As a lot of you figured it would after the title reveal, Peacemaker season 2, episode 3, "Another Rick Up My Sleeve," featured the DCU debut of a character (or at least, a version of a character) we haven't seen since The Suicide Squad.
Major spoilers ahead.
As expected, the unnamed "jarhead" Keith Smith referred to in the season premiere was indeed Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman)... but a far less confident and capable "variant" of the fearless soldier who led Task Force X on that fateful mission to Corto Maltese.
In a new clip from the official Peacemaker podcast, John Cena discusses reuniting with Kinnaman for their scene in last week's episode, and what must have been going through Chris' head upon learning that a version of the man he murdered is still alive in an alternate reality.
“Joel and I are good friends, so I asked him to do me a favor, but I also wanted to give him an opportunity to do something that’s purely comedic, because he’s a really funny guy,” Gunn told TV Insider in a recent interview. “He’s never been in a comedy his entire life, so being able to show him doing this sort of namby-pamby version of Rick Flag Jr. … every time I watch those scenes, I laugh out loud.”
We're not sure if Kinnaman will return for another episode this season, but we'd be very surprised if Flag Jr. doesn't play a part in the inevitable confrontation between Peacemaker and Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo).
Gunn recently took to social media to share the first official promo stills of Kinnaman as Rick Flag Jr.
Critics were only provided with the first five episodes for review purposes, and Gunn recently explained why.
"I am the one who's keeping the three episodes away from everybody because there are too many surprises in those last three episodes," he revealed. "Especially 6 and 8, they are just crazy, my favourite things I've ever done of anything."
Will David Corenswet's Superman make a cameo? That's the prevailing theory, but there's a chance Gunn will take the opportunity to reintroduce some characters from The Suicide Squad.
"The new season follows Christopher 'Chris' Smith, aka Peacemaker, the vigilante Super Hero as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evil-doer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost.
In season 2, Peacemaker 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.”