Is Deathstroke the villain in the standalone Batman movie? (Update)

By Rick Marshall Updated August 31, 2016

deathstroke — DC Comics

It’s all but confirmed that DC Comics mega-villain Darkseid and his henchman Steppenwolf will be the antagonists of the upcoming Justice League team-up movie, but now it appears that there could be another bad guy in the mix, too.

Batman actor Ben Affleck, who’s currently on the London set of Justice League, posted a brief video on Twitter that appears to show popular DC Comics villain Deathstroke — who played a major role in The CW’s Arrow television series — suited up for his big-screen debut. The video wasn’t accompanied by any caption, so Affleck is clearly intending to let fans speculate on what it could mean for the DC Comics cinematic universe.

Recommended Videos

Update 8/30/2016: According to an unconfirmed report on The Wrap, Deathstroke will be the primary villain in the upcoming Batman solo movie that Ben Affleck is writing and directing, reportedly titled “The Batman.” It’s uncertain whether the footage posted by Affleck will appear in the Justice League movie, the Batman solo movie, or is simply a screen test for the character, and the. actor portraying Deathstroke in the video has not been identified.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

https://t.co/0NsNzCtGip

— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) August 29, 2016

Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Deathstroke is one of the greatest mercenaries of the DC Comics universe, having been subjected to a secret military experiment that gave him enhanced strength, agility, and other attributes. These abilities, combined with his formidable tactical genius and martial arts skills, have given him the ability to go toe-to-toe with Batman and other superheroes over the years, and occasionally defeat them in battle.

Deathstroke’s real name is Slade Wilson (a name that served as the not-too-subtle inspiration for Marvel’s own popular mercenary, Deadpool, also known as Wade Wilson), and the character recently served as a featured villain in the Arrow television series across several seasons, with Spartacus actor Manu Bennett portraying him.

It’s unknown whether Affleck’s video is connected with Justice League — which is currently filming in London — or the upcoming Batman solo movie that Affleck is likely to write, direct, and star in for Warner Bros. Pictures. There’s also a chance that the scene featured in Affleck’s video could be from the mid- or post-credits sequence for Justice League (which would be quite the spoiler).

Directed by Zack Snyder (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Justice League will hit theaters November 17, 2017.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Entertainment

10 cool things to know about Ben Affleck’s canceled Batman movie

Batman looking up in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

Before director Matt Reeves introduced a new vision of Gotham City in The Batman, Ben Affleck was set to helm the film based on a script he wrote centered around his version of Bruce Wayne in the DC Extended Universe. But as Affleck dealt with health issues and lost interest in directing the project and playing Batman, Reeves, and Warner Bros. continued steering in a different direction until an entirely new cinematic universe came to fruition with Robert Pattinson playing the Dark Knight.

Though the final cut of The Batman is arguably one of the best films about the Caped Crusader, many "Snyderverse" fans can't stop wanting to see what could've been. And while Affleck seems happy and healthy, having hung up his cape and cowl, one can't help but want to see his canceled film based on the many cool things that have been revealed over the years.
Deathstroke is the villain

Entertainment

Like DC’s The Flash? Then watch these great superhero movies

The Flash in promo art for the Flashpoint Paradox.

Though it might not be the revolutionary movie for the superhero genre that some were expecting, director Andy Muschietti and DC Studios' The Flash is a solid, fun adventure and primer for the upcoming DCU that continues the trend of comic book movies playing around with the multiverse concept.

And if fans are still itching to get their sci-fi superhero fix after watching it, there's a solid catalog of movies to stream. Within the DC Comics corner of the genre, animated gems like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and live-action classics like Batman hold up well. On the other side of the "Big Two," Marvel's latest animated blockbuster, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is another must-watch.
Batman (1989)

Entertainment

Every version of The Flash movie that didn’t happen

The Flash runs in Flashpoint, a DC comic event.

The Flash starring Ezra Miller is a massive superhero adventure that serves as a finale to the troubled DC Extended Universe series of films that began with Man of Steel. In keeping with the current trend in comic book movies, it’s a multiversal mash-up in which the Scarlet Speedster teams up with a version of himself from an alternate timeline while encountering an assortment of characters from both within and outside of the DCEU.
Oddly enough, someone could easily populate a robust Flash multiverse consisting only of versions of this movie that were never made. The Flash was in development hell for ages, with a plethora of totally distinct commissioned scripts and a parade of directors attached before the final Andy Muschietti version was produced. We hopped on our own Cosmic Treadmill to revisit some of these Flash movies that never were.

1980s: The discarded Flash script that launched Jeph Loeb’s comics career