Jai Courtney says Captain Boomerang was 'toned down' for the Suicide Squad movies after the original comic book character was racist
Jai Courtney says his version of Captain Boomerang in the Suicide Squad films was very different to the character's comic book counterpart.
The actor, 35, told The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday that Boomerang's overt racism had to be 'toned down' for the movies to avoid offending modern audiences.
'When I first heard about [the character] I thought it sounded pretty silly,' Jai said of his initial reaction to the role.
Updates: Jai Courtney (pictured in February 2020) says his version of Captain Boomerang in the Suicide Squad films was very different to the character's comic book counterpart
'In the original comics, he's kind of controversial,' he added. 'There's some pretty gnarly racist stuff. It's very dated, very early '60s.
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'It's not something you can put on screen now and necessarily be proud of.'
He explained the Suicide Squad screenwriters had to 'pull some of the elements' of the character forward and 'modernise it'.
Offensive: The actor said Boomerang's racism had to be 'toned down' for the movies to avoid offending modern audiences. Pictured: Captain Boomerang on the cover of an old comic book
In the original DC Comics, Captain Boomerang was a racist white Australian who used the offensive slur 'abo' - short for Aboriginal - to refer to black people.
But these unsavoury aspects of his character were eliminated for the Suicide Squad movies.
Jai is joined in the latest movie, titled The Suicide Squad, by fellow Aussie Margot Robbie, who is reprising her role as Harley Quinn.
Removed: In the original DC Comics, Captain Boomerang was a racist white Australian who used the offensive slur 'abo' - short for Aboriginal - to refer to black people. However, these unsavoury aspects of his character were eliminated for the Suicide Squad movies
The movie also stars Idris Elba, John Cena, Pete Davidson and Sylvester Stallone.
The Suicide Squad sees the government send the most dangerous supervillains in the world to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Director James Gunn, best known for helming Marvel's Guardian of the Galaxy, has said the film is neither a reboot or sequel of the 2016 David Ayer-directed movie Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad hits Australian cinemas on Thursday, August 5
Coming soon: The Suicide Squad sees the government send the most dangerous supervillains in the world to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese
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