In this week’s episode of Peacemaker, appropriately titled “Another Rick Up My Sleeve,” not only did we take an extended jaunt to the second version of the DCU introduced in the season premiere — call it DC2, for short — but we also got a surprising return that points to what might happen in the Season 2 finale. Spoilers past this point, but Joel Kinnaman is back as Rick Flag, Jr.
…Or rather, his alternate, DC2 double, a hapless klutz, is back in the episode. A brief review, but Peacemaker (John Cena) killed Rick Flag Jr. during the events of The Suicide Squad. That’s haunted our titular hero, and as it turns out in this episode, is a large part of the reason that Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) has been frosty to Peacemaker throughout the first season and change… She and Rick were sleeping together.
We find that out thanks to a flashback three years earlier, right at the top of the hour. And while the sex is clearly of the “casual, nothing serious” variety, it also means a lot to Harcourt and Flag, who remain good friends until the day he dies… Which is later that day.
There are a few other intriguing details thrown into this initial scene. We find out that Flag is cheating on June with Harcourt, and if you forgot who that is: it’s June Moone (Cara Delevingne), aka Enchantress, from the first Suicide Squad movie in 2016.
And Rick is shipping off to Corto Maltese in two hours. As we’re immediately shown thanks to a montage of scenes from The Suicide Squad (the 2021 movie), that was where Rick Flag Jr. died.
That’s the end of Rick Flag Jr., but what about RFJ2, from the alternate dimension DCU?
Rick Flag, Jr. From DC2 Is A Bumbling Klutz
While heading to A.R.G.U.S. for a chat with the DC2 version of Harcourt, Peacemaker discovers that the DC2 version of Rick Flag Jr. is the “jarhead” that Harcourt 2 has been dating, as mentioned in earlier episodes by Peacemaker’s brother, Keith (David Denman). She’s clearly pining after Peacemaker, though, and it’s making the doofy RFJ2 very jealous.
“What’s going on, Chris?” RFJ2 says antagonistically when he first sees him. “You got like some business or something here?”
Peacemaker tries to play it casually, and then Harcourt shoves Rick off despite his seething questions. And while Harcourt and Peacemaker talk and hug, Rick pops his head over a cubicle, Dilbert style, and then very obviously sneaks around the office spying on the duo, ending with a very silly shot of him knocking over a trash can.
That’s the last we see of him in the episode, but is it the last we’ll see of him this season? Probably not.
Will Cara Delevingne Guest Star In Peacemaker Season 2 As June Moone, AKA Enchantress From David Ayer’s Suicide Squad?
So, let’s talk about the whole June Moone thing first. Getting back to that flashback scene from the beginning, Rick notes, “I’m afraid if I break up with her, she’s gonna burrow a hole through the planet.”
“Can you possibly self-aggrandize more?” Harcourt sarcastically throws back, but he’s serious.
While it would be absolutely wild to see Enchantress back after the generally maligned 2016 Suicide Squad, James Gunn has teased that there are some BIG DC cameos in the final three episodes of the season. And with so much focus this season on Flag’s legacy, through Peacemaker, Harcourt, and his father, Rick Flag, Sr. (Frank Grillo) it’s not out of the question to have one more mourner join the festivities.
It also seems too juicy a potential plot development to drop that Enchantress will “burrow a hole through the planet” and not see her attempt to do that in some fashion. So will she be back? We’ve got a few more weeks to find out.
Here’s How This Might Set Up The Peacemaker Season 2 Finale:
To throw out an even wilder theory, though, what if the setup of the doofus version of Rick Flag, Jr., from DC2 is how Peacemaker sets things right? There’s definitely something wrong with DC2 — the popular theory is that it’s the racist Earth-X dimension from the comics, where Hitler won World War II — but Rick just seems to be a nebbishy guy. If Peacemaker saves him and brings him back, it certainly complicates things, but it also gives Rick Flag Sr. a version of his son, Harcourt a version of her best friend/lover, and semi-fixes the murder Peacemaker committed in The Suicide Squad.
Does it actually fix anything? Not really. But it’s a way of making amends, as well as getting Kinnaman back in the universe long-term, if James Gunn wants to have him. We’ll certainly know more as the season continues.
Peacemaker Season 2 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
Peacemaker season 2 premiered on HBO Max on Thursday, August 21. The season will be eight episodes long, with one episode premiering per week.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Peacemaker Season 2, with premiere dates:
- Thursday, August 21, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 1
- Thursday, August 28, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 2
- Thursday, September 4, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 3
- Thursday, September 11, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 4
- Thursday, September 18, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 5
- Thursday, September 25, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 6
- Thursday, October 2, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 7
- Thursday, October 9, 2025: Peacemaker, Season 2, Episode 8 *Season Finale*
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