The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, and we've been treated to a number of DC projects in theaters and streaming with a HBO Max subscription. The new DCU is the brainchild of co-CEO James Gunn, who announced the first slate of projects titled Gods and Monsters. But some folks are still looking back at the previous DCEU, and now Joe Manganiello has joined Zack Snyder in posting some throwbacks. Although the Magic Mike actor's Deathstroke post has some fans confused about upcoming DC movies.
Snyder has been posting a ton of DCEU images lately, with his fans being encouraged to campaign for the studio to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse. Manganiello has now joined the fun, posting a clip from Justice League on Instagram. Check it out below:
You can't deny that the True Blood star looked awesome as Deathstroke. Unfortunately, he never really got his time to shine in the DCEU. The Ben Affleck Batman movie was scrapped, as was the Justice League sequels. So Manganiello's tenure as Deathstroke ended up being a few brief cameos in both version of Justice League; luckily we got a new scene thanks to the Snyder Cut's Knightmare sequence.
While there's no indication that Manganiello will return as Deathstroke in the new DCU, that hasn't stopped fans from questioning, debating, and hoping that he gets another chance opposite Ben Affleck's Batman. The comments section on his IG post are filled with these types of responses, which read:
- Still wish this was happening! - tylerkirkhamart
- Why u posting all of a sudden now. Is it RTSV? 😮 - dc_trinity_
- Joe we need you Ben and Zack to get back together and make that Batman film! - haydendbarton
- JOE WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLY PLEASE - batflck
- What going on bruh 👀 - zacksnyderfans
While some folks are clearly hoping that some of the scrapped DCEU movies get new life, the likelihood of that actually happening seems unlikely. We're still in the early stage of the new DCU, so it would be shocking if James Gunn and company went backwards to the previous shared universe. Still, that Zack Snyder's hardcore fans seem singularly focused.
In some ways this passion is understandable; the Snyder Cut being released originally seemed like a pipe dream. But fans kept the discourse going, and eventually Warner Bros. relented. Although the idea of the studio spending money to produce new projects in the scrapped shared universe is even more unlikely.
The DCEU is streaming over on HBO Max, including Joe Manganiello's brief tenure as Deathstroke. The next DC movie hitting theaters is Supergirl on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list.
