James Gunn Teases Deathstroke DCU Future Plans

James Gunn addresses Deathstroke rumors on Threads.

By Aaron Perine

James Gunn teased some Deathstroke involvement in the DCU at some point. On Threads, the DC president is hard at work on Superman, but not too busy to answer fan questions. Someone asked about Deathstroke and Gunn replied with a winking emoji. Now, does that mean Joe Manganiello is coming back for Superman? Probably not! But, with the level of James Gunn's comics knowledge and fandom, he's aware of how much some fans want the assassin to make an appearance sooner rather than later. One thing is true, the new DC slate has a lot of moments where that character could make an appearance. The only thing left to do is wait for now…

Back in 2021, Gunn talked about characters that barely missed the cut for The Suicide Squad on Twitter. Deathstroke was one of those popular ones that people had been clamoring for. The DC director actually contemplated getting him in there, but it was just never to be. (Even more spicy is the fact that it seems Manganiello might have played the character again, but so much is said about these projects that it's hard to sift through all the statements.) Here's how Gunn responded:

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James Gunn responds to Deathstroke question

- Threads/James Gunn)

The DC president wrote, "When I first considered taking the job of writing #TheSuicideSquad I kept a file folder of characters I was considering. Here are just a few (of many) that didn't make the cut (for now!)"

What's Going On With Deathstroke?

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We may never see this version of the character again.

- DC Films / Warner Bros.)

Deathstroke has been a topic that bubbles up every couple of months or so. Luckily for the fans out there, ComicBook had the chance to speak to Manganiello ahead of Deal or No Deal Island. During our chat, the Deathstroke actor talked about his friendship with James Gunn. In spite of the Sydner DC Universe and how that all went down, their relationship gave him some real perspectfive on the route forward.

Related:

"James [Gunn] is my buddy, and James and I had a conversation about it because Jim lee over at DC Comics wanted me to create a graphic novel series based on the screenplay that I wrote for the Deathstroke origin film that, when they were dismantling the DCEU, that went to the wayside as well," Manganiello mused. "Jim read it, and wanted it to be a graphic novel series, but no one could assure me that, if it garnered the attention of directors and producers, that I couldn't be attached. So I had to let it go. James Gunn was just like, 'Let it go.'"

Where would you like to see Deathstroke pop-up again? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

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