The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Says He Considered Using Sportsmaster

Thanks to last month’s DC FanDome panel, we finally have the first official news surrounding The Suicide Squad. The highly-anticipated upcoming film is set to unite some of DC’s most eclectic antiheroes and supervillains under one roof, the roster of which was revealed at FanDome. One of the biggest surprises from the casting announcements was that Idris Elba is set to play Bloodsport in the film, as many had theorized that he would be playing anyone from Bronze Tiger to Sportsmaster. According to a recent social media comment from Gunn, there was a time when he “definitely considered” Sportsmaster for The Suicide Squad‘s roster, although it’s unclear if that’s as Elba’s character or someone else entirely.

In the comics, Sportsmaster is a man who uses augmented sporting equipment to fight his foes, an unpredictable feature that causes him to go toe-to-toe with several superheroes. The character most recently appeared on DC Universe’s Stargirl, where he was played by Neil Hopkins.

Bloodsport has been a sporadic figure of DC Comics since the 1980s, with three different iterations of the character popping up over the years. Initially, the moniker was held by Robert DuBois, an African-American man who has a mental breakdown after his brother returns home severely injured by the Vietnam War. DuBois is manipulated into believing that Superman is his enemy, and faces off against the Kryptonian with a teleporter and Kryptonite bullets. The second Bloodsport, Alex Trent, was a fanatical racist and a member of a white supremacist group, and frequently went toe-to-toe with his predecessor, even going so far as killing him. A third unnamed Bloodsport was established in later continuity, and partnered up with Hellgrammite and Riot.

The Suicide Squad will star Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman as Colonel Rick Flag, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Steve Agee as King Shark, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Flula Borg as Javelin, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Michael Rooker as Savant, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Sol Soria, and Sean Gunn as Weasel.

“You want to go to work with people who jump out of bed every day and want to go to work,” Cena said in a previous interview. “[Gunn] is the epitome of that. He cares so much about what he’s doing and I think especially when he’s put in a position to write, develop, and do this by his rules essentially. He chose the franchise. He kind of dictated his terms and now he’s really betting on himself and I hope everybody enjoys seeing it as much as we’re enjoying making it because it’s awesome.”

What do you think of Gunn considering Bloodsport for The Suicide Squad? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!