Peacemaker season 2, episode 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, and - as you may have guessed from the title - "Another Rick Up My Sleeve" features the DCU debut of a character we haven't seen since The Suicide Squad.
Major spoilers ahead.
As expected, the unnamed "jarhead" Chris' brother Keith referred to in the season premiere was indeed Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman)... or at least, a far less confident and capable "variant" of the character. We also learned that Emilia Harcourt was sleeping with Flag prior to him leaving on his fateful mission to Corto Maltese.
“Joel and I are good friends, so I asked him to do me a favor, but I also wanted to give him an opportunity to do something that’s purely comedic, because he’s a really funny guy,” Gunn told TV Insider in a recent interview. “He’s never been in a comedy his entire life, so being able to show him doing this sort of namby-pamby version of Rick Flag Jr. … every time I watch those scenes, I laugh out loud.”
We're not sure if Kinnaman will return for another episode this season, but we'd be very surprised if Flag Jr. doesn't play a part in the inevitable confrontation between Peacemaker and Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo). Gunn has now taken to social media to share the first official promo stills of Kinnaman as Rick Flag Jr.
Critics were only provided with the first five episodes for review purposes, and Gunn recently explained why.
"I am the one who's keeping the three episodes away from everybody because there are too many surprises in those last three episodes," he revealed. "Especially 6 and 8, they are just crazy, my favourite things I've ever done of anything."
Will David Corenswet's Superman make a cameo? That's the prevailing theory, but there's a chance Gunn will take the opportunity to reintroduce some characters from The Suicide Squad.
"The new season follows Christopher 'Chris' Smith, aka Peacemaker, the vigilante Super Hero as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evil-doer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost.
In season 2, Peacemaker discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.”