Josh Brolin makes the move over to James Gunn’s DC Universe as one of the most iconic DC Comics villains after his time as Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DCU Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters,” will mark the beginning of Gunn’s upcoming DC Universe, taking over for the DCEU after Warner Bros. Discovery ended the prior universe in 2023. As many heroes will be reimagined in interconnected live-action and animation projects, various villains from the DC lore will be recast in the upcoming continuity.

One of the most popular villains in DC Comics is Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, who has had his fair share of media appearances throughout the decades. After starring as Thanos in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, JPH_Photoshop shared new art where they depicted Brolin as Deathstroke, showing what he could look like with Slade’s costume.

While Thanos is the biggest comic book role for Brolin, the MCU veteran also played Cable in Deadpool 2 before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. Even though Brolin has yet to be hired by DC Studios, he is no stranger to the DC brand, as he portrayed the titular character in the 2010 Jonah Hex movie prior to the DCEU coming to life in 2013.

Is Deathstroke Actually Joining The DC Universe?

While time will tell if Brolin ever gets cast in the DC Universe as Deathstroke – or any character at all – Slade is, in fact, on his way. One of the things that Gunn has been doing since being appointed co-CEO of DC Studios is keeping the fans updated by debunking rumors and confirming reports while also teasing things to come. When it comes to Deathstroke, Gunn sparked some massive excitement about the famous DC villain being part of his franchise.

In mid-May, Gunn was asked by a fan on Instagram to “please wink if you have plans for Deathstroke.” It didn’t take long for Gunn to respond with a wink emoji, heavily suggesting that Deathstroke will be in the DC Universe. Since that response, Gunn hasn’t elaborated on where or when Deathstroke will show up first in the upcoming DC Universe movies and TV shows, but his impending appearance is still a subject of considerable excitement.

Deathstroke has had multiple successful live-action portrayals over the years, including Arrow and Titans, while the DCEU version only got to feature him very briefly in Justice League. With all of the Deathstroke movie plans that never came to fruition for Joe Manganiello’s iteration, the DC Universe will hopefully make up for it, as Slade could be one of the biggest power players in the franchise. But for now, time will tell when and how Deathstroke makes his DC Universe debut.

Source: JPH_Photoshop/Instagram