This Upcoming DC Movie Can Finally Fix a Decades-Old Problem With Two Iconic Villains

The DC Universe will feature several iconic DC Comics heroes and villains, and this extends beyond the trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It would seem that one upcoming film project will feature two major villains from the comics. Given DC Studios head James Gunn’s plans to do justice to the various characters owned by DC, this new movie might help redeem said villains on the big screen.

Bane and Deathstroke are both major characters in the comics, but their adaptations have been largely lacking over the years. This is due to various issues, namely one of Slade Wilson’s first major adaptations being notably toned down from the source material. Perhaps most importantly, it can separate the nascent DC Universe from another shared universe of DC projects.

Bane Was Poorly Handled in the Most Infamous Batman Movie

First Appearance: Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan

Bane is most well-known as the villain from the “Knightfall” event in the comics, with the antagonist succeeding in wearing down Batman and eventually breaking his back in a grievous fight. Though Bane was noted for his immense strength, which was courtesy of both intense training and the super steroid known as Venom, it was his keen tactical mind that allowed him to defeat the Caped Crusader like no other villain ever had. This success saw him become a prominent part of the comics from then on, but this depth was sadly not seen in his most notorious adaptation.

Four years after his debut in the comics, Bane appeared in the 1997 movie Batman & Robin. This film was the last of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman movie franchise, and it cemented the campy turn in the series that predecessor Batman Forever had started. In the film, Bane was a lackey of Poison Ivy, and his only real element of note was his Venom-induced strength. This Venom made him into a hulking dullard, which was the complete opposite of his sharp intellect in the comics.

The change was one of several elements that were despised in the film, with the critical failure of Batman & Robinending the Batman movies and superhero films as a whole for a few years. In 2012, 15 years after the infamy of Batman & Robin, Bane was adapted as the chief villain in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. This was an altered take on the character to fit the grounded tone of the Nolan series, with Venom instead loosely adapted as a respirator mask that Bane wore.

Tom Hardy’s portrayal of the villain was praised by many, and he would ironically go on to portray Eddie Brock/Venom in Sony’s live-action Venom series. Still, it wasn’t truly the same Bane from the comics, even if it was a drastic improvement over Batman & Robin. In many ways, that film still haunts Bane in the same way that it does the villainous Mr. Freeze, which is why the upcoming DC Studios project is a boon for him.

Deathstroke Is Almost Never Adapted Well

First Appearance: The New Teen Titans #2 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez

Deathstroke the Terminator is one of the main enemies of the Teen Titans, with the villainous antihero having set his sights on them in revenge for his oldest son’s death in the past. Afterward, he eventually became something of an ally to them who simply operated as a violent vigilante, though he soon returned to outright villainy. He was once a soldier named Slade Wilson, but an experimental procedure made him into a superhuman weapon who soon plied his trade as a mercenary. Despite his success on the battlefield, his dealings with his family are largely dysfunctional, with one incident resulting in his son Joseph Wilson being mutilated and made mute.

Even though Deathstroke has been one of the biggest and most popular DC villains since his 1980s debut, his adaptations have been somewhat lacking. His first two live-action incarnations were on the Superman shows Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and the prequel series Smallville, with these both being Deathstroke/Slade Wilson in name only. In fact, the latter only referred to the Deathstroke moniker in an almost tongue in cheek manner. His most notable appearance outside the comics was in the 2003 Teen Titans animated series, but the censorship of that show (which was meant for a younger audience than other DC cartoons) saw him only referred to as Slade.

Likewise, his backstory and general motivations were either ignored or greatly altered. Instead of a somewhat villainous mercenary with a strict code of honor, Slade was a generic “take over the world” villain who had little in common with the comics besides a first name, his costume and Billy Wintergreen being his butler. The Arrowverse also had an altered take on Deathstroke that connected him with Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow in the TV series Arrow. There, his superhuman physical powers were the result of his being injected with Mirakuru (an adaptation of the Miraclo that the Justice Society member Hourman uses in the comics), with this drug also changing his personality.

He was also changed to Australian, but a lot of his backstory, including his relationship with his sons, was adapted to some extent. Ironically, one of the few truly accurate versions of Deathstroke/Slade was seen in the otherwise heavily criticized Titans TV series. There, a lot of his personality from the comics was adapted, though the circumstances behind his powers and his fallout with Joseph Wilson/Jericho were changed. All in all, Deathstroke is almost never handled well beyond the source material, which the new movie can hopefully change.

The Bane and Deathstroke Film Can Parallel the Two Villains

Besides putting accurate versions of the characters on the big screen, the upcoming Bane & Deathstroke movie can use the characters’ histories in the comics for narrative depth. In “Knightfall,” Bane paralyzed Batman by breaking his back, which resulted in Jean-Paul Valley replacing Bruce Wayne as Batman.

This actually caused contention between Bruce and Nightwing, with Bruce completely neglecting to offer Dick Grayson the role of The Dark Knight. In the case of Deathstroke, he had the same effect on the Teen Titans, nearly defeating them in revenge for destroying his family. This culminated with Dick Grayson first becoming Nightwing. Add in the fact that both have been tied to the League of Assassins and their superhuman abilities, and it’s clear that Deathstroke and Bane have a lot in common.

These similar lives could be used to parallel the characters on the big screen, even if Bane and Deathstroke feel that they have nothing in common. Likewise, if these bits of backstory are used, they can showcase the long history and legacy of the DC Universe. That’s something that James Gunn has stated is the overall theme and goal of the new DCU, which will be more accurate to the source material than the previous DC Extended Universe.

There are already Batman and Teen Titans projects planned for the DCU, with the movie featuring Bane and Deathstroke perhaps acting as a spinoff to both of these. This is an interesting and unique form of world-building for the shared universe, though it also hinges on what universe the new movie is set in.

Is Bane & Deathstroke in the DCU?

News is still scarce on the recently-announced Bane & Deathstroke movie, and it’s not even confirmed as to the exact nature of the film. The project was announced as involving both the “Batman villains,” though this description is woefully inaccurate in the case of Deathstroke the Terminator. This wording, however, gives the possibility that it takes place in Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe. Given how grounded this universe is and its focus on being an “epic crime drama,” however, this is highly unlikely.

Variants of Deathstroke and Bane could arguably work in such a world, but they would probably have to be changed to some degree. Overall, both of these foes would fit much better in the new DC Universe, since it will be more accurate to the comics as a whole. As noted, this project can be used to expand the mythos of both Batman and the Teen Titans in the DC Universe. This would match how the chronology of the DCU is already established, so to speak. James Gunn’s 2025 Superman movie isn’t an origin story, with David Corenswet’s version of the Man of Steel having been active by the time the movie begins.

World-building projects are a good way to cover a lot of ground and get viewers up to speed without wasting time. It has to be handled carefully, so as to keep from repeating the mistakes of the DCEU, but it will also mean that the new universe isn’t merely a repeat of the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula. Doing so will hopefully allow the DCU to be successful and go on for years to come. Of course, the best part of this success will be seeing characters such as Bane and Deathstroke finally adapted well.