Collider recently sat down with Arrow’s writer and executive producer Marc Guggenheim who revealed how he convinced DC Comics to let him use Deathstroke again in the series. In the past, DC has asked the producers of Arrow several times to kill off their characters that they are going to use in film. For example, Arrow had been building up their own Suicide Squad until DC told them to disband it so they could create a live action film. Now, it seems that Deathstroke’s fate has changed and Marc Guggenheim tells us what to expect:
“It was a function of… you know, DC control these characters. We went through a period where DC was like, ‘We’ve got plans for Deathstroke that don’t include Arrow.’ That changed at the end of this year.”
Guggenheim then continues on how he convinced DC to let the show use Deathstroke, telling them that for season 6 of Arrow he would be having a big arc, but they still need to “operate within the requirements of DC.”
Last year, Joe Manganiello was cast as Deathstroke and was expected to appear in this year’s Justice League film and be the villain of The Batman. Then, when Ben Affleck stepped down as its director and Matt Reeves took on the project, he says that the film would be starting from scratch. It’s a possibility that Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke may not appear in Justice League and The Batman and this may be the reason why Manu Bennett’s Deathstroke is back in Arrow.
Over the summer, Joe Manganiello told the Hollywood Reporter that he knows that DC has plans for him but didn’t give any specifications as to what exactly those plans would be.
Justice League is set to open this November 17 on theaters worldwide.
Arrow returns to the CW on October 12.
