Zack Snyder’s Justice League: How The Snyder Cut Will Use Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke

Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke

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With February now in the rear view, Zack Snyder's Justice League has never felt more real. The Snyder Cut will finally hit HBO Max later this month, revealing the director's epic four-hour vision for the blockbuster. Plenty of characters will be changed, including Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke. And Snyder recently teased how the upcoming streaming event will utilize the Batman villain.

Deathstroke popped up at the tail end of Justice League's theatrical cut. This was done to set up a sequel as well as the character's appearance in Ben Affleck's Batman movie. Joe Manganiello participated in reshoots for the Snyder Cut, and fans are eager to see how he'll factor into the new story. Zack Snyder recently spoke about Deahstroke's presence in his movie, revealing:

When we find him, clearly he and Batman have struck some sort of a deal and they have a bit of a partnership. There's a bigger enemy, I guess. They're not locked in mortal combat. They're actually working together to try to figure out how to make this world work.

Well, this is interesting. While Deathstroke is one of Batman's most deadly rogues from the comics, it looks like he might be working with Gotham's Protector in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Luckily we won't have to wait much longer to see how this all shakes out.

Zack Snyder's comments from his appearance at IGN Fan Fest are sure to inspire new fan theories, and buoy anticipation for the Snyder Cut's upcoming release. While fans were eager to see more of Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke, he wasn't expected to actually interact with Batman throughout the movie's runtime. But Snyder is bringing a very different narrative than the Justice League we saw in theaters, and that extends to the cycloptic DC villain.

Zack Snyder's Justice League will be available exclusively on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

It's currently unclear exactly how much screen time Joe Manganiello will get in Zack Snyder's Justice League. While he was only featured very briefly at the coda of the theatrical cut, his participation in reshoots opens new doors. Deathstroke didn't make it into the movie's official trailer, which you can see below.

Deathstroke's inclusion is just one of many concepts that Zack Snyder is adding to his version of Justice League. The filmmaker was doing a ton of world-building, planting narrative seeds for both a sequel and various spinoffs. While many of these concepts have since been abandoned by the studio, we'll finally get to see where Snyder was hoping to drive the greater DC Extended Universe.

As many of us know, Zack Snyder departed the set of Justice League in the midst of filming due to a family tragedy. Joss Whedon stepped in to complete the project in time for its intended theatrical release, but greatly altered its contents after extensive reshoots. Calls for the Snyder Cut began shortly after the movie was released in 2017, so it's been a long time coming.

Zack Snyder's Justice League will arrive on HBO Max on March 18th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.