15 Characters That Nearly Appeared In The Suicide Squad

When James Gunn announced Bloodsport would be Task Force X's leader in The Suicide Squad, fans were perplexed since they assumed the director would've chosen a more well-known character like Bane or Deathstroke.

But based on artwork in Gunn's office during pre-production, Deathstroke was intended to be the leader of Task Force X's secondary team instead of Bloodsport.

From a narrative standpoint, having Slade Wilson as the squad's head honcho makes perfect sense. He's the world's greatest mercenary, a skilled marksman second only to Deadshot, one of the smartest people alive, uncompromisbaly ruthless, and adaptable enough to go toe-to-toe with anyone, even Batman or Superman.

It's not certain why he was swapped out for Bloodsport but fans were pretty disappointed. Despite the fact Joe Manganiello had been cast in the role, he hasn't appeared in the DCEU since Justice League back in 2017. Even though fans want Manganiello to return, his future as the one-eyed assassin is uncertain, and although incorporating him into The Suicide Squad would have been a great way to keep Deathstroke in the DCEU, Gunn believed Bloodsport was a better fit.