Tom Hardy’s ‘Bummed Out’ Moment: The DC Role He Lost and the Blockbuster He Gained!

It’s hard to imagine Tom Hardy not as the Hollywood powerhouse we know today. With an impressive portfolio that spans Bronson, Inception, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Revenant, Hardy has earned his spot as one of the most versatile and compelling actors of his generation. But even for Hardy, the road to stardom wasn’t always straightforward—and one particular missed opportunity still leaves him feeling “really bummed out.”

After a somewhat rocky start in Star Trek: Nemesis—a performance that led co-star Patrick Stewart to quip, “There goes someone I think we shall never hear of again”—Hardy’s true breakthrough came years later with 2008’s Bronson. That role set off a string of critically acclaimed performances, culminating in his first Oscar nomination for The Revenant. But the grueling schedule of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s survival epic came at a price. Extended shooting delays forced Hardy to bow out of playing Rick Flagg in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, a role he had been eager to take on.

“Alejandro has overshot by three months in Calgary,” Hardy explained at the time, adding that additional filming in Patagonia and Alaska left him no choice but to step away from the DC project. Hardy admitted to Collider that he was disappointed to miss the chance to be part of the blockbuster comic book film. “I wanted to work on that,” he said, acknowledging his excitement for the project before his commitments to The Revenant forced him to step aside. Joel Kinnaman ultimately replaced him as Flagg.

As it turned out, missing Suicide Squad might have been a blessing in disguise. Although the film achieved massive box office success, director David Ayer later revealed how studio interference left the final product far removed from his original vision. Meanwhile, Hardy’s later venture into the superhero genre—headlining Sony’s Venom—proved to be an even bigger financial triumph. Venom outperformed Suicide Squad at the box office, and its sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, was a pandemic-era success, grossing more than half a billion dollars despite challenging circumstances. With a third installment slated for November 2024, Hardy’s path in the superhero world ultimately led to greater rewards.

While Hardy’s brush with Suicide Squad remains a “what if” moment in his career, it underscores the unpredictable twists and turns that come with Hollywood success. And as Hardy himself has proven time and again, sometimes those missed opportunities pave the way for even greater roles and unforgettable performances.