Ben Affleck Reveals Batman v Deathstroke In Standalone Film; What This Could Mean For The DCEU

Ben Affleck recently shared a major teaser that suggested that Deathstroke, one of the most notorious supervillains in DC Comics history, will be making his silver screen debut in the DC Extended Universe which sources have claimed will be in the standalone Batman film Affleck is directing.

The man that comic book fans around the world has come to know as Batfleck recently shared on his official Facebook account a video that sent DC Comics fans into a craze. The video showed what looked like a shot of a monitor featuring a heavily armed and armored figure in black and orange garb ominously descending from what appeared to be the compartment bay of an aircraft.

The figure is none other than the Deathstroke, a mercenary known for always getting the job done no matter what as long as he gets paid. Also known as Slade Wilson, Deathstroke is usually touted as one of the greatest martial artists in the DC universe and has proven more than a match against the Dark Knight on multiple occasions.

Though the specifics of the video were originally unclear, like from which film's production reel was it taken or if it was even real, sources for The Wrap have come forth to claim that Deathstroke will indeed be the main antagonist of the standalone Batman film that Affleck is directing. This strongly suggests that the sequence was likely a test footage from the standalone Batman film, if not Deathstroke's introductory scene in 2017's "Justice League."

The fact that Deathstroke will be given such a major importance in the DCEU is interesting; as the character has only been prominently shown in television series in both live action and animated formats. The most recent sample of the character that most fans will probably remember is Slade Wilson's appearance as the main antagonistic force of the second season of The CW's "Arrow," where he was played by Manu Bennett fought against the Emerald Archer as part of his long-brewing revenge.

Deathstroke's other prominent appearance on the small screen is as the enigmatic figure known only as Slade in the "Teen Titans" animated series, where he usually spent his time coaxing Robin, Batman's apprentice, into joining the dark side as his pupil.

As a character that has always been a bit of a wildcard, Deathstroke's appearance has almost always been a sign of much larger and deeper things in play. As a mercenary, Deathstroke showing up in a conflict usually means that someone sent him there to take advantage of the currently ensuing chaos.

Deathstroke entering the DCEU could very well mean that the writers will soon begin deviating from the formulaic practice of simply pitting the heroes against a generic world-destroying force, i.e. Zod in "Man of Steel" and Doomsday in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

Unlike the MCU's preference for self-contained stories that still somehow end up mostly interconnected, the DCEU could instead bring out one of the wide-ranging conspiracy stories the franchise known for where every turn is marked by another shadow rising that indicates deeper and darker things at the next one; Deathstroke being one of the biggest of those shadows.

If nothing else, Deathstroke being the main villain of the standalone Batman movie will at least bring it closer to the tone of Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy only with much more visceral action.