Villains always play an important role in any story, including those involving the superheroes of DC Comics. For the new Batman movie, actor Ben Affleck picked Deathstroke to be the film’s villain.
Interestingly, it is not just Affleck who prefers Deathstroke. Comicbook/dc pointed out that Deathstroke, or Slade Wilson, is a favorite villain of many DC comics fans. Wilson was introduced as the enemy of the Teen Titans and eventually became the villain of a lot of heroes in DC universe.
Affleck based his choice of Deathstroke on an instinctive feeling that Wilson would match up against Batman well. “I’m a big admirer of that character as well, especially in the New 52 the way that they did Deathstroke, and I thought that it could work,” said the actor.
The villain’s enhanced powers, courtesy of the military, have made Deathstroke a frequent nemesis of Batman in the comics. Affleck disclosed that the new “Batman” movie would focus on the New 52 version of Deathstroke wherein fans would meet him after his glory days are over, forcing him to suit up again to protect his villainous legacy.
Since Batman has become jaded because of his superhero past, pitting Deathstroke – who has become world-weary – would make it even between the two main characters. Besides the superhero movie, Deathstroke would likely be seen in “Justice League,” based on a recent teaser from director Zack Synder.
Affleck has tentatively titled the film “The Batman,” but added it could change with the evolution of the script. He is the writer, director and star of the standalone Batman film. Cnet acknowledged the difficulty of coming up with a compelling title for a Batman film since it finds “The Caped Crusader” too cheesy and “Gotham Knight” trite because it had been used in Batman films that starred Christian Bale.
Previous reports said the role of Deathstroke would go to 39-year-old actor Joe Manganiello. While Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes stated that the movie was a year and a half out, Bewkes was unclear if he was referring to a production or release date which has not been officially announced.
