We got our first good look at Justice League when Warner Bros. dropped the Comic-Con reel last month, but today brings another tiny taste of the film thanks to Ben Affleck. The star/producer shared a brief video revealing Steppenwolf won’t be the only villain reporting for duty on the DC superhero team-up movie. It looks like Deathstroke will be showing up as well. See the Justice League villain video below.
UPDATE #1: TheWrap reports Deathstroke will be the main villain in Affleck’s upcoming Batman solo movie.
UPDATE #2: And now rumor has it Joe Manganiello could be playing Deathstroke.
As you can see, Affleck did not offer any additional commentary to go with his cryptic tease. However, it seems likely the footage is from Justice League, as shooting is still underway in London. Although Affleck is planning to direct and star in a Batman solo movie at some point, that project is still in the early stages. As for how exactly Deathstroke will fit into Justice League, your guess is as good as ours.
UPDATE: As soon as Affleck served up that Deathstroke tease, fans began speculating about who could be playing the character, with many casting their sights on Joe Manganiello. The actor, who was previously rumored to be playing Deathstroke in Suicide Squad, is currently in London and recently followed Zack Snyder on Twitter. It’s not exactly airtight evidence — there are surely hundreds if not thousands of people who are in London and also follow Zack Snyder on Twitter, and most of them are not playing Deathstroke. But make of it what you will.
Created in 1980 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Deathstroke is the alter ego of Slade Wilson, a mercenary and assassin who’s done battle with DC heroes like Batman and Green Arrow. He’s trained in martial arts and combat, and thanks to an experimental serum he has enhanced speed, stamina, endurance, and reflexes. In addition, he has a brilliant tactical mind and an accelerated healing factor.
The character has been portrayed in live-action on a few different shows. He was played by Antonio Sabato Jr. in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Michael Hogan in Smallville, and Manu Bennett in Arrow. However, Justice League will be the first time Deathstroke has appeared in a live-action movie. Here’s what the character looks like in the comics:
Justice League isn’t out til November 17, 2017 so expect many more little tidbits of information to trickle out between now and then. Zack Snyder is directing and Affleck stars with Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, and Ray Fisher.
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash -— it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.