James Gunn Reveals Idris Elba Connection To New Superman Movie?

By Douglas Helm | Published

idris elba

Although James Gunn is now running the show at the DCU, he started his tenure at DC by making The Suicide Squad, which introduced characters like Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and John Cena’s Peacemaker.

But, eagle-eyed fans tracked down a previous interview with Gunn about The Suicide Squad that could potentially create a connection between Elba’s character and Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie.

Bloodsport Injured Superman?

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Fans are speculating that Gunn’s Superman will feature an Easter Egg in the form of a news bulletin that reveals Superman once suffered an injury at the hands of Bloodsport due to a Kryptonite bullet.

When discussing the trailer for The Suicide Squad with IGN, James Gunn confirmed that Idris Elba’s Bloodsport was in prison for putting Superman in the ICU with a kryptonite bullet.

Henry Cavill’s Version?

henry cavill

What wasn’t clear was if it was Henry Cavill’s version of the character or if it would be the next person to take the role. Funnily enough, when asked about it Gunn replied, “I don’t know which Superman it was because I don’t cast the next Superman.”

Of course, Gunn may not have known it at the time, but it turned out that he actually would be the one to cast Superman.

Tying In The DC Timelines?

Now David Corenswet is taking over the role. Working in a callback to Idris Elba’s Bloodsport putting Corenswet’s Superman in the ICU at some point would be a neat way to tie in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad with his new DCU timeline.

After all, Bloodsport is best known in the comics for doing just that, so it would be a cool way to nod to the comic book fans as well.

Suicide Squad Not Coming Back?

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Of course, at the time, Gunn also said that The Suicide Squad was part of the now-defunct DCEU.

If he really wants to cut all ties to the DCEU and give the DCU a fresh slate, it might be easier to just leave Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, or any references to him, out of Superman entirely.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean that Bloodsport couldn’t be brought back somewhere else in the DCU, but Gunn would be free to portray the character without having any of the baggage of a previous cinematic universe.

Too Many Previous DC Questions

idris elba

There’s even a chance that James Gunn could have Idris Elba’s Bloodsport put a kryptonite bullet into Superman in a future Suicide Squad project.

Gunn revealed that he considered making the Man of Steel the main villain of The Suicide Squad movie, but ultimately decided to go with Starro instead.

One of the main reasons Gunn nixed the idea was because he said, “At the time, there were a lot of questions like, ‘Who is Superman in the DCEU,” and “Is this movie outside the DCEU?”

James Gunn Now Controlling DC

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With James Gunn now in full control, there definitely won’t be any questions about who Superman is in the DCU.

Maybe Gunn will return to his idea of having Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and Task Force X take down Superman some other time. In the meantime, we can look forward to the DCU kicking off with Superman in 2025.