Ben Affleck’s ‘The Batman’ Included Batgirl vs Deathstroke Fight

According to Joe Manganiello, aka Deathstroke, Ben Affleck’s The Batman included a fight between Batgirl and Deathstroke.

The DCEU is presently in a transformation phase as the franchise welcomes the concept of the multiverse. Initial projects from the Snyderverse era may have already attained their end, with Zack Snyder’s Justice League performing as the last hurrah of the core plotline that the director is trying to fulfill.

However, one of the forenamed projects from the Snyderverse that didn’t see the daylight was Ben Affleck’s solo film as Batman. The movie was intended to follow the crime-fighting past of the seasoned DC veteran in Gotham while also deep-diving into the character’s internal battle of serving as a hero.

Deathstroke actor Joe Manganiello recently interviewed for the Phase Zero podcast from Comicbook.com to talk about the DCEU. One of the topics that were debated over was the initially planned Batman film from Ben Affleck.

Deathstroke Actor Reveals Batgirl's Cameo in Batman Movie — Batgirl

The actor disclosed that Batgirl was presumed to make her DCEU debut in the film, where the hero “jumps in to try and help Bruce [Wayne]” against Deathstroke.

“There was like a big huge showdown, I think, between Batgirl…Batgirl jumps in to try and help Bruce because Deathstroke is so fast. He can anticipate Bruce’s movements.”
Joe Manganiello

Manganiello shared that the Caped Crusader is “completely afraid” of Deathstroke because “he met someone who can take him.” After that, Manganiello complimented Affleck’s Batman film on being a “real-life psychological thriller:”

“There was this huge fight in Gotham City where Batman is completely afraid because he met someone who can take him, and that leads to this big climactic battle through the streets of Gotham in the end. It’s like a real-life psychological thriller with Deathstroke. He was like a horror movie, like a shark, kind of like Jaws.”
Joe Manganiello

Though Manganiello doesn’t indicate which version of Batgirl would appear, Barbara Gordon is the best-known person to carry the title.

The idea of Batgirl emerging in The Batman is an intriguing new tidbit about Affleck’s and the DCEU’s plans. Affleck never disclosed that members of the Bat-Family would appear in his movie. His Batman already lost one sidekick when Joker killed Robin in the past. The inclusion of Batgirl could have been a way for Bruce to evaluate his past mistakes.