James Gunn Wants Beloved Suicide Squad Hero to Return in DCU

James Gunn recently gave a promising update on the prospective return of a fan-favorite character from 2021’s The Suicide Squad. Gunn, the co-head of the DC Universe (DCU), wrote and directed the movie, though it was part of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The Suicide Squad received widespread acclaim from critics, but it underperformed at the box office.

James Gunn wants to bring Idris Elba’s Bloodsport into DCU

James Gunn expressed interest in bringing Idris Elba’s Bloodsport into the DCU during a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I definitely am always looking for a place to put Bloodsport and figuring that out,” the filmmaker said. “So we’ll see what happens.”

The Suicide Squad marked Elba’s only appearance as Robert DuBois / Bloodsport to date. The Heads of State star was reportedly brought into the project to replace Will Smith, who played Floyd Lawton / Deadshot in 2016’s Suicide Squad, helmed by David Ayer (via The Hollywood Reporter). Although the movie experienced a poor outing at the box office, a considerable portion of the DC fanbase has been in favor of seeing Elba in the DCU.

While Elba’s iteration of Bloodsport is part of the DCEU, he can appear in the DCU through the HBO Max series Peacemaker, which effectively connects the two franchises. In a 2022 interview with Variety, Elba said that he wanted to play the character again. “I would definitely like to tell the Superman story. There’s no doubt,” the actor said. “Bloodsport versus Superman. It needs to happen.”

The Golden Globe winner was referring to the explanation for why Bloodsport ended up in prison in The Suicide Squad. He apparently shot Superman with a Kryptonite bullet, leading to his incarceration.

In DC Comics, the Robert DuBois iteration of Bloodsport first appeared in the fourth issue of Superman (vol. 2) in 1987. Writer and artist John Byrne created the character. Before Elba, David St. Louis portrayed a version of DuBois in the CW series Supergirl.