Spec: Will Deathstroke Appear In The Dark Knight?

Is this another scoop, and possibly large spoiler, for The Dark Knight originating from New York's Toy Fair? It's hard to say. A figurine for Deathstroke, a villainous mercenary, member of the Teen Titans (alongside Batgirl) and fan favorite, was recently spotted in a Mattel toy showcase for the Batman Begins sequel. Deathstroke's figure wasn't accidentally placed there, that's for sure, and over at SHH, they're told the character won't appear in the film...but that the figurine still received "Christopher Nolan's approval." Hmm.

As IESB notes, a Robin figurine was included way back when with the Batman Returns line and sparked similar controversy about a cinematic appearance. Of course, in that instance, the character did not appear. But would sources in the know 'fess up at this time if Deathstroke was in the film? A cameo would not be unlikely, as the character has given Batman some formidable trouble in the comics, due to his ability to heal abnormally fast and his fighting skill-set, and is cited on Wiki as Bruce Wayne's equal of sorts. Moreover, it'd be a great way to get fans even more abuzz, similar to newly announced cameos by Gambit and Deadpool in Marvel's X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Update: Slashfilm reader 'Matt' emailed us to say, "Great site you have; I read it almost daily. Mattel probably made one because he's going to be a character in the animated tie-in DVD, Gotham Knight."Excellent Point.Update 2: Actually, the character,Deadshot, appears in Gotham Knight, not Deathstroke, so once again, the rumor is fair game.Discuss: Would you like to see Deathstroke appear in The Dark Knight, or do you think The Joker and Two Face are enough for ol' Batsy this go 'round? And whose name overcompensates more, Deadpool's or Deathstroke's? It takes a certain chutzpah to give yourself a name usually reserved for groups of guys that play moronic hard rock. I say: Deathstroke wins, as he also goes by Deathstroke the Terminator, which is insanely verbose.