There was also a Deathstroke solo movie announced that the The Raid’s Gareth Evans would have directed, but that project ended up being scrapped.
Of course, Suicide Squad 2 wasn’t the only movie Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke was being lined up to appear in.
According to Manganiello, this was because Warner Bros felt it wasn’t a priority to make “a $40 million movie about a villain origin story in which you show the backstory,” which is ironic considering how the Joaquin Phoenix-led Joker ended up performing.
Back when The Batman was intended to be a starring vehicle for Ben Affleck’s iteration of the Caped Crusader, the one-eyed mercenary would have been the main antagonist, and the original post-credits scene for Justice League set up their conflict (as opposed to teased the formation of the Injustice League).