Tom Hardy Almost Joined the DCEU In a Highly Controversial Movie—but One Movie Saved Him

Tom Hardy nearly became part of the DCEU when he was considered for the role of Rick Flag in Suicide Squad (2016). The Oscar-nominated actor was set to join the star-studded cast but had to step away due to scheduling conflicts. Joel Kinnaman ultimately took the role.

Hardy explained that his commitment to Alejandro González Iñárritu’s historical drama The Revenant forced him to drop out. “[The Revenant] overshot by three months, and the production turned into a much bigger beast than we thought,”

Hardy said during a press tour for Mad Max: Fury Road. While he admitted regretting missing out on working with David Ayer and praised the script, it turned out that stepping away may have benefited his career.

Hardy was already well-known for his role as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, a performance that cemented him as a major Hollywood star. By not appearing in Suicide Squad, he avoided being tied to a film that, despite earning big at the box office, was widely criticized.

The movie grossed $749 million worldwide against a $175 million production budget, but critics were largely unimpressed. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 26% approval rating, and Metacritic scored it 40 out of 100. Many reviews called the film messy, with thin characters and uneven direction.

Notable critics were harsh: Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers said the movie “is anything but super,” while Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson called it “ugly and boring.” The Wall Street Journal described it as “trash,” and other reviewers noted that the story and characters failed to live up to expectations, even as Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was praised. Director David Ayer later admitted he wished he had done parts of the film differently and called it his “biggest Hollywood heartbreak.”

Despite the film’s commercial success, Hardy dodging the role may have preserved his career trajectory.

While Kinnaman had a solid performance, Suicide Squad’s critical reception shows that not every high-profile comic book movie guarantees a career boost. Hardy continued to build his reputation with challenging roles, and avoiding a poorly received blockbuster likely helped maintain his credibility as a serious actor.

Hardy’s choice turned out to be a smart career move. Missing a big franchise movie is not always bad if it means avoiding a project with major creative issues. His track record of picking strong, well-received roles seems to support that strategy. What do you think, should Hardy have risked taking the role, or did he make the right call by sticking to The Revenant? Share your thoughts in the comments.