Ben Affleck's Batman Movie Artist Reveals Showdown With Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke

By Jamie Lovett

Despite The Batman's success at the box office, some fans remain disappointed that they never got to see Ben Affleck's version of a solo Batman movie. Storyboard artist Jay Oliva has offered fans one more glimpse at what could have been with his artwork depicting a meeting between Affleck's Batman and Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke. Deathstroke is seen holding his sword up ready for a fight. In the sword's reflection, Affleck's Batman is clearly visible. Whether they're meeting for a little discussion or for a fight we may never know. You can see the artwork below.

Manganiello played Deathstroke in Justice League, with plans to carry the role through multiple DC Extended Universe projects. Manganiello has spoken before about what happened with his Deathstroke and his hopes for the future.

"Once [Affleck's] Batman got canceled, I kind of wrote it off and thought, 'This is over,'" Manganiello told Entertainment Tonight last year. "I had actually shifted gears and started working on the studio on an origin film for Deathstroke that also didn't happen. So for me, I just let it go. And then two weeks before Justice League came out theatrically [in 2017], I got a call from one of the executives who said, 'By the way, we've retooled the scene and it's back in at the end to advertise a Justice League 2.'"

The actor has also touched on the possibility of bringing his Deathstroke to a new series on HBO Max. During an appearance at the virtual event JusticeCon, Manganiello fielded a question about where he'd like to see his Deathstroke pop up again if given the choice. He was quick to express his interest in an HBO Max streaming series.

"Deathstroke origin as a series on HBO Max," Manganiello said. "Absolutely. I think it'd be such a fun series and people would absolutely love it and there's not a lot like it out there right now. It would have its own tone and its own place within the universe. I think it would be very fun and tonally very unique."

It's unclear what Manganiello's future as Deathstroke looks like, assuming he has one at all. On the one hand, Peacemaker made a stellar jump from film to solo HBO Max series. On the other, the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery seems to be reassessing its strategy regarding DC and looking for a more focused vision. Fans will have to wait and see what happens.

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