Joel Kinnaman says Peacemaker season 2 will be his final on-screen appearance as Rick Flag Jr., ending a DC run that began with Suicide Squad in 2016 and continued through The Suicide Squad and flashbacks on Peacemaker. Asked if viewers had seen the last of the character, Kinnaman answered, “I would say so.”
That makes the latest chapter for Rick Flag Jr. the final one for Kinnaman, even though the character was killed in James Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad. Kinnaman later returned as Flag in Peacemaker through flashbacks, extending a role that had already become one of the most familiar parts of his superhero filmography.
Kinnaman said Gunn called him and asked if he wanted to return for “a little fun thing I’d love for you to do,” and he said yes without hesitation. “Yeah, I’ll come play with you anytime,” he said, adding that Gunn always had a place for Flag in Peacemaker season 2 even though Kinnaman had no idea that was the plan. He described Gunn as “a mad genius,” saying it is hard to know what goes on in his “crazy brain,” and said he was never shy about spoiling things in interviews. “I’m very bad at keeping secrets,” Kinnaman said, adding that Warner Bros. was always reprimanding him for giving away Suicide Squad details and that he does not really use social media anymore.
The comments also reopened a window on how chaotic the original 2016 shoot had been. Kinnaman called himself “very unprofessional” on that film and said he and the rest of the cast were “partying all the time.” By contrast, he said the 2021 production of The Suicide Squad was “so much more professional.” That contrast matters because it shows how far the franchise has moved from its rough first outing to a more tightly controlled second act, with Kinnaman’s brief return now serving as the last on-screen chapter for Flag Jr. on Gunn’s watch.
For fans, the answer is simple: yes, Kinnaman is done playing Rick Flag Jr. on camera. The character’s path ran from Suicide Squad to The Suicide Squad, then into Peacemaker flashbacks, and season 2 closes the book.
