DIFFERENT STROKE
Meet Joe Manganiello, Batman’s new nemesis...
Meet the man playing Batman’s next Big Bad, Deathstroke.
“My first job in Hollywood was with Sam Raimi in Spider-Man and I was the one who didn’t get to have superpowers, so it’s come full circle for me,” smiles Joe Manganiello. He’s right, too. He may have got his start as Peter Parker’s high-school nemesis Flash Thompson in Raimi’s 2002 Webslinger film but he’ll cement his place in the cinematic comics universe as Slade Wilson, aka Bat-baddie Deathstroke, in the Dark Knight’s upcoming solo flick, The Batman.
“It’s an interesting character,” says Manganiello. “He’s somewhat of the flip-side of the coin from Batman. Bruce Wayne had a traumatic experience that triggered his evolution into vigilante, swearing that it’d never happen again. Conversely, Slade Wilson had a traumatic experience involving a family member that triggered his morphing into this ruthless murderer. There’s a fine line between these two characters and how easily one could move across the line to the other. “It’s an interesting psychological exploration,” adds Manganiello. “They’re two men encased in armour fighting for very different causes.” How is he feeling about going toe-to-toe with Batfleck? Pretty good, apparently. “I loved Darth Vader,” recalls Manganiello of his childhood, “there’s something about the power, fear and intimidation that those characters created”. And what about the intense level of secrecy that comes with a project like this? “Well, I spent five years on True Blood so I’m no stranger to that,” he grins. “What it does do is add this level of excitement and I’m very happy to be back in front of the Comic-Con crowd who I consider my people. I’m happy to be working towards something they’ll enjoy.”
The Batman is set for release in 2019.