We only have four days until we finally get to see the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League. Oh boy, what an exciting time to be a comic book fan. This is something we DC fans have been asking for a while now, but we’re still curious about some things. For instance, is Zack Snyder’s version the official movie that’s canon to the DC Cinematic Universe? At this point, I think it’s up to the discretion of the fans. However, I think that question can be best answered when we see the direction the DCEU is going in. Will the Snyderverse be restored? Maybe that’s a bit too far, but if DC does intend to stray away from Snyder’s universe after his cut, I do hope they retain some particular elements from it. If Zack Snyder did one thing right for DC, he gave us some incredible characters.
Now let’s talk about the character from his universe that got snubbed of a solo movie. If you watched Justice League, you’ll remember the surprise cameo once the movie ended. Lex Luthor was attempting to form “a league of his own” or in other words, the Injustice League. His first recruit: the world’s greatest mercenary, Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. Yipes, I just could not wait for this character to appear in the movies and just by seeing the quick cameo, I was already convinced that this would be a great iteration of the character. I mean, come on, they cast Joe Manganiello. Seeing him in the suit and even without the mask gave me goosebumps. This was going to be bloody hurricane of a villain who could give Ben Affleck’s Batman a run for his money.
The only thing is, that Injustice League set-up didn’t lead to anything. No Justice League sequel, no solo Ben Affleck Batman movie where Deathstroke was going to be the villain, and no solo Deathstroke movie. When and where will we see the DCEU version of Deathstroke again? Well, at least he’ll be reappearing for the Snyder cut of Justice League. And contrary to what we’ve been expecting all these years, it looks like Deathstroke and Batman will be fighting together. Heck, for all we know, they could squeeze in an epic fight scene between them. That’s a fight we all want to see, but watching them join forces against Darkseid will be just as fun. You know things are bad when Batman will team-up with Deathstroke and even Joker to fight evil.
Now based on what I’ve read, Joe Manganiello was all for the solo movie, which had Gareth Evans attached as the director. This is the guy who directed the two Raid movies with Iko Uwais. Just watch those movies and imagine Deathstroke in Iko’s place. Boy, that would’ve been the bloodiest comic book movie ever. Well, that’s one of the several DCEU movies that is still on the development floor and might not get greenlighted. You ask me, that’s a crying shame.
Deathstroke is one of DC’s most badass characters and in my opinion, he hasn’t been done justice outside the comics. In his many different versions in animated movies, video games, and his live-action appearances, they have for the most part, been underwhelming. Now the Manu Bennett version from Arrow was actually pretty good, but if you read Deathstroke comics, you’ll know that Slade doesn’t need some foreign super soldier serum to make him beat up Green Arrow. The guy can take on several members of the Justice League single-handedly. Oh, and he’s one of the few people to beat up Batman in a fistfight. If that doesn’t make you respect him as a villain, then I don’t know what will.
So if you have been keeping up with the DC animated movies, you might have watched a fairly recent film centered around Deathstroke called Knights and Dragons. I must say, the action was everything I expected it to be since Deathstroke was the main character. However, the film portrayed him in a different kind of manner than we’re used to seeing him. He was still a mercenary who cut people in half, but he was also a devoted family man. This put him in a more anti-hero role, which suited him, as he discovered that he had another child (his daughter, Rose). I mean, this Deathstroke actually saved the world with his family. This is certainly a more heroic version of Deathstroke, but I don’t see the DCEU version reflect that.
The DCEU Deathstroke seems to be fully devoted to his career as a mercenary and apparently has a heated grudge against Batman. Even the rumor-mongering website We Got This Covered has recently reported that Batfleck is responsible for Slade losing his eye. Now let’s take that with a grain of salt, but if that report is true, then Slade has a reason to go after Batman. This can set up their epic fight, but where and will it take place? If this Snyder cut gets a lot of positive reception, I’m confident we could see more of Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke. And yes, I’m still pushing for that solo movie. It would be a good way to establish the character and give us some back story on him.
Slade Wilson is a violent mercenary, but he found love and had children. However, I would like to see Joe Manganiello’s Slade at the peak of his mercenary career and eventually find the love life he believes doesn’t suit him. How would that change him as a character? Well, I can imagine it would make him softer, but before his family, I think he prefers to do what he loves doing. And that would be killing, no matter who it is, as long as the price is right. Plus, if that theory about Batman taking his eye is true, then he’ll make sure there’s some payback.
I think Deathstroke is a character worthy of getting his own movie or show. I think it would be cool to see him operate as the ruthless and deadly mercenary who is willing to take out his own competition just to retain his reputation. Just read the Legacy volume from the New 52 era and you’ll see exactly that. Once we get used to seeing that Deathstroke, we can see the humanity of Slade Wilson. A show can be a great opportunity to flush out his relationship with his family and possibly change his violent ways. He can very well transition from villain to anti-hero.
What are your thoughts, DC fans? Boy, I just can’t wait for the Snyder cut.
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