In anticipation of the next addition to the DC Cinematic Universe with the release of Aquaman, further announcements have come to light involving the casting choice of one of the coolest villains in the DC universe, the OG Deadpool – Deathstroke.
Set to be the big bad in the sequel to the Justice League, Deathstroke has oodles of story arcs to choose from, involving many of our favourite heroes, including Batman and Green Arrow. So, who is going to bring this supervillain to life, you may be wondering? Well, the answer is none other than True Blood’s Joe Manganiello!
While Manganiello has made a name for himself as the tall, dark and handsome Alcide Herveaux in HBO’s vampire series True Blood, as well as starring alongside Channing Tatum in both the Magic Mike films and a recurring role on One Tree Hill, this will be his first action intensive role on the cinema screen.
His debut into the DC Cinematic Universe is on no small scale, as the post-credits scene from Justice League suggests, he’ll be taking on the likes of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.
Viewers will be pleasantly surprised by Manganiello’s diversity and adaptability as an actor, and what he will bring to such an iconic character. It’s not just the sequel to the Justice League film that he’s set to star in as Deathstroke, but also a self-titled flick about the supervillain himself.
He has publicly said that he doesn’t want to see any other renditions of the character, so that he could make it his own without anything or anyone influencing his perspective, which hopefully means he’ll be able to bring something unique to the role.
A bold choice considering the character’s rich history and much-loved interpretations, especially on Teen Titans, but if Heath Ledger’s Joker has taught us anything, it’s that experimenting can pay off big time.
His determination to own this role as well as his demeanour on and off screen leads us to believe that he will bring a livelier take to such a huge role. He has hinted that he wants to be able to bring a more human side to this villain.
In a recent interview with Chris Hardwick on the ID10T podcast, he was quoted as saying, “I think it’s really interesting to tell that kind of a story and tell the truth emotionally of a story like that when you’re talking about a man who lost an eye, was betrayed, lost a son. These different types of aspects.”
It seems clear that he truly feels quite strongly about how the audience will perceive his character, as well as the passion he brings to this role, which we predict will make him perfect to bring this villain to life.
So, what makes the role of Deathstroke so influential? Well, let’s take a closer look at the man behind the mask…
Deathstroke the Terminator, otherwise known as Slade Wilson, was a mercenary and assassin who gained superhuman abilities as a result of secret government experiments. His abilities did not turn him into the next Captain America, though… Slade turned his back on fighting for his country like the once loyal soldier that he was, and instead utilised his very unique skill set for the highest bidder.
As skilled an assassin as he is, it stands to reason that he would draw the attention of some of our favourite crime fighting heroes, and as such he frequently makes himself the enemy of Batman, the Justice League and the Teen Titans.
This fact alone has excited audiences for the upcoming release of the TV series Titans. Could this be a conduit for linking not just the franchise’s films, but its small screen shows as well? Similar to what Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has done for Marvel for years. If so, this is a very exciting possibility!
With the announcements of his casting in both the aforementioned films only being made quite recently, we are still a year or two away from actually getting to see Manganiello bring this epic character to life on the big screen.
However, we were given a first look at his costume in that post-credits scene in the Justice League, in which he appeared alongside a newly escaped Lex Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg), something which also teased the introduction of not just Deathstroke to the DC Cinematic Universe, but also the Legion of Doom, which is incredibly exciting.
While only time will tell if Manganiello’s debut into such a huge action franchise will be a success, one thing has become quite clear, and that is that the expansion of the DC Cinematic Universe, despite a few hiccups, is finally starting to get rolling, and the avenues opening up are very promising.
First Deathstroke, then Legion of Doom, the possibilities are truly endless and could mean that DC could actually pose some very real box office competition for Marvel in the upcoming years. Better competition in the superhero movie market leads to better movies for all of us, and the real winners here, are us!
