James Gunn says there’s one character from The Suicide Squad he’s really trying to bring back for the new DC Universe.
The DC Studios co-head and CEO admitted he’s trying to find a way to incorporate Bloodsport into the DCU.
“I definitely am always looking for a place to put Bloodsport and figuring that out. So, we’ll see what happens,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly.
Played by Idris Elba, the anti-hero appeared on screen in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, which was a box office failure — it grossed $168 million against a $185 million budget — but received great reviews from fans and critics.
Bloodsport, AKA Robert DuBois, is a mercenary known for his deadly combat skills and high-tech weaponry. He first appeared on the page in Superman #4 in 1987. The character is portrayed in the comics as a guilt-stricken Vietnam War draft evader who gets hired by Lex Luthor to assassinate Superman.
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In The Suicide Squad, Elba’s Bloodsport is portrayed as a conflicted father blackmailed by Amanda Waller into leading Task Force X in order to prevent his daughter from going to prison. His character has been serving time for shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet.
The character was last seen in the DCEU’s The Suicide Squad, but was referenced in the first episode of the first season of HBO Max’s spinoff show Peacemaker, technically making him canon to the DCU.
Elba, meanwhile, is no stranger to superhero franchises, having previously appeared as Heimdall in the MCU, the all-seeing guardian of Asgard who becomes Thor’s ally.
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Bloodsport isn’t the only The Suicide Squad character James Gunn has his eyes set on for a potential future in the DC Universe.
In the same Entertainment Weekly interview he discussed his hope to bring Bloodsport back into the fold, Gunn teased whether or not Margot Robbie will reprise her fan-favorite role as Harley Quinn in the DCU “will be revealed down the line.”
Last year, Gunn revealed on Threads that while he hadn’t “talked to Margot about Harley for a long time,” he’d “love to work with her again as Harley or as someone else.” He also shared that there were “no plans for anyone else to play Harley” outside of various animated series or Lady Gaga’s portrayal in Joker: Folie à Deux.
Meanwhile, Robbie previously expressed her encouragement for other actresses to take on the mantle of Harley Quinn.
“I always wanted Harley to be a character that would get passed on to other actresses to play, the way there are so many iconic male characters. That was always the dream for her. Harley’s so fun and can go in so many different directions. You put her in someone else’s hands, and it’s like, ‘What are they going to do with her?’ The options are endless,” the Barbie star told Variety in 2024.
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Gallery Credit: Erica Russell
