Creature Commandos has put Rick Flag Sr. front and centre as the reluctant leader of Task Force M and, despite a brutal clash with Clayface, we know the character will factor into Superman and Peacemaker season 2.
In the latter, we'll see the A.R.G.U.S. agent target Christopher Smith after learning what really happened to his son in The Suicide Squad. However, it doesn't sound like Flag Sr. will have that much to do in Superman next summer despite being shown alongside a handcuffed Man of Steel in set photos.
"With Creature Commandos and Peacemaker, Flag is a prominent figure in the stories," Frank Grillo told Entertainment Weekly. "With Superman, he kind of just drops in."
"There was a rawness, and also a naïveté, about him in Creature Commandos, especially when he gets cornered by the Princess Ilana," the actor continued. "I used that stuff as a template when doing the live action. I find that interesting, that the big strong muscular leader is also a vulnerable guy, and there are times where he doesn’t know what to do."
"I think that’s important. That’s what James is great at, creating these vulnerabilities in otherwise impenetrable superheroes. I think all of us are monsters inside."
Grillo added, "We have sides of us that are ugly to look at sometimes. Just because Flag doesn't have that on the exterior, it doesn't mean it's not going on inside. Flag’s a dark guy, and I think that's why he can relate to these creatures."
Flag Sr. has also been shown with dark hair in Superman set photos, despite the character having grey hair in Creature Commandos. Like filmmaker James Gunn, Grillo blames that on overlapping production schedules.
"Unfortunately, we shot some of the Peacemaker and Superman while I was in the middle of shooting Tulsa King, so we were limited to what we could do with my hair," he explains. "I had to just use what I had and try to make it as interesting as I could. I had every intention of dying it white and slicing it up, but I just couldn’t do it."
Many of you will likely remember Grillo for his role in the MCU as Crossbones, though neither Marvel Studios nor the Russo Brothers really took advantage of what he could have done as the classic Captain America villain. It's no wonder then that he prefers the DCU.
"They're very different," he said. "Marvel's a different machine, and it’s great in its own right, but the thing I love about James' and Peter’s DC is that it's much more contained. It’s so much more personal and I really enjoy it better. I just love being part of something in the embryonic stage and being able to grow with it and watch it and flourish."
Grillo has previously revealed that Flag Sr. becomes the leader of A.R.G.U.S. after Amanda Waller is ousted (presumably, that story takes place in Peacemaker before she goes rogue in the planned Waller TV series). So, Even with only a minor role in Superman, the future looks bright for a character who could be the DCU's Nick Fury.
Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures. In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.