#Idris Elba’s Bloodsport Was Jailed for Shooting Superman Prior to The Suicide Squad

One part of David Ayer’s original Suicide Squad that was frequently mocked was the idea that the titular team of supervillains was created by Amanda Waller as a means of killing Superman if he ever went rogue, even though there was no one on the team’s roster who had any chance of taking on the Man of Steel in a fight. But James Gunn’s upcoming reboot The Suicide Squad features one particular member named Bloodsport, played by Idris Elba, who has not only taken on Superman but might also have come close to killing him.

During a panel for the film at DC FanDome, a trivia game was held for the cast of Gunn’s film. Storm Reid, who plays Bloodsport’s daughter Tyla, asked, “Who shot Superman?”, to which Gunn responded by suggesting the question should be rephrased to, “Which of your characters is in prison for shooting Superman?”, with the answer turning out to be Bloodsport.

The implication is clear. At some point before the events of The Suicide Squad, Bloodsport had a run-in with Superman during which he shot at the Man of Steel, and was subsequently jailed for his crime. While no further details regarding the incident were shared by Gunn, we can turn to the comics to fill in the blanks.

Bloodsport aka Robert DuBois first appeared in Superman (Volume 2) #4 in 1987. He had the ability to conjure weapons out of thin air, courtesy of Lex Luthor, and kryptonite bullets that allowed him to injure and nearly kill the Last Son of Krypton. Bloodsport’s rampage ended when Jimmy Olsen reunited DuBois with his army veteran brother, who helped DuBois see the error of his ways. If the Bloodsport from the movie shares a similar origin, he will be set up as an anti-hero rather than a true villain.

Interestingly, Idris Elba is meant to be a replacement for Will Smith’s Deadshot from the previous movie, who had a backstory that involved trying to shoot Batman and getting thrown in jail for his effort. Batman had a brief cameo in that film as part of Deadshot’s backstory flashback, and it is quite possible that Henry Cavill, who is signed on to appear in multiple supporting roles in the DCEU, might show up in The Suicide Squad as part of a flashback depicting Bloodsport’s backstory.

Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad features a large and distinguished lead cast consisting of Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, David Dastmalchian, as Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Mayling NG as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Steve Agee as King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, John Cena as Peacemaker, Taika Waititi and Storm Reid. The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Aug. 6, 2021. This news comes from ComicBookMovie.com.

Topics: Suicide Squad 2, Suicide Squad, DC FanDome, Superman