Warning! Spoilers ahead for Suicide Squad #1 and Suicide Squad #5!
While the shared hardship and danger that the Suicide Squad often finds itself in typically breed some sort of respect and camaraderie, certain members of the team will always hate each other’s guts. Typically, the team’s headlining rivalry is centered around characters such as Deadshot and Captain Boomerang, and the Suicide Squad’s newest convict rivalry is between Bloodsport and Peacemaker despite the mountain of things the characters have in common.
In Suicide Squad #5 by Robbie Thompson, Julio Ferreira, Eduardo Pansica, Joe Prado, Dexter Soy, and Alex Sinclar, readers follow Bloodsport as he conducts multiverse scale recon on behalf of Amanda Waller. In his cosmic trek, Bloodsport eventually winds up on Earth-3, home of the evil Justice League The Crime Syndicate. During his assignment, Bloodsport peppers his reports to Waller with commentary and narration to the reader that reveals how he really feels about his teammates, particularly Peacemaker. As Bloodsport scouts the parallel Earth, back on Earth-Prime Waller and company begin to make preparations to recruit Swamp Thing, with Peacemaker to take point on the operation despite his wishes.
Bloodsport’s inner monologue during his time on Eath-3 shines a lot of light on how he feels about Peacemaker and it’s clear that he harbors a great deal of loathing for the patriotic convict. While bringing the reader up to speed on what he’s been up to, Bloodsport refers to Peacemaker as an “oxygen thief” who has been declared by Belle Reve’s staff to be even crazier than him. Later on, as he begins examining Ultraman and realizing that Earth-3’s Kryptonian is more of a bully than a boy scout, Bloodsport comments offhandedly that Peacekeeper and he don’t really see eye to eye on most things (except that there is something clearly off about Superboy). While in this series readers have yet to really see Bloodsport and Peacemaker interact in the comic panels, it is reasonable to infer that for one reason or another, their relationship has soured, perhaps due to their differing philosophies regarding their time in the Suicide Squad.
Peacemaker and Bloodsport bear a lot of similarities when it comes to their abilities and what they contribute to the Suicide Squad. Both convicts are proficient in several forms of close-quarters combat and firearms. Additionally, despite being declared criminally insane by Belle Reve staff, both display some degree of leadership potential for the Suicide Squad and can operate independently. Bloodsport showcases his ability to operate independently in Suicide Squad #5 as he has been assigned his trans-dimensional mission by Waller, whereas in Suicide Squad #1 Peacemaker was able to extract Talon from Arkham Asylum despite his entire team having died. Lastly, their biggest similarity is that they share a sense of duty that they use to justify their violent ends. Bloodsport lashes out in a sense of pseudo-patriotism rooted in the trauma of having lost his brother. Peacemaker, on the other hand, has a dangerously inflated patriotism and desire to enforce peace by any means necessary. Bloodsport ultimately sees the Suicide Squad as both an outlet for his violence, and now a way to see what could have been if his brother hadn’t gone off to war. Peacemaker on the other hand sees the squad as his way to serve the country.
While Peacemaker and Bloodsport’s relationship in the Suicide Squad film appears to be on much better terms, it’s clear that in the comics, Bloodsport doesn’t care for the other “sane” convict on the Squad. There may not be any clues yet as to what caused this rift between the two characters, but this newfound animosity appears to be this version of the Suicide Squad’s infamous rivalry between Deadshot and Captain Boomerang.