James Gunn’s new cinematic DC Universe won’t officially kick off until this December with “Creature Commando.” Still, a new film has already been added to the slate. The Hollywood Reporter claims DC Studios is moving forward with a movie starring A-list DC villains Bane and Deathstroke/Slade Wilson. The script is being written by Matthew Orton, one of the iconic writers of “Captain America: Brave New World”.
Many of DC Comics’ most popular characters are Batman villains, so they’ve been elevated from heels to stars: think of the Joker, the Penguin, and Harley Quinn, all of whom got their own character-centric shows and/or movies. Have been found. This untitled Ben & Deathstroke project is the latest in this line.
Bane, whose real name is unknown (and created by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan), is one of Batman’s deadliest villains. Growing up in a South American prison, he volunteered for a chemical testing regime and took the super-steroid Venom. In the most famous story “Knightfall”, Bane systematically takes down Batman and then “breaks the bat” by severing his spinal cord.
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The villain was last seen on screen in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises”, played by Tom Hardy.
Deathstroke, famous for his sword and half-orange/half-black mask, was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. A Vietnam War veteran turned mercenary, Wilson gains powers from a “failed” super soldier experiment. (Think about an even more evil Punisher with the powers of Captain America.)
Slade was introduced as a rival to the Teen Titans – specifically Dick Grayson/Nightwing, the former Robin – but in recent years he’s graduated from fighting the Bird to the Bat, no doubt because DC has been working on their The most popular hero wanted to take on one of the biggest villains. Joe Manganiello intended to play the main villain Deathstroke in “The Batman”, starring and directed by Ben Affleck, but it never happened.
Bane and Deathstroke are both chemically enhanced super soldiers who have the intelligence to match their strength. If they don’t kill each other first it’s a natural team-up.
Why are Deathstroke and Bane coming together?
With the project just announced, very little has been revealed about this Bane and Deathstroke team-up, even its title. However, looking back reveals that the project is not as old as it may seem.
Dave Bautista, who played Drax the Destroyer in Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films at Marvel Studios, had previously expressed interest in playing Bane. He said in January 2023 that he also met with Gunn to discuss playing the role of Bane, but that the director would be inclined towards a younger actor. Now that we know Gunn has big plans for Bane, that meeting makes sense; He wasn’t just making fun of his friend.
As for what comic stories, if any, will the film be based on? The answer may be Gail Simone’s “Secret Six.” That series features a group of six supervillains: Bane, Deadshot, Catman, Rag Doll, Scandal Savage, and Banshee Janet. Simone’s comics touch the heart but also contain a lot of humor. His sensibilities are similar to Gunn’s, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a fan. If this film involves Simon’s Secret Six, then perhaps Deathstroke will take the place of Deadshot, who was and will be more associated with the Suicide Squad.
No release date has been decided yet for the Bane and Deathstroke film.
