An iconic DCEU character from James Gunn's The Suicide Squad became DCU canon, according to the DC Studios co-CEO himself. In setting out to craft the new DCU, Gunn opted for an (almost) clean slate, erasing the old Justice League and most other characters. That said, some storylines and characters from his own DCEU projects, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1, are still around for the DCU, with the HBO Max series continuing into Season 2. Gunn described before that The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1 could be considered "vague memories" of what happened in the DCU, with only Creature Commandos onward being completely canon.
The HBO Max series' sophomore outing recently shed new light on its own canon confusion, with Gunn and the Peacemaker cast answering questions on an official rewatch podcast and thanks to a "Previously On" recap in the Season 2 premiere that altered some events and, most notably, the Justice League cameos.
During a recent episode of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, James Gunn and several cast members from The Suicide Squad and its HBO Max spin-off talked about a hilarious deleted scene from the 2021 blockbuster, before the director declared, "That's canon." As the scene features Idris Elba's Bloodsport, this marks the first confirmation that he is canon to the new DCU after his DCEU debut.
The scene in question sees Bloodsport questioning why Amanda Waller sent Rick Flag Jr. to Corto Maltese alongside the famously disposable Task Force X.
In turn, he reflected on a joke he made toward her in the ARGUS officers, poking fun at her vibrant blue, red, and white shirt by saying, "It looks like a gang of clowns just **** all over you." While this got no laughs from Waller and may have sealed Flag Jr.'s brutal fate, it left John Economos in hysterics.
Elba's Bloodsport is the fourth The Suicide Squad star to become DCU canon, joining the ranks of John Cena's Peacemaker, King Shark, and Weasel, after the latter two featured in Creature Commandos Season 1.
Actress Margot Robbie also revealed she has "heard nothing" about returning as Harley Quinn in the DCU. Despite being undeniably the team's most popular member, her DCU future looks increasingly bleak, with many convinced she will be recast alongside Jared Leto's Joker for the next Batman.
Gunn's latest The Suicide Squad canonization also seemingly brings David Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man into the DCU, as he features in the background on the deleted scene in the Corto Maltese jungles. That said, he doesn't speak or play a major role in the scene, and could easily be erased from canon.
The full list of The Suicide Squad characters and actors who are officially part of James Gunn's DCU can be seen below:
- John Cena - Peacemaker
- Idris Elba - Bloodsport
- David Dastmalchian - Polka Dot-Man*
- Joel Kinnaman - Rick Flag Jr.
- Sean Gunn - Weasel
- Jennifer Holland - Emilia Harcourt
- Steve Agee - John Economos
- Viola Davis - Amanda Waller
- Tinashe Kajese-Bolden - Flo Crawley
- Sylvester Stallone (recast as Diedrich Bader) - King Shark
Will Bloodsport Return in James Gunn's DCU?
As Idris Elba's Bloodsport was the one to shoot John Cena's Peacemaker into Corto Maltese, thus kickstarting his HBO Max series' events, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that he is canon to the new DCU. However, this also raises questions about whether Elba will return in a future project.
It seems conceivable that Bloodsport could return in a future season of Peacemaker, Viola Davis' Waller, or another Task Force X-related DCU project, such as a The Suicide Squad sequel. While there were once rumors of a Bloodsport HBO Max series, those were quickly shut down by Gunn.
Beyond canonizing Bloodsport and Polka-Dot Man into the DCU, this scene hints at Rick Flag Jr.'s friendship with John Economos, only making his death more heartbreaking. This comes after Peacemaker Season 2 confirmed that Flag Jr. was having an affair with Emilia Harcourt around the time of his death, cheating on his witchy girlfriend June Moone aka Enchantress from 2016's Suicide Squad.
Recent revelations surrounding Rick Flag Jr.'s relationship with John Economos and Emilia Harcourt shed further light on HBO Max's Peacemaker. After all, the ARGUS agents took a long time to warm up to Christopher Smith and to call him a friend, not just because he had done bad things but also as their friend's killer.
