While many Hollywood celebrities have been part of a superhero franchise like Marvel or DC, a handful of actors have had the opportunity to explore characters in both worlds. While Christian Bale and Ben Affleck come to mind immediately as stars who have played characters in both franchises, Joe Manganiello is also a member of this elite club.
The Kill Room star is instantly recognizable for his character Deathstroke in the DCEU. Long before this gig though, Manganiello was also a Marvel alum way back in 2002 when he starred as Flash Thompson in Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. The actor also revealed that he was almost in line to be part of the MCU, but unfortunately had to turn it down due to irreversible circumstances.
Why Joe Manganiello Had To Sacrifice His MCU Offer
In the DCEU, Joe Manganiello is a well-known face for his role as Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke in the Justice League films. The actor has also been part of the Marvel franchise when he took on the character of Flash Thompson, Peter Parker’s relentless bully and a huge fan of Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s 2002 film Spider-Man.
Flash Thompson eventually transforms into the superhero Agent Venom in the comics after he loses both his legs in the war . When asked if this was ever a possibility that was discussed for the screen, Manganiello definitively denied that it was on the cards. But the Magic Mike actor revealed that he was almost in line to becoming a star in the MCU when Taika Waititi had him in mind for the Thor films. Manganiello unfortunately could not accept the offer and spoke to ComicBook about why he had to turn it down.
“Years ago, Taika Waititi wanted me for one of the Thor movies and I couldn’t do it . It was impossible for me scheduling-wise to do it at the end of the day. But that would have been my reappearance back into the Marvel Universe. But I couldn’t do it.”
While the nature of the MCU character that was offered to the star is not known, fans of Manganiello would have loved to see him in a brand new Marvel avatar after Flash Thomson more than 2 decades ago.
2024 Could Be MCU’s Big Year Of Success
Marvel Studios and the MCU have had a mixed year at the box office in 2023. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 related to audiences across the world, the failure of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels dashed the franchise’s chances of ending the year on a high note. Nevertheless, 2024 is already looking promising for the MCU with a lot of hopes pinned on Deadpool 3 to deliver a knockout punch.
In Disney-Marvel collaboration news, a press release detailed all the television shows that will be released on Disney+ in 2024. Among them is Echo which is already on air from the 10th of January, while Agatha: Darkhold Diaries and the animated revival series X-Men ‘97 will also premier sometime this year.
With a few more Marvel animated series having completed production and awaiting release, 2024 may just be the MCU’s big year after the last few mediocre outings on the big screen. But the huge responsibility rests on the bulky shoulders of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool 3.
