New The Suicide Squad Concept Art Shows Idris Elba as Different Character

It's been over a year since The Suicide Squad arrived in theaters, taking fans of the DC Universe on an unexpected journey. In the eyes of some fans, the project wouldn't have succeeded without its ragtag ensemble of characters, many of whom are absolutely lesser-known in the tapestry of DC's comics. At the center of them was Robert DuBois / Bloodsport (Idris Elba), who was one of the film's central protagonists — a role that surprised some, especially following rumors that he could be portraying other DC characters, including Floyd Lawton / Deadshot, taking over the role from Will Smith in 2016's Suicide Squad. While Elba has since indicated that the rumors were to throw off speculation before the film was released, some newly-resurfaced pieces of concept art hint at how far that went. The concept art, which was shared by David Levy on Behance, actually shows Elba in one of the film's climactic scenes in Deadshot's costume colors.

"It wasn't more of a deception. We just needed to give it a name because we didn't know what character from the DC Universe we were going to use," Elba told ComicBook.com in 2021. "So, Vigilante just felt like a good red herring for anyone that was being nosy. And, ultimately, we really wanted to get the character right and figure out who makes sense to be in this version of the Suicide Squad. So, listen, I'm glad that people were surprised because the Deadshot character is an incredible character and should come back."

Will Deadshot return in the DC Universe?

With the DC Universe headed into a new path now that The Suicide Squad's James Gunn and Peter Safran now co-leading DC Studios, fans are definitely wondering which previous characters could ultimately return. As Safran and even Smith himself explained around The Suicide Squad's release, scheduling prevented him from returning in the film.

"We discussed it," Safran admitted of Smith's potential return in The Suicide Squad during a 2019 set visit. "But I think the Will [Smith] of it all was really more of a schedule thing than anything else. We knew we had to start shooting in September because, frankly, we knew probably earlier than other people did that James was going to come back and do Guardians. So it was really important that we started shooting when we started shooting and Will wasn't available, and that kind of made it easier all around. What are you going to do? He's not available. So it's also nice to, frankly, help separate it from the first movie, I think, in a greater fashion."

What do you think of this The Suicide Squad concept art? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!