Is Deathstroke Still In ‘Justice League’?

It looks like DC’s number one assassin is getting his own film, but what does that mean for Justice League?

Earlier today it was reported that a Deathstroke film is in development with Gareth Evans (The Raid) attached to direct. It would also star Joe Manganiello, who has been attached to the role for some time. Originally the rumor was that he would show up in a cameo in Justice League, as test footage showed up of Manganiello in costume.

Adding fuel to the fire is a photo Justice League director Zack Snyder posted back in 2016, which featured Snyder drawing on a tablet with one of Batman’s gloves on. When fans zoomed in they saw a storyboard with what looks to be Deathstroke’s trademark eye patch and swords, indicating that he at least had something to do with the film.

After that, the character was reported to be a part of The Batman solo film, the main antagonist to Ben Affleck’s Batman. At the time Affleck was also directing that project, but then he stepped down from the director’s chair. After that Matt Reeves was brought on board to direct, but decided to essentially start from scratch. That meant a new angle for the film’s villain, and nothing has really been heard of Manganiello’s involvement since.

Now it seems things have come full circle, with the character getting his own solo movie. Two questions stem from that reveal, one of them being is this one of DC’s standalone (i.e. Elseworlds) movies or is it connected to the DC cinematic universe? If it is a standalone it seems like a waste of a great casting and villain, and if it is connected then why not just introduce him as part of another film organically instead of just pushing him into the spotlight.

The second question is if it is connected, is he still involved with Justice League, which has undergone some reported changes of its own. With a renewed emphasis on Steppenwolf supposedly part of that deal, that would leave little room for a Deathstroke cameo, nonetheless a substantial part.

Odds are the solo film means he has been cut from the film if he was ever involved at all. Perhaps the solo film is a way to keep him in the universe while not taking away time from the film’s main villain, and if that is the case it would be hard to argue against that reasoning.

None of this is confirmed of course, and fans can find out for themselves when Justice League hits theaters on November 17.