Idris Elba's The Suicide Squad character has been officially revealed. Following the disappointing critical reception to 2016's Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. opted to head in a new direction for the property by bringing on Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn to helm the sequel. Gunn has said The Suicide Squad isn't quite a direct continuation of the original film, but there are some notable connections between the two. Up until today, Gunn has kept much of the details surrounding The Suicide Squad a secret.

The Suicide Squad boasts an impressive cast list, including Luther and MCU star Elba. For months now, Elba's character has remained a mystery, just as with most of the film's newcomers. There was speculation earlier this month that Elba would be playing Bronze Tiger, but that seemed to prove untrue yesterday when Gunn gleefully said he didn't think anyone had correctly guessed Elba's character. Now, after all this speculation, the mystery has been solved.

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As part of The Suicide Squad's panel at DC FanDome, it has been confirmed that Elba is playing none other than Bloodsport. The news came alongside the rest of the cast list and some really fun character designs. In the comics, Bloodsport is a Vietnam War-obsessed mercenary who typically goes after Superman.

Idris Elba as Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad

Bloodsport is definitely a formidable antagonist, which makes him an interesting inclusion for The Suicide Squad. He's even been imprisoned for shooting Superman, though it remains to be seen exactly how much of his comic book backstory will end up in the film. While the panel didn't mention which Bloodsport Elba is playing (because there are three), it seems likely that he will be Robert DuBois, the very first iteration of the character. Gunn also shared some first look footage of The Suicide Squad during the panel, which gave fans some quick looks at Elba and the others in costume.

It remains to be seen what kind of role Bloodsport will play within the team, but it's worth mentioning that Elba is positioned as one of the more prominent characters. Of course, The Suicide Squad has quite a lot of characters at its center who are all bound to get the spotlight at some point - even if several of them are expected to die. Much like the first film, The Suicide Squad looks to be sending its band of antiheroes into an impossible situation, and it will surely be exciting to see what Elba's violent mercenary brings to the table. Now that the characters have been revealed, The Suicide Squad can only continue to get more thrilling from here.

More: The Suicide Squad Costumes Officially Revealed

Source: DC FanDome

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