Peacemaker season 2’s new cast reveal means it’s going to be harder to follow James Gunn’s DC Cinematic Universe

This is one Flag that Peacemaker won’t be saluting

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Full spoilers follow for 2021’sThe Suicide Squadmovie.

Peacemakerseason 2’s first new cast member has been announced – and the reveal might make it even harder to follow the rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU).

Taking to Instagram last Friday (May 10),DCUco-chief James Gunn confirmed that Frank Grillo, who readers might recognize from his small role in two ofMarvel’s three Chris Evans-starringCaptain Americafilms, has joined thePeacemakercast.

Grillo will play Rick Flag Sr, the father ofThe Suicide Squad’s Rick Flag (played by Joel Kinnaman), in the live-action show’s sophomore season. Grillo will also voice the character in the DCU’s forthcoming R-rated animated seriesCreature Commandos, which is expected to launch onMax(in the US) sometime in 2024 and officially kickstartDCU Chapter One. His appearance inPeacemaker’s second season, then, won’t be Grillo’s first outing as the grizzled war veteran.

A post shared by James Gunn (@jamesgunn)

A photo posted by on

As Gunn alludes to, Flag Sr will be gunning for Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith (played by John Cena), in the hit series' next installment. Peacemaker murdered his son in cold blood – on Amanda Waller’s orders – in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movie’s third act. Expect a vengeful Flag Sr to spend much of season 2 hunting down his son’s killer.

It’ll be interesting to see if Flag Sr comes after Waller inPeacemaker season 2, too. Waller put the Creature Commandos – a superpowered, black ops team – together under Flag Sr’s leadership decades prior, so Waller and Flag Sr have a history together. If Flag Sr learns of Waller’s involvement in his son’s death, though, that betrayal will further fuel his desire for revenge inPeacemakerseason 2 or Waller’s own self-titled TV show.

Grillo’s upcoming appearance isn’t the only Peacemaker news to emerge recently. PerVariety, Gunn is set to direct three of season 2’s eight episodes, including the premiere. Previously, we only knew that Gunn had written one of thebest Max shows' second seasons, so this is the first apparent confirmation we’ve received on whether he’ll direct any of its entries.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Before he helmsPeacemaker’s sequel season, though, Gunn will have to complete his directing duties on hisSupermanmovie, which might wrap filming in August ahead of its July 11, 2025 release date.

A messy situation

Grillo’s appearance as Flag Sr in a live-action DCU project shouldn’t come a total surprise. When herevealed the DCU Chapter One’s full line-up in January 2023, Gunn confirmed that fans would see some actors reprise their roles in animated and live-action productions inDC’s new-look cinematic franchise.

However, Flag Sr’s appearance inPeacemakerposes a big problem for Gunn and his fellow DC Studios co-head Peter Safran. The pair have regularly stressed that the DCU is a complete reboot of Warner Bros. Discovery’s messy DCEU, but that effort continues to be hampered by the projects that straddle the line between the two.

You see,The Suicide SquadandPeacemakerseason 1 were officially part of the DCEU. Now,Peacemakerseason 2, which will pick up plot threads from that duo, is a narrative cog in the DCU machine – as isCreature Commandos, which, thanks to Flag Sr’s involvement, will now also tie intoPeacemaker’s second seasonandthe aforementioned DCEU pair.

It’s little wonder, then, that audiences are baffled. Gunn and Safran can claim otherwise but, with plot points from DCEU projects impacting DCU ones, there’s no clean break between them, nor a hard reset to speak of.

I have faith that Gunn and Safran know what they’re doing, and I hope that things (from narrative and cinematic universe perspectives) will make more sense once we learn more aboutCreature CommandosandPeacemakerseason 2.

Right now, however, the lack of clarity means that viewer confusion will reign supreme for a while yet. When you’re trying to relaunch a huge comic book franchise to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), that’s not a good look.

You might also like

Want a TV upgrade? Our top 3 picks for all budgets

Best premium TV

The best-value elite TV on the planet is the S90C OLED TV: its pictures are stunning, it’s got every key gaming feature, it’s got all the streaming smarts, its sound is good, and it looks gorgeous. Here’s our fullSamsung S90C review.

Best mid-range TV

Premium pictures for a much lower price tag. The Hisense U8K is bright enough to be ideal for sport, has great contrast for movies, as future-proofed for gaming, and is unbeatable value. Read our fullHisense U8K review.

Best budget TV

Get this on one of its regular sales and its a steal. Excellent detail comes with rich, accurate colors, and an easy-to-use smart platform. It’s even good for gaming. See our fullAmazon Fire TV Omni QLED review.

As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.

Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

We just learned more about Max’s password-sharing crackdown – and more price hikes are coming too

HBO’s hit Game of Thrones show is getting a movie – and it might come to a theater before you can stream it

Phishing attacks surge in 2024 as cybercriminals adopt AI tools and multi-channel tactics