James Gunn's Most Hated DCU Character Officially Addresses His War With Peacemaker

Peacemaker holds a unique place in DC lore, as its first season was released at the end of the “Zack Snyder era,” and Season 2 arrived as part of DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn’s new DC Universe. Season 2 was the first live-action streaming series released as part of the new DCU continuity, coming to HBO Max just over a month after Superman debuted in theaters as the DCU’s first new movie. Led by John Cena as Christopher Smith, Season 2 fully integrated the character into a wider universe, while also following up on the story established in 2021’s The Suicide Squad.

Part of that story included Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr., who was first introduced in Superman before serving as a main antagonist in Peacemaker Season 2. In the streaming series, Flag sought revenge against Peacemaker for killing his son, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag Jr., during The Suicide Squad‘s third act while working with ARGUS and Lex Luthor to access a dimensional portal. In the Season 2 finale, Flag got what he wanted, throwing Peacemaker through that portal and exiling him to a planet called Salvation. This made him one of the DCU’s most hated characters, although Grillo recently took that designation in stride.

Speaking at the red-carpet event for Tulsa King Season 4 with MovieWeb, Frank Grillo addressed the idea of playing one of the DCU’s most-hated characters, Rick Flag Sr. Getting into a fun exchange over this question, Grillo responded that Peacemaker “killed [Flag’s] son,” justifying Flag’s brutal actions against Cena’s titular hero:

MovieWeb: “Are you doing ok being one of the most hated characters in the DCU right now?”

Grillo: “Hated? Why am I hated?!”

MovieWeb: “What you did to Peacemaker!”

Grillo: “Peacemaker killed my son! Let me help you here. He killed, murdered my son, my child.”

MovieWeb: “He feels really bad for it, though.”

Grillo: “Whose problem [is that]? Is it mine or yours? You’re crazy.”

Clearly, Grillo has plenty of reason to agree with Flag’s rationale for his actions, as losing a son would send anyone into a rage and make them want vengeance. Making light of the matter in the interview, the Peacemaker star offered a sound explanation for why he went after Christopher Smith, not caring much about how bad Smith felt about what he did to the younger Flag.

HBO Max
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.

Now, Grillo is set to return to the DCU next year for a role in James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, bringing Rick Flag Sr. back to the big screen on Jul. 9, 2027. While his specific role is still a mystery, Grillo has teased that he will have plenty to do in this movie, which will pit Superman and Lex Luthor as allies when the all-powerful Brainiac threatens to make Earth part of his collection of planets. Whether he eventually gets a rematch with Peacemaker is still up in the air, but Grillo seems set for an extended future in this franchise.

Both seasons of Peacemaker are streaming on HBO Max. Grillo will next be seen in Season 4 of Tulsa King on Paramount+ (starting on Oct. 16, 2026), playingBill Bevilaqua.