In The Suicide Squad, Idris Elba plays the role of Bloodsport, a minor villain in DC Comics. Elba’s character is just one of over a dozen DC characters to make appearances in James Gunn’s first DCEU movie.
Though technically a continuation of the first movie, The Suicide Squad is being treated more like a fresh start and less like a proper sequel, hence the title. Gunn’s take on the government-sanctioned supervillain team from DC Comics includes only four characters from its predecessor, with those being Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney). The rest of the cast is filled out by brand-new additions to the DCEU, with most (but not all) of these characters being villains who have never been used in live-action before. Not unlike his approach to the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, James Gunn relied on underutilized, underappreciated, and forgotten characters from DC Comics’ library. Among the ones chosen were obscure villains like Polka-Dot Man, Weasel, Calendar Man, Blackguard, and Savant.
Arguably one of the most important characters in the film is Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, who serves as a replacement for Will Smith’s Deadshot, since the latter actor wasn’t available. It was made clear early on that similar to Smith’s character, Elba’s Bloodshot would be integral to the plot. That was indicated by him being at the forefront of the action in the trailers and all the marketing. Like most of the others featured in the cast, Bloodsport isn’t an A or even a B-list villain, but he has had some notable moments in the source material. Here’s who Bloodsport is in both DC Comics and Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
Bloodsport first joined the DC Universe in the pages of Superman #4, released in 1987. It was established early in his comic book history that before taking the “Bloodsport” codename, he was just Robert DuBois, a Vietnam War draft dodger with a tragic past. Due to guilt over his brother serving in his place and losing all his limbs, DuBois became mentally unstable, thus enabling him to be easily brainwashed and manipulated by Lex Luthor, who used his resources to transform him into a highly-trained assassin with a desire to kill Superman. Despite not possessing any real superpowers of his own, Bloodsport proved to be a real challenge for Kal-El, thanks in large part to a device that allows him to teleport high-tech weapons to his person whenever he needs them.
Armed with a gun that fires Kryptonite needles, Bloodsport nearly succeeded in his mission to eliminate the Man of Steel, but ultimately failed. In the end, his psyche was broken when Jimmy Olsen brought his brother onto the scene. Though defeated, this wasn’t the last the heroes of the DC Universe saw of Bloodsport. DuBois had a few more comic book appearances, including a role in its 2003-2004 crossover with Marvel where he had encounters with both Green Lantern and Iron Man. He also battled Deadshot and had another run-in with his old enemy, Superman. Bloodsport later died in a prison break, but has since been brought back to life in a recent universe-wide reboot. The new version still has ties to Superman, but has been reimagined as a member of the Suicide Squad in the employ of Amanda Waller.
Like his comic book counterpart, The Suicide Squad’s interpretation of Bloodsport is a non-powered character who depends on his own skills and weapons to fight his battles. He wears a seemingly bulletproof skull helmet that not only protects him from harm, but also safeguards his identity with its collapsibility. Bloodsport’s suit also comes in handy, as it’s what holds his arsenal of tools, including flamethrowers, grappling hooks, and more. Apparently, DuBois carries with him an answer to every possible situation, but not all are individual weapons. As seen in the trailers, he can quickly transform his gun into whatever he needs it to be by using the right attachments. According to James Gunn, the purpose of this design for his suit and gun was for them to take the place of the teleportation device that Bloodsport has in the comics [via Cinema Blend]. He can’t teleport weapons to him in the DCEU, but he can practically manufacture them on the spot.
In the beginning, it was reported that The Suicide Squad was recasting Will Smith with Idris Elba as Deadshot, but it was later revealed that Elba’s character would be someone else – it just wasn’t clear who. During production, Gunn kept it secret and allowed many to believe he was playing Vigilante from DC Comics. As time passed, more details about his real role became known.
In The Suicide Squad, Elba’s Bloodsport is Amanda Waller’s handpicked leader of Task Force X. Sometime ago, he was imprisoned for shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet. Based on what’s said in the movie, Superman was nearly killed by the incident. It would seem that it was because of this that Waller was motivated to recruit Bloodsport and put him in charge of her team. She threatened most of them into helping by threatening their lives, but took a different tactic with DuBois. Using his daughter’s impending criminal trial as leverage, Waller convinced DuBois to do a mission for her. As a result, Bloodsport traveled to Corto Maltese along with all the other villains. While there, DuBois participated in the battle against the movie’s main antagonist, a giant starfish monster known as Starro.
What will become of Bloodsport after The Suicide Squad? Thus far, there’s been no confirmation that Elba is coming back for a sequel, or even if one is in the works. If the movie turns out to be a big hit at the box office and on HBO Max, Gunn could be hired to helm Suicide Squad 3. If that happens, there’s a good chance Bloodsport will be around. Alternatively, future DCEU films could always find places for not only him but also the other characters who survived the events of the movie. Looking at the DCEU’s current slate, there isn’t an obvious place for him, but an on-screen meeting with a version of Superman would certainly be fun to see.
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