Was there meant to be a The Suicide Squad Deathstroke appearance in the movie? The popular DC Comics mercenary was established in the DCEU in the post-credits Justice League Deathstroke scene, played by Joe Manganiello, with an expanded appearance in this year’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Even more surprising, it looks like in Suicide Squad 2 Deathstroke was actually replaced by Idris Elba’s Bloodsport.
Was The Suicide Squad Deathstroke replaced with Bloodsport?
It certainly looks like Deathstroke/Slade Wilson (Joe Manganiello) was originally supposed to be the central character of The Suicide Squad, as the leader of the movie’s Team Two in place of Bloodsport/Robert DuBois (Idris Elba). It is possible he was replaced when Idris Elba was cast. This was discovered thanks to some concept art in some behind-the-scenes shots spotted by @DCverso1 on Twitter, which clearly shows Deathstroke in place of Bloodsport alongside Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2. Given that the line-up and image of Team Two coming out of the ocean is identical to the final movie, Deathstroke being dropped may have been a relatively late decision.
Interessante! #TheSuicideSquad
Em novas artes conceituais do filme, podemos ver que o Deathstroke estava sendo considerado para liderar o Esquadrão Suicida ao invés do Bloodsport. pic.twitter.com/Jib3xgKw6K
— DCVERSO (@DCverso1) August 10, 2021
Manganiello has spoken previously about the various ways his appearance in Justice League’s end credits scene was supposed to spin into other movies, such as Justice League 2, Ben Affleck’s cancelled The Batman movie, and of course, Suicide Squad 2. James Gunn also confirmed last month that Deathstroke was considered for The Suicide Squad during the writing phase, which may have got further than he lets on.
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1411386518103461893
The Suicide Squad is currently showing in theaters worldwide and is available to stream on HBO Max. While Deathstroke is not in the movie, it is still possible he could return in the upcoming spin-off series based on Peacemaker (John Cena), which was teased in The Suicide Squad’s post-credits scene — or possibly even in the inevitable Suicide Squad 3 sequel.
