Another big DC Comics villain is getting included with the introduction of Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke in Zack Snyder's Justice League. One of the big characters that were going to be introduced into the DCEU was Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke, a main foe of the Teen Titans and a rival of Batman. While Manganiello's character did appear in 2017's Justice League, it was never in the way that Zack Snyder had intended him to debut. In the theatrical cut that was overseen by Joss Whedon, Slade pops up at the very end for a very brief appearance with Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor.
The Snyder Cut will see a lot more of the version of Deathstroke that both Manganiello and the director have spoken about. Before The Batman became a reboot that stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, the project was going to be following Ben Affleck's Dark Knight. The Snyder Cut's introduction of Deathstroke would have also led to Manganiello reprising the role in Affleck's movie. But with Matt Reeves taking over to reimagine Batman outside the DCEU, Deathstroke's future after the Snyder Cut remains a mystery. Slade will also be involved with the Knightmare storyline that will be seen in Justice League, making it even clearer how the Snyder Cut is a whole different thing from the 2017 version.
While Slade will be a big debut for the Snyder Cut, the character is also acting as a tease to another infamous Batman villain. Most promotional material of Deathstroke in Justice League has included his traditional black-and-orange costume. However, for the Knightmare arc, Slade will have his own future look that is more black-and-grey than his other armor. But it turns out that Slade's sword is a major Easter egg for one of Batman's most formidable enemies in the comics. After speculations about the logo on his sword alluding to Ra's al Ghul, Manganiello confirmed that it's indeed teasing the League of Assassins leader.
It's unclear what the dynamic between Deathstroke and Ra's is like in the DCEU since the latter hasn't appeared on screen thus far. Why Slade would have Ra's symbol on his sword suggests either he got it from him or even that this version of Deathstroke is associated with the League of Assassins. It would make sense though for the two villains to have a working relationship given their conflicts with Batman. Had Affleck's franchise become a thing, that would have been an organic place to explore a potential history between those two DC villains.
But since the logo is spotted on Deathstroke's sword, it definitely confirms that Ra's would have factored into Snyder's DCEU. Because this version of Bruce has been Batman for a very long time, he's very likely to have crossed paths with Ra's and the League of Assassins multiple times. While it won't do much for the character in Zack Snyder's Justice League, it's still cool to know that this Deathstroke has some past with Ra's al Ghul.
