A major event from Superman director James Gunn's last DC movie, The Suicide Squad, may no longer be canon in the new universe. Gunn previously indicated that the events of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker happened rather similarly in the DCU to the old DCEU, albeit with some major differences, such as removing the Justice League cameos from the HBO show.
Superman opened with the Man of Steel crashing into the Arctic while on-screen text gave history on the rebooted superhero and the universe in which he exists, including saying, "3 minutes ago, Superman lost his first family." With Ultraman delivering the first big "L" for David Corenswet's DCU hero, that seems to throw one major event mentioned in The Suicide Squad's canon into question.
As The Suicide Squad gave backstories to each of its anti-hero leads, Amanda Waller explained that Idris Elba's Robert DuBois, aka Bloodsport, was incarcerated in Belle Reve for putting Superman in the ICU with a Kryptonite bullet.
Having confirmed that, three years into his heroic career, Superman had never lost a fight before Ultraman came along, it seems the original reason behind Bloodsport's imprisonment may no longer be canon in the DCU.
This is only furthered as Superman confirms the hopeful hero has only been around for three years when the movie begins. As The Suicide Squad takes place around mid-2021 and Superman is seemingly set in 2025, the Kryptonian may not have even emerged to the world in time to have been shot by Bloodsport.
Gunn explained The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker's connections to DCU canon in Bluesky, revealing that "only Creature Commandos forward is pure canon:"
"Short answer: Only 'Creature Commandos' forward is pure canon. For instance, Rick Flag Jr was killed because we heard Rick Flag Sr talking about it in 'Creature Commandos,' not because we saw it in 'The Suicide Squad.'"
He added that The Suicide Squad may have "a lot of consistencies" in the new universe, but he prefers to look at it as an "imperfect memory:"
Long answer: Only CC forward is pure canon; 'Peacemaker' is almost entirely consistent with that canon other than the Justice League; 'The Suicide Squad' has a lot of consistencies but I think of it as an imperfect memory,"
Gunn previously cast doubt on which Man of Steel had been shot by Bloodsport, revealing it could be Henry Cavill or somebody else, as that decision was out of his hands since that movie was released over a year before he took over DC Studios.
How Bloodsport Fits Into the New DCU
It's unclear whether Bloodsport will return in the new DCU, and, until he does, it doesn't really matter what landed him in Belle Reve under the reboot. But as his shooting Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad kickstarted the events of his HBO Max show, it's safe to say he is probably out there somewhere.
Prior to the DCU reboot announcement, Idris Elba confirmed he had a "really big thing cooking" for his return to the blue brand. Currently, the British actor hasn't been confirmed for any upcoming DCU project, but with Gunn at the helm, hopefully, he will find room for Bloodsport and other Suicide Squad members.
After The Suicide Squad, Bloodsport survived the Starro encounter in Corto Maltese and was freed from ARGUS custody alongside Harley Quinn, Ratcatcher II, and King Shark. Then again, King Shark was back in prison in the Creature Commandos finale as he was recruited to join Task Force M, so Robert DuBois could similarly be anywhere at this moment in the DCU.
