As some of you may have seen around the internets, a few weeks ago Ben Affleck posted the following video to his Facebook page. No context. No further info. Just this video…
Cue the internet going nuts. Rumours, theories, and other wild speculation.
We now have some confirmation from Geoff Johns (DC God… least I think that’s his official title…) that True Blood’s Joe Manganiello is the man behind the Deathstroke mask.
Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Deathstroke, aka Slade Wilson, first appeared on the pages of New Teen Titans in 1980. He’s an ex-solider turned assassin/mercenary with enhanced physical powers and a tactical genius due meta-human experimentation whilst in the army. Turning to mercenary work after leaving the military, he’s had run-ins with many of DC’s heroes, most notably Batman.
Joe Manganiello is probably best know for his roles in True Blood, One Tree Hill and Magic Mike, but he’s not the first actor to don the black and orange mask. Most recently, the not dissimilar looking Manu Bennett played the role on the Arrow tv series, and BSG’s Michael Hogan wore the mask back in Smallville’s 10th season.
Affleck’s solo Batman film is not expected to land before 2018, where Deathstroke is said to be a major villain. However, although it’s not confirmed, the fact this casting has been announced so far out means you can probably expect to see him to show up in some form during the Justice League movie, which is due 10th November 2017 in UK cinemas.