Rick Flag, Sr. is emerging as a central thread tying the new DC Universe together, with actor Frank Grillo’s take on the character already appearing in Creature Commandos and Superman, and slated to loom large again in Peacemaker season 2. The elder Flag has become the connective tissue that links several upcoming and ongoing DCU projects, just as his son, Rick Flag, Jr., has long done on the screen and in comics.
In the comics, Richard Montgomery Flag, Sr. first stepped into the spotlight in 1987’s Secret Origins #14, created by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell. He is established as the no-nonsense field leader of Task Force X, the Suicide Squad, a government-backed team of prisoners who undertake dangerous black-ops missions in exchange for the possibility of redemption. The civilian-military split of the Squad at the time was called “Argent,” a nod to the broader world of covert operations similar to Argus. Flag, Sr.’s long tenure on these missions ends with a self-sacrificial exit in his debut issue, setting the stage for his legacy to be carried forward by his son.
Rick Flag, Jr. would become the next major figure associated with the Squad. He had a slightly different arc himself, first appearing much earlier in The Brave and the Bold #25 (1959) as the leader of an earlier version of the Suicide Squad, which originally consisted of soldiers rather than supervillains. Jr. carried the flag into decades of continuity and, like his father, faced a tragic end—dying in Suicide Squad #26 (1989) and later being resurrected in Suicide Squad #1 (2007). Both Flag generations thus anchor the Squad’s legacy of leadership, danger, and the price of leadership.
The cinematic DC Universe has followed a somewhat different path, with Rick Flag, Jr. taking center stage in the films. In James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Jr. is killed by Peacemaker, a moment that Gunn has described as an “imperfect memory” within the rebooted DCU’s evolving timeline. That acknowledgment allows for retrospective storytelling choices as the DCU develops, while keeping Jr.’s death a formative, enduring moment for the broader universe.
Flag, Sr. has been stepping into his own spotlight in the on-screen continuum. In Creature Commandos, he appears as the Field Leader of Task Force M, a group of monstrous operatives assembled by Amanda Waller, mirroring the Squad’s mission structure but tailored to the creature-led team. His higher-up role within Argus has also been hinted at in the broader DCU narrative. In Superman, Flag’s appearances cast him as an Argus agent assessing Krypton’s iconic hero and taking the Kryptonian into custody after surrender, further tying Flag family history to major DC events.
Now, with Peacemaker season 2 on the horizon, Flag, Sr. is positioned as a leading antagonist, pursuing revenge against Peacemaker for Jr.’s death. This setup promises to deepen the emotional and political stakes of the DCU’s ongoing alignment between government agencies, vigilantism, and the personal cost of these power struggles. Peacemaker season 2 is set to premiere on HBO Max on August 25, with new episodes arriving weekly thereafter.
What this means for DC Universe storytelling
– Cross-project continuity is taking center stage. Flag, Sr.’s appearances across Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker demonstrate a deliberate push toward interlinked storytelling, where characters and organizations like Argus and Amanda Waller’s operations thread through many titles and formats.
– A family legacy as a throughline. The Flag family’s long-running association with the Suicide Squad and its evolving role in the DCU provides a rich vein for character development, political intrigue, and moral ambiguity—elements that can enrich both on-screen and potential future comic adaptations.
– A potential for expanded government-centric plots. Flag, Sr.’s involvement with Argus and Waller’s operations points to broader narratives about covert oversight, counter-terrorism, and the ethical lines teams cross in service of national security.
A hopeful take
The return of Flag, Sr. to the spotlight offers fans a sense of connective continuity in a sprawling cinematic and streaming universe. By weaving Flag’s arc through multiple projects, the DCU can explore how leadership, loyalty, and the consequences of past actions ripple across teams and timelines. This approach creates opportunities for richer character interactions, surprising alliances, and new twists that honor the legacy of both Flag fathers and their squads while pushing the universe toward fresh storytelling possibilities.
If you’re tracking the DCU’s growth, Flag, Sr. is a figure to watch—not just for what he does in each project, but for how his presence could shape cross-title collaborations, evolving power dynamics at Argus, and the ongoing relationship between Waller’s shadow operations and the heroism or recklessness of Peacemaker and his allies. The upcoming Peacemaker season 2 should shed more light on how this leadership figure will balance personal vendettas with the broader goals of a reimagined DC Universe.
Summary
Rick Flag, Sr. is becoming a central connective tissue in the new DC Universe, appearing across Creature Commandos, Superman, and the upcoming Peacemaker season 2. With a strong comics lineage behind him and a pivotal role in the on-screen continuum, Flag, Sr. ties together core elements of Amanda Waller’s operations, Argus, and the Suicide Squad legacy, while setting the stage for emotionally charged confrontations in Peacemaker season 2 and beyond. The DCU’s deliberate crossovers promise a more cohesive, layered narrative—and fans have plenty to look forward to as these storylines unfold.