Suicide Squad Star Seals Fate of One of DCU’s Rick Flag Jr.

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As James Gunn develops his plans for DC Studios at Warner Bros., it’s unlikely we’ll see characters from previous DC movies reappear. The 2016 film Suicide Squad wasn’t well-received, and director David Ayer moved on. It wasn’t until Gunn’s 2021 reboot, The Suicide Squad, that the franchise began to show its potential.

The film featured major stars like Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, and John Cena, along with Joel Kinnaman. Kinnaman’s character, Rick Flag Jr., may have appeared for the last time, and the actor confirmed this in a recent ScreenRant interview, stating plainly that fans likely won’t see his character return.

“Yeah, I would say so,” he said.

Rick Flag Jr. Will Not Return to the DCU Under James Gunn

James Gunn has indicated there won’t be a Season 3 of HBO Max’s Peacemaker. He explained that Season 2, which he oversaw (unlike the first season), advanced the plot sufficiently to bring the multiverse into the DC Universe, and that the series has reached its natural conclusion.

Throughout the series, Frank Grillo’s character, Rick Flag Sr., is the primary villain. He searches for another dimension, teaming up with Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult) to use it as a prison for people with superpowers. He successfully sends Peacemaker (John Cena) there at the end of Season 2 and, in doing so, seems to have set himself up to play a role in the next Superman movie.

In Season 2 of Peacemaker, Joel Kinnaman returned as Rick Flag Jr. through flashbacks and a storyline set in an alternate universe, which explored his connection with Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) in more detail.

Rick Flag Sr. Takes Center In DCU Going Forward

Given the vastness of possibilities, it’s likely another version of Rick Flag Jr. exists somewhere that Joel Kinnaman could play again. However, James Gunn might not want to bring the character back, particularly with Frank Grillo now taking on a major role as a younger Rick Flag Sr. in future projects.

As is typical with superhero stories, anything is possible, and Kinnaman playfully stated he wouldn’t reveal any secrets even if he had them.

I’m terrible at keeping secrets,” he explained. “While filming The Suicide Squad, it felt like only the people directly involved with the superhero world cared about keeping things under wraps. They were constantly worried about what I might accidentally reveal in interviews, because I have a habit of spoiling things. Luckily, now that I’m off social media, it’s much easier to avoid those slip-ups.

He added that he wouldn’t be shocked if Gunn decided to do something different, explaining, “He’s incredibly creative and unpredictable, so it’s impossible to know what he’s thinking.”

Suicide Squad and Peacemaker are currently streaming on HBO Max.

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2026-04-13 22:41