Could This Photo Comparison Mean That Deathstroke Is In 'Justice League'?

The release date of Justice League is getting closer, but the fan theories around it are showing [...]

By Jenna Anderson

The release date of Justice League is getting closer, but the fan theories around it are showing no sign of slowing down.

Joe Manganiello, who is set to play Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe, recently shared a new photo of his character's iconic mask. But as Twitter user @SupesBatsy pointed out, this newest look at the mask appears to be significantly more damaged than it was in Ben Affleck's iconic Twitter video.

As fans will remember, Affleck cryptically shared a video of Manganiello as Deathstroke in August of 2016. This sent DC fans into a frenzy, speculating how the character would factor into the growing cinematic universe. Seeing as Justice League was filming at the time, the leading theory became that the footage was of Deathstroke's cameo in the film. This was later supported by a behind-the-scenes photo of Justice League director Zack Snyder, which showed storyboards of what appeared to be a Deathstroke and Lex Luthor scene.

This became further complicated in the months since, as it was reported that Deathstroke would primarily factor into The Batman solo film. While that announcement opened a whole other can of worms, it also didn't ever seem to deny Deathstroke's potential involvement in Justice League.

It's safe to assume that the Deathstroke footage fans have already seen isn't from Justice League, as Manganiello later indicated that it was from an armor screen test. But the new, damaged mask does raise some eyebrows.

It very well could be that the test footage led to an updated version of Manganiello's Deathstroke costume, complete with more scratches on the mask. Seeing as The Batman did not officially enter production in the months since, this could make Justice League (and its highly-scrutinized reshoots) a likely reason for the mask to be used.

Even if Deathstroke isn't in Justice League, fans will still get a chance to see Manganiello play the role. Last week, a Deathstroke solo film was revealed to be in development, with The Raid's Gareth Evans behind the camera.

Justice League debuts in theaters on November 17th.

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