The latest episode of Peacemaker is titled "Another Rick Up My Sleeve," and features the return of Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr. In the cold opening, it's revealed that he and Emilia Harcourt were sleeping together shortly before he was dispatched to Corto Maltese in The Suicide Squad.
That was where he died (at Chris Smith's hands), and the scene also confirms that Rick was cheating on June Moon. That makes her and 2016's Suicide Squad canon, and seeing as he's worried that breaking up with the former Enchantress could send her over the edge again, it's apparent June can still access her powers.
When Peacemaker seeks out the alternate reality Emilia Harcourt, he learns that she's dating a very much alive Rick Flag Jr. However, he's a bit of a bumbling goof and clumsily watches as his girlfriend flirts with Peacemaker.
During a recent Peacemaker watchalong with fans on Threads, Gunn expanded on some of the creative decisions he made with Rick in the DCU.
Explaining that he told Jennifer Holland about Harcourt's history with Flag Jr. before season 1 started shooting, Gunn also said that he always imagined the Task Force X leader as a "nice guy," but a "womaniser."
Later praising Joel Kinnaman's comedic chops, the filmmaker dialled back expectations about Suicide Squad being DCU canon, by saying that Peacemaker's DCEU references were him just making inferences to certain characters or events.
As for why the parallel Earth's Rick is so different, Gunn noted, "For the same reasons Harcourt and Peacemaker and Auggie are all different. It's the Butterfly Effect in action. Subtle differences in their lives produces different people."
When Gunn relaunched the DCEU as the DCU, he decided to keep certain characters and story arcs in place, despite fully rebooting many other franchises and superheroes (Superman, for example). That's proven to be somewhat confusing, as the DCU has ended up being more of a "soft reboot" than a true fresh start for the franchise.
You can hear more from Gunn in the Threads posts below.
Peacemaker season 2 follows Chris Smith, the vigilante superhero, as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evildoer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost. He discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.
Season 2 stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodríguez, David Denman, Brey Noelle, and Tim Meadows.
James Gunn wrote all eight episodes of Peacemaker and directed three, including the first episode. Gunn, Peter Safran, and Cena serve as executive producers. Greg Mottola, Peter Sollett, and Alethea Jones also direct.
In our review of Peacemaker season 2, we wrote, "Peacemaker season 2 feels like a wholly superfluous addition to the new DCU, and lacks the stakes and emotion that made season 1 so special. Fortunately, it’s buoyed by some fun surprises for fans and another exceptional turn from John Cena."
Three episodes of Peacemaker season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max.