Characters / Da 5 Bloods

The Bloods

In General

A group of African-American Vietnam War veterans who travel to Vietnam in the present day to recover a lost treasure and their squad leader.

• Shout-Out: Their names: Paul, Otis, Melvin, Eddie, and David, are one to The Temptations, alongside Norman, who is named for their producer.
• The Vietnam Vet: All of them (minus David) are veterans of The Vietnam War, with their memories forming an important part of the narrative.

Paul

Paul

Played By: Delroy Lindo

• Accidental Murder: It's revealed that Paul accidentally killed Norman while shooting a Vietcong fighter who tried to sneak up on them.
• Death Seeker: Paul is suffering from cancer, and prefers to die on his feet in the jungle rather than in a hospital bed.
• Decoy Protagonist / Decoy Antagonist: The first half of the movie sets him up as the lead character, easily having the most screentime and character development. However, upon finding the gold, He quickly loses his mind, holding witnesses hostage and cowing the Bloods into aiding him by threatening them with a gun. Just as it seems he's become the main villain of the movie, the real antagonists show up and Paul abandons the group, and his death kicks off the film's third act.
• Fatal Flaw: Paul has many flaws: Anger, paranoia, recklessness, impatience, but they all stem from his inability to cope with the death of Norman, and more specifically, his accidental role in Norman's death.
• Jerkass: Is generally rude, offensive, unpleasant and downright violent and crazy towards everyone. Though definitely more of a Jerk Ass Woobie given his PTSD.
• Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: Paul's dislike for his son David is rooted in his mother's Death by Childbirth.
• Politically Incorrect Hero: Voices anti-immigration language, speaks dismissively and offensively to and about Vietnamese and French people, and mentions he voted for "President Fake Bone Spurs". When the Bloods go to the jungle he pulls on a "Make America Great Again" hat and wears it for most of the film.

• Shell-Shocked Veteran: All the Bloods are this to some extent, but Paul is the worst, dealing with being back in Vietnam and having to come to terms with killing Norman.
• Tragic Hero: There's no mistake that Paul has his issues, but he is also shown to be noble, loyal, and compassionate in his own way. Unfortunately, his grief, rage, and paranoia cause him to go insane near the end of the journey. He is redeemed in the end, both by forgiving himself and by refusing to tell Quan's mercenaries where the Bloods are hiding, giving them enough time to prepare a defense.
• Would Hit a Girl: Shoots a female Vietcong who tries to sneak up on him and Norman.

Otis

Otis

Played By: Clarke Peters

• The Hero: Of all the Bloods, Otis fits this best, as he is the calming voice that holds the Bloods together and quickly steps up as the leader of the group once it becomes clear they're going to have to fight to escape.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: Early on, Otis learns he sired a daughter with a Vietnamese woman during the war.
• Parental Substitute: Becomes one of sorts to David, given the antagonistic relationship between David and his father Paul.
• Sole Survivor: Of the original 5 Bloods, he is the only one who survives the film.

Eddie

Eddie

Played By: Norm Lewis

• Half the Man He Used to Be: Eddie gets blown in half by a land mine.
• Killed Mid-Sentence: "My mama once told me that money is the root of all ev-" [gets blown up by a land mine]
• The Needs of the Many: Despite being short on money due to his spending habits, he still insists that they follow Norman's plan to give the gold to help the African-American community in the US. After Eddie is killed, his share goes to Black Lives Matter.
• Surprisingly Sudden Death: He is the first of the Bloods to die, and quite unexpectedly at that; when he gets blown up by a land mine, he doesn't even get the usual "click" noise, he just takes a half-step backward and it detonates.

Melvin

Melvin

Played By: Isiah Whitlock Jr.

• Heroic Sacrifice: Jumps on a grenade to save Otis in the final shootout.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Eddie is quick to joke around and usually has a quip.

Norman

Sgt "Stormin Norman" Earl Holloway

Played By: Chadwick Boseman

The Bloods' squad leader. It was his idea to use the gold to help African-Americans back home.

• Accidental Murder: Died when Paul fired his gun for too long while trying to take out a Vietcong, with his spray of fire hitting Norman.
• The Ace: Everything the Bloods say about Norman indicate that he was a very awesome man, their "Malcolm and their Martin".
• Grenade Launcher: Carries a M79 grenade launcher during the flashback to the Bloods' mission to find the plane.
• Posthumous Character: He's long dead by the events of the film and one of the Bloods' objectives is to recover his remains.

Allies

David

David

Played By: Jonathan Majors

Paul's son, a teacher who accompanies the Bloods in the quest for the gold.

• Antagonistic Offspring: He and Paul have never been on good terms with one another.
• Big Damn Heroes: Saves Otis at the end of the film by shooting Desroche.
• Missing Mom: Due to Death by Childbirth.
• Only a Flesh Wound: Doesn't have particularly long-lasting effects from the gunshot wound to his leg.