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Despite initially resisting the call to serve as the Suicide Squad’s commander, Bloodsport’s leadership skills may actually rival Captain America’s.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Suicide Squad, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
Every good team needs a leader, and The Suicide Squad‘s is Bloodsport (Idris Elba). While Colonel Rick Flag is the one who is assigned to supervise Task Force X in the field, it ends up being Bloodsport who calls most of the shots in the film.
Throughout The Suicide Squad, Bloodsport is adamant that he is not a leader, even rejecting Amanda Waller’s promise to make him into one while she is recruiting him. However, he ends up forming relationships built on mutual trust with his teammates throughout the film, and through that, they all willingly follow him into battle against the giant starfish as it rampages through Corto Maltese. And the way in which Bloodsport leads his team is reminiscent of another leadership moment from an earlier superhero film — Marvel’s The Avengers.
During The Avengers‘ climactic Battle of New York, Captain America takes charge of the titular team and issues orders to his fellow heroes. While Captain America and Iron Man had jockeyed over the leadership position throughout the film, this scene pretty clearly establishes that Cap is the team’s leader. He gives each member an important job that is best suited to their individual skills, culminating in his ordering the Hulk to “smash,” paying tribute to the monster’s iconic catchphrase.
Similarly, Bloodsport takes charge of Task Force X when faced with the threat of Starro. After leading his team in rejecting Waller’s commands to retreat and leave Starro to destroy Corto Maltese, the mercenary gives his fellow villains specific directions to take down the kaiju, even telling King Shark that Starro is “nom nom,” paying off a recurring catchphrase in a similar manner to Cap.
However, Bloodsport’s leadership may actually eclipse Captain America’s for one reason: he uses personal connections with the rest of the team to motivate them, instead of giving them strictly pragmatic orders. In addition to instructing Harley Quinn to take the high ground after seeing her become familiarized with Javelin’s weapon, his “nom nom” command to King Shark finally allows the beast to unleash his rage after having to resist the urge to eat people for the whole movie. But Bloodsport’s most impactful order is to Polka-Dot Man, who pictures Starro as his mother. This unlocks the tragic villain’s true potential and allows him to channel his unresolved parental trauma into his power and deal a massive blow to the kaiju. Sadly Polka-Dot Man is killed almost immediately afterward, but his attack greatly weakens Starro and allows Harley and Ratcatcher 2 to work together to finally bring down the giant starfish.
Early in the film, Amanda Waller recruits Bloodsport to join Task Force X and promises him that she’s going to make him into a leader. The villain rejects this notion, but by the end of the movie, her plan has come to fruition. The Suicide Squad ends with Bloodsport blackmailing Waller with proof of the United States’ involvement in Project Starfish, telling her that he will release the information to the press unless she allows him and his surviving teammates to walk free. After agreeing to his demand, he remarks that she was right.
To see how Bloodsport channels Captain America, The Suicide Squad is in theaters now and streaming on HBO Max.
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