While he lost the role of Deathstroke after the DCEU shifted into the DC Universe under James Gunn, Joe Manganiello entered the superhero universe as Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy.
The actor is open to revisiting his Marvel character if he comes back as Agent Venom in a future movie. He told ComicBook.com:
“Would I love to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I mean, sure. Of course, it’d be fun in the right project. I heard Sam Raimi’s doing ‘Secret Wars,’ is that right? I don’t know, man. I don’t [know] much about [Agent Venom]; I’d imagine that’d be over at Sony. It would be very funny to come back that way.”
He Wants His DC Villain Back Too
Beyond Marvel, Manganiello expresses a desire to return to the DC fold, specifically in the role of Deathstroke. Debuting in a post-credits scene of ‘Justice League,’ the actor faced disappointment as the cinematic universe underwent a reboot and scrapped his part. He shared:
“Deathstroke origin as a series on HBO Max. Absolutely. I think it’d be such a fun series, and people would absolutely love it, and there’s not a lot like it out there right now. It would have its own tone and its own place within the universe. I think it would be very fun and tonally very unique.”
The Actor’s Part As Deathstroke Was Brief
Originally set to pave the way for Deathstroke’s antagonistic role in Ben Affleck’s canceled ‘Batman’ solo project, Joe Manganiello’s post-credits scene couldn’t make it big among fans. After initial attempts to include the character in the DCEU, Manganiello had nearly given up hope for his future.
In a chat with Entertainment Tonight, he said:
“Once ‘Batman’ got canceled, I kind of wrote it off and thought, ‘This is over.’ I had actually shifted gears and started working on the studio on an origin film for Deathstroke that also didn’t happen. So, for me, I just let it go. And then two weeks before ‘Justice League’ came out theatrically [in 2017], I got a call from one of the executives who said, ‘By the way, we’ve retooled the scene, and it’s back in at the end to advertise a ‘Justice League 2.””
The DC Universe is set to launch in 2025 with ‘Superman: Legacy,’ while the MCU continues its Multiverse Saga, featuring the highly anticipated ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ films in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
