Warner Bros. unveiled the lineup for The Suicide Squad at DC FanDome 2020, and one of the biggest names in the cast is Idris Elba. The actor, who previously played Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will now take on the role of supervillain Bloodsport, a new member of the Suicide Squad. However, Bloodsport's appearance may mean another significant Superman villain is returning to the DC Extended Universe.
Robert DuBois/Bloodsport debuted in 1987's Superman#4 and was one of the early new villains that John Byrne created in his reboot of the Superman mythos following 1985/1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths. The villain's first appearance was both shocking and horrifying, as he entered a cafe and gunned down an estimated 25 people. Initially, Bloodsport sounded like a Vietnam veteran with some severe problems. Readers learned later in the issue, though, that was not exactly true.
Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen was among those at the site of the massacre and was able to call the Man of Steel. However, that was all part of Bloodsport's plan. The villain hit a bowling alley next, and around 50 people died at his hands. When Superman finally showed up to stop him, a gun materialized in Bloodsport's hand, and he shot the Man of Steel with a needle of Kryptonite. DuBois' killing spree had all been part of a plan to lure out Superman and take him down with the perfect weapon.
The man responsible for the plan was Lex Luthor, who was fresh in his new role as a successful businessman in this rebooted run. Luthor had sent someone to manipulate the unstable DuBois, using his fixation with the Vietnam War to take out Superman. However, Luthor didn't want so many dead civilians, and this his caused him to send his own men to take out Bloodsport, confusing Superman.
Things got much clearer when Olsen showed up with Mickey DuBois, Bloodsport's brother. Mickey, as it turned out, was the one who fought in the war, not Robert. He lost his arms and legs in battle, and Mickey told his brother America lost the war and wanted to forget. Robert was drafted, but he ran to Canada in fear. His brother pretended to be him and replaced him. However, Robert blamed himself for what happened to Mickey and ended up in and out of sanitariums.
The first Suicide Squad movie included segments for each of the villains, showing how they ended up in prison. With Harley Quinn, the film even brought in Joker for a few scenes, since he was with her before her arrest. Bloodsport's entire origin was due to Luthor's manipulations, and the villain is still roaming around the DCEU after escaping from prison. While Jesse Eisenberg's future as Luthor has remained uncertain, the inclusion of Bloodsport could hint at the return of his character in some capacity. A flashback could certainly show Luthor working with Bloodsport, though at the very least it seems like he'll be hinted at.
While Eisenberg was never a fan favorite, there were plans for his Luthor to mastermind a number of events from behind-the-scenes, as was shown with the Deathstroke tease at the end of 2017's Justice League. The future of the DCEU and how it will proceed in terms of heroes like Superman is still pretty unclear, but the addition of Bloodsport to The Suicide Squad does give some hope the Man of Steel's greatest villain is still kicking around and could remain a threat in the future.
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars 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 arrives in theaters Aug. 6, 2021.