Suicide Squad may feature yet-another classic villain – none other than Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke.
He’s a fan favourite amongst DC comic book readers, but Deathstroke is yet to make the transition to the big screen. Originally a villain from the Teen Titans, he’s since faced off against Batman and the Green Arrow.
And now it looks as though he may go up against the Suicide Squad.
According to some new rumours over at JoBlo, the upcoming Suicide Squad will feature Deathstroke… and he could be played by Joe Manganiello or Jason Clarke.
“Deathstroke is indeed in the film,” they revealed. “Although Joe Manganiello is the first choice for the role, Jason Clarke also being considered. Apparently, director David Ayer has been trying to ‘get his own people’ on the project as much as possible.”
Of course, Joe Manganiello is best known for the role of Alcide Herveaux in the hit TV drama, True Blood. But he’s also worked with Suicide Squad director David Ayer on the recent Schwarzenegger movie, Sabotage.
And then there’s the small matter of his comic book movie forays…
It may not be a major role, but Manganiello appeared as Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series, in both the first and third instalments. But could this be his chance to suit up in a major comic book role?
Perhaps… but it’s not going to be an easy ride. After all, it looks as though Deathstroke may end up going head-to-head with the Suicide Squad themselves.
“Deathstroke will be a ‘hired assassin that is competing with the Suicide Squad’,” they revealed, re-iterating that he’s “not part of the team or a bodyguard as has been previously rumoured.”
Of course, that would put Managaniello up against the likes of Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. But Deathstroke won’t be the only classic DC figure they encounter.
“The Joker ‘is scarred all over his body because of his battles with Batman’,” they reveal. “He continually ‘plays mind games with people and twists [their] minds’. We’ve already heard that he’s very much inspired by Hannibal Lecter in that sense and our source indicates that ‘everyone is afraid of him’.”
And that’s not all – it looks as though Batman and The joker will already have some history by the time Suicide Squad comes around… and that could lead to a Ben Affleck cameo.
“Apparently, Batman ‘is mentioned in the script and even shown on surveillance cameras’ with Amanda Waller ‘after him for something’. As for an actual appearance from Affleck himself, that’s said to be dependent on his schedule, so it’s not set in stone, but certainly a good possibility.”
It’s certainly starting to look as though Suicide Squad will help introduce the wider aspects of DC’s comic book universe onto the big screen… and help connect the dots between heroes and villains.
And perhaps that’s a good thing. After all, the wider cinema audience likely don’t know who half of these characters even are.
I can’t help thinking that if these rumours turn out to be true, it’s a rather neat way of introducing various heroes and villains. But will it work on the big screen? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Suicide Squad heads to cinemas on 5 August 2016.
Do you think Suicide Squad should feature Deathstroke? Will he become a regular in the DC Cinematic Universe? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
