've all heard how it's possible that Affleck won't be sticking around as the Caped Crusader for too long, or the possibility of a Batman Beyond spinoff, or pretty much whatever news story gets published on any given day. At the moment, nothing is certain and we doubt it will be until a few months after Justice League's release. Heck, we'll only believe Batfleck is truly set to stay when they actually start filming The Batman and he's physically on set. This is why it's important to establish Dick as the natural heir to the cape and cowl. We need to know that he's able to step up and take on the mantle if Bruce Wayne decides to go bye-bye. The best way to do this is to show us that he's capable of defeating one of the best fighters in the DC Comics: Deathstroke. Doing so will establish the fact that Dick isn't a second-grade superhero, but a primetime player. It's now legend how Slade has bested the Batman in hand-to-hand combat. So, by having Nightwing defeat him, it would send out a message to everyone else about the new sheriff in town. It's a strong statement and also a legitimate backup plan for the DCEU. Would you rather see Dick become the Dark Knight or someone else recast in the role as Batman? We know our choice. Allows Deathstroke To Step Out Of The Shadows While we've spoken about the importance of having Slade as a formidable adversary for Nightwing's clout, we need to look at what it'll do for the assassin's profile as well. When you think of Batman villains, the first names that come to mind are the likes of Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Bane and Two-Face - not Deathstroke. And that's pretty sad. Slade is what you call a second-tier villain in the average fan's mind. He's undeniably lethal and badass, but he isn't exactly as popular as the rest of rogues' gallery in the DC universe. Somehow, we also doubt that Reeves would utilize him as the sole antagonist of the film, and he'd probably be something more of a henchman or hired gun for an even bigger baddie. Is that really how you'd like to see him in a Batman movie? If it's just him and Dick as the core focus, it'll be easier to eliminate the distractions of other villains. They could bring out the best in each other while helping to grow their respective profiles amongst the mainstream audiences. It's a win-win for hero and villain, as well as the movie-going public. It Could Catapult Manganiello To A-List Status Since his days as Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, Manganiello has come a long way in Hollywood. The roles have gotten bigger and he's become a recognized face over the years - especially after appearing as Richie in Magic Mike. That said, he's not exactly at the top of the list to headline his own film yet. He's still the Orlando Bloom to Johnny Depp, unfortunately. As an actor, he undoubtedly wants to get to the top of the mountain and portraying Deathstroke in the DCEU could be the next big step in his quest to total stardom. Chances are that if he's the main antagonist in Nightwing, he'll be able to show everyone what he's made of and only have to contend with whoever's cast as Dick for the plaudits. If he's in a Batman film, though, he'll have to deal with the likes of Jeremy Irons, Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons and possibly even Jared Leto. It's easy to see how he could get lost or forgotten in that star-studded pack. Nightwing is his best opportunity to capture the attention of everyone watching, and demonstrate how he can carry a film as a lead actor. Personally, we rate Manganiello very highly and would love to see him take his profile to the next level. He's got moxie. It Sets Up The Teen Titans In The DCEU As mentioned before, Dick and Deathstroke have had beef since the Teen Titans days. If you ever watched the original animated series from 2003, you'll be aware of how big a role Slade had in the popular program. At times it even felt like it should've been a Deathstroke featuring the Teen Titans show. So far, we haven't seen any hint that the famous superhero team will appear in the DCEU, but anything is possible at this point. One thing's for sure, though: if Dick versus Slade turns out to be well-liked, you can be damn certain that the Warner Bros. execs will be licking their chops at inserting the Teen Titans into the mix. It's a no-brainer, really. Even though there's a live-action Teen Titans TV series set to come out in the new year, we'd all go nuts for a full-length feature film as well. At this stage, the more characters introduced into the universe, the merrier - and Slade as the antagonist in Nightwing might prove to be the key in unlocking the door for all these great heroes to come out and play. Light Versus Dark The Bat is a good guy, but he doesn't exactly radiate sunshine, cupcakes, and happiness. He isn't a character that exudes 'light' per se. Deathstroke is essentially a mirror image of the Dark Knight - just a little eviler and lethal. It'd be a fun match-up to see, though, since they'd probably cancel each other out in combat. That said, Dick would be far more suited to feud with Slade in the DCEU's new model, which focuses on good overcoming evil, i.e. light versus dark. Trained by Batman, Dick has all the necessary skills and experience to kick some serious butt. Unlike his mentor, however, he isn't driven by darkness. He's a happy guy and isn't afraid of enjoying life while juggling his superhero duties. His quest for justice isn't out of guilt, but more out of it's the right thing to do. It's admirable. As polar opposites, the dynamic between Dick and Slade might work better than the one between the Bat and the assassin. Our hero needs to face what seems like an insurmountable challenge, where he'll fall but get back up again and overcome. He needs to show that giving up isn't an option and the bad guys will always fail in the end. Deathstroke Is Obsessed With Dick Grayson In many ways, Slade resents Batman for having the protégé he never had. To recall the animated series once more, Slade wanted Dick to be his apprentice. He appreciated and admired the abilities of the former Boy Wonder and would've rather had him as an ally than an enemy. This angle could be played up beautifully in a film where Slade seeks to be a mentor figure to Dick after his relationship with Bruce becomes fractured. When Nightwing truly uncovers the assassin's methods and modus operandi, he disagrees with him because of the strong values that Batman instilled in him. This leads to their fallout and war, as well as a self-discovery for Dick. Not only could Slade's admiration play a part in setting up the conflict, but it could also assist in resolving the underlying issues between Bruce and Dick. In many ways, it's reminiscent of The Karate Kid Part III's plot where Daniel seeks out Terry Silver's mentorship after a disagreement with Mr. Miyagi, only to eventually realize he's nothing like Silver and to make amends with his original mentor and friend. The blueprint is already there, Warner Bros. You just need to pull the trigger on it.