Why Peacemaker Season 2’s Latest Surprise Guest Star Is a Big Deal

Peacemaker season 2’s foray into multiversal storytelling just got a whole lot more interesting in the latest instalment.

While we’ve already seen Christopher Smith interact with alternate versions of his family, and even his own doppelganger, episode three revealed someone that fans were not expecting – a blast from the past, if you will.  

Major spoilers for Peacemaker season 2 episode 3 follow

Joel Kinnaman is officially back in the DCU as Rick Flag Jr.  

We already knew that Rick Flag Jr. was a key driving force in this show, as his father, Rick Flag Sr., was set on finding Peacemaker, seemingly compelled by the vigilante’s murder of his son.  

However, having Joel Kinnaman actually turn up on screen in ‘Another Rick Up My Sleeve’ was a pleasant surprise. Not only did he star as the now-deceased Rick Flag Jr. in a flashback, but also as an alternate, living version in the bizarre parallel universe that Chris has discovered in his mysterious storage room. It’s two Rick Flag Jr.s for the price of one.  

Rumours about Kinnaman’s appearance started circulating last year after director Peter Sollett tagged Kinnaman in a show wrap post, which he later deleted. Kinnaman then gave the following quote to Screen Rant when asked about his involvement: “I don’t know what to say. That’s ridiculous. I would never. I would never be on a show like that. It’s not what I do. It’s not what I do.” 

Never believe actors under NDAs, kids.  

Warner Bros. Discovery

If you need a recap, Kinnaman first entered the superhero universe back when it was the DECU, in David Ayer’s (admittedly terrible) Suicide Squad. He then reprised his role for The Suicide Squad under James Gunn: one of several actors to return, alongside Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller. 

Flag was a former Colonel in the army and was recruited to lead Task Force X in the field. In the first film, he was in love with Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne), who was transformed into Enchantress. The OG Suicide Squad managed to defeat Enchantress, and Moone survived.  

In 2021’s The Suicide Squad, Flag was part of the group sent to work on Project Starfish. During the mission, he discovered that the government was conducting highly secretive experiments on innocent people. He intended to release this information, but was thwarted by Peacemaker, who believed that if Flag made this knowledge public, it would cause an international incident and disrupt his mantra of ‘peace at all costs’.  

After a fight, Smith fatally stabbed Flag who, with his dying breath, said: “Peacemaker… what a joke” – a phrase that has seemingly haunted Chris throughout both seasons of the HBO show in flashbacks.  

There are two Rick Flag Jr.s that we see in the show, and both revealed significant plot points that have changed not only the course of Peacemaker, but the lore of the DCU.  

The deceased Rick Flag Jr.’s romantic connection to Harcourt 

Just when we thought that Peacemaker and Harcourt’s connection may be developing, a huge Rick Flag Jr.-shaped spanner has been thrown in the works. 

The opening of episode three revealed that the pair had a friends-with-benefits relationship (with Harcourt advising him to go back to June, an indication that they were having an affair). Rick apparently wanted more, stating that he’d take the risk of his sorceress girlfriend burning a hole in the planet to be more than friends with Harcourt.  

She dismissed him, as he was about to ship out… to Corto Maltese. That’s where he’s killed by Chris Smith.  

Harcourt is later quizzed by Adebayo on having a potential relationship with Chris, to which she replies: “Me and Chris is not a thing. It’s never gonna be a thing.”  

Curtis Bonds Baker/Max

So, the question is, is Harcourt still harbouring some resentment towards Chris over the death of Rick Flag Jr.? Could that mean that she’ll eventually turn on him, despite their complicated history? It’s a possibility, and this potential romantic relationship is certainly not as simple as Chris believes, and it certainly explains why she was so frosty towards him in the beginning.  

This scene also has implications for another character from Suicide Squad, which raises questions about the universe as a whole.

Enchantress is canon in the DCU… so, who else is?

The opening montage in episode 1 of Peacemaker season 2 has already confirmed that while most of the events that took place in the first season (which was set in the DCEU) are the same in this new universe under Peter Safran and Gunn, some things have been altered.  

For example, The Justice League (with Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and The Flash) doesn’t turn up at the end, but rather The Justice Gang, with Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Supergirl. Superman is there, but Henry Cavill has been swapped with an outline of David Corenswet.  

But clearly, one character who does exist in this universe is June Moone, AKA Enchantress – she’s mentioned by Flag in the opening scene as she’s his girlfriend at the point that he’s about to head out on his mission for Project Starfish.

So again, this poses questions about which characters are and aren’t canon in the DCU. If Enchantress has been carried over, does that give hope for fan favourites such as Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn or Idris Elba’s Bloodsport? It seems as though anything could be possible now.

What’s the deal with the parallel version of Rick Flag Jr.? 

Chris is encountering ghosts of his past left, right and centre in this new universe. First, his dad Auggie, with whom he has a much warmer relationship. Then, his brother Keith, whom Chris accidentally beat to death (under the encouragement of his father). And now, Rick Flag Jr. 

In the parallel universe, this busybody version of the character confronts Chris in the A.R.G.U.S. office and is particularly agitated that he’s shown up to speak to Harcourt (or Emilia, as she’s better known here) – even creeping behind pillars to see what they’re doing… with little stealth, I may add.  

Emilia admits that this universe’s Chris (Harcourt doesn’t realise she’s speaking to a different version) really hurt her after walking away, and that Rick isn’t the type of guy who will mess her around. However, she still seems charmed by the man she thinks is her ex.  

The question is, is this the only reason Flag dislikes him, or is there something darker at play? This episode also introduced us to the Sons of Liberty, an apparent terrorist organisation determined to overthrow the US Government.  

While Peacemaker was hailed as a hero for taking them out, perhaps not everything is as it seems in this universe – especially as we know what a nasty piece of work Auggie Smith, AKA The White Dragon, is in the main universe.  

And we also know the fate of Rick Flag Jr. Has the other version of Peacemaker also tried to murder Rick? 

Hopefully, we’ll learn more as Peacemaker season 2 continues to roll out.

Peacemaker season 2 is rolling out now on HBO and HBO Max every Thursday night at 9pm ET in the US. UK viewers can watch on Now from 2am BST on Fridays, with the episode airing on Sky Max and Sky Showcase at 9pm BST.

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