WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Suicide Squad, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
The Suicide Squad is the first major theatrical or even live-action appearance in general for several of its disposable cast members. These include Ratcatcher, Javelin and Bloodsport, some of whom had previously shown up in TV adaptations. Unfortunately for Bloodsport and another villain, they're not quite all that they could be upon joining the DC Extended Universe's Suicide Squad. Bloodsport and Mongal were Superman villains introduced in the Post-Crisis comics, but their depictions in The Suicide Squad are either trite or awful in comparison to their comic counterparts.
Mongal is introduced early in The Suicide Squad after the first team touches down in Corto Maltese, but when she tries to take out a helicopter, she ends up burning to death in the crash. This is a far cry from the comic books, in which Mongal, as the daughter of the original Mongul and the sister of Mongul II, should be in the same weight class as Superman himself. After all, Mongul was known for decimating the Trinity's combined might in both Pre and Post-Crisis stories.
Likewise, Bloodsport also has some major differences from the comics. There, he was a draft dodger who was literally afraid of death, resulting in his brother becoming a soldier and subsequently being horribly maimed in his stead. Bloodsport's fractured psyche was taken advantage of by Lex Luthor, who used him to try to take out Superman via Kryptonite.
However, in The Suicide Squad, he's merely a mercenary, and this background pathos isn't fleshed out as much as it could be, but what is shown of his origin has one major problem. Now turned into an absentee father, Bloodsport is far too much like Deadshot from the first movie, with both taking leadership roles, acting as the team's expert marksmen and doing this mission on behalf of their daughters.
The easiest way to fix Mongal would have been to save her for another film, one that could perhaps introduce who Mongul is. Plus, her being taken out so easily undermines how grandiose her character should be. If she simply had to be in the film, it shouldn't have been as a Squad member, and her strength and durability shouldn't have been undercut so much.
Likewise, Bloodsport's backstory in The Suicide Squad should've differentiated itself more from Deadshot's arc in the prior film. The wayward daughter angle could've been removed, and in its place, The Suicide Squad could have gone into Bloodsport's comic book origins. For instance, his cynical mercenary occupation could've been the result of guilt from his brother being injured in a war he didn't agree with, with Rick Flagg perhaps being the soldier that let Bloodsport's family know about it. This would establish Bloodsport and Flagg's friendship even more, as well Bloodsport's feud with the overly patriotic Peacemaker. Even his intention to get Ratcatcher II out safe and sound could stem from his guilt of not being able to do so for his brother.
To be fair, Bloodsport was a fairly interesting character, but he still read as a much better version of Deadshot. Sadly, less can be said about Mongal, and the result is that both villains had fairly lackluster interpretations on the big screen -- with The Suicide Squad now out in theaters and on HBO Max -- compared to what could've been in the comics
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