James Gunn Teases Deathstroke DCU Future Plans

One of the most recognizable villains from DC Comics, Deathstroke, may be making a victorious comeback in James Gunn's redesigned DC Universe (DCU). With David Corenswet playing the title character, Superman, Gunn is now hard at work on his relaunch of the Superman franchise, which is more than halfway through production. Nevertheless, the filmmaker still has time to reply to certain fans' inquiries on social media about the direction of DC movies.

The director's preferred Q&A site at the moment is Instagram, where he recently used it to cryptically answer a fan's question on Deathstroke's potential for the big screen. A plethora of new projects have been revealed for the DCU's "Gods and Monsters" debut slate. Several of these films and television series may include the well-known mercenary. He hasn't, however, made an official announcement for any of them.

In a recent post, a fan pleaded with the filmmaker to "please wink if you have plans for Deathstroke, I am waiting for my boy to shine for so long." Gunn responded with a winking face emoji in a clear and straightforward message.

In his 2021 reboot of The Suicide Squad, which is a reimagining of David Ayer's critically acclaimed 2016 version, Gunn has said that he is a huge admirer of the character and that he almost utilized him. Gunn revealed a list of characters who were eventually removed from The Suicide Squad in a since-deleted tweet (via ComicBook.com) from 2021. The message said, "When I first considered taking the job of writing #TheSuicideSquad, I kept a file folder of characters I was considering." These are just a few (of many) that were eliminated (for the time being!). Notable (and unique) villains including Mr. Freeze, Solomon Grundy, KG Beast, Man-Bat, Livewire, Chemo, Killer Frost, and Black Spider were on the list in addition to Deathstroke.

Where in the DC Universe Might Deathstroke Make An Appearance?

When Deathstroke from Manganiello made a comeback to the big screen, it was not without its challenges. Technically, Manganiello has portrayed the character twice: first at the close of the 2017 Justice League, and once again (although with a somewhat bigger part) in Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2021. After his debut in the 2017 edition, Deathstroke was supposed to have a stand-alone film. But in the end, this idea was abandoned. In addition, the role was supposed to reappear in a stand-alone Batman film starring Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader. After undergoing a number of revisions, Matt Reeves' The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, was the final result.

As previously mentioned, Slade Wilson/Deathstroke may feature in a number of forthcoming DC projects. Due to their shared lack of strength and affiliation with the League of Shadows, the character and Batman are most closely related. He could make an appearance in Batman: Brave and the Bold, which also has a narrative mainly centered on the League of Shadows and marks the big screen debut of Damien Wayne, Bruce Wayne's son. Because of his relationship with Batman, Deathstroke may possibly feature in the next Teen Titans film.

Alternatively, Deathstroke may make a comeback on television. Given that Slade Wilson has often collaborated with Amanda Waller, he might appear in both Peacemaker Season 2 and the future Waller series. At this point, it's unclear whether Manganiello will ever reprise his role as Slade Wilson.