In the alternate dimension that Chris Smith (John Cena) has stumbled upon in Peacemaker Season 2, pretty much everyone he’s killed — either on purpose or by accident — is alive. In the first two episodes, we learned this included Peacemaker’s brother and his father, but now, in Season 2, Episode 3, we’ve learned that list also includes his rival and one-time team member, Rick Flag Jr., as played by Joel Kinnaman.
Here’s how Peacemaker Season 2 is rewriting the story of Chris and Rick, and how James Gunn continues to import the continuity from 2021’s The Suicide Squad into the new DCU. Spoilers ahead.
What Joel Kinnaman’s return means for Peacemaker Season 2
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At the start of Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 3, “Another Rick Up My Sleeve,” we get a previously unseen flashback to a little rendezvous before the events of The Suicide Squad. Turns out, Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) were sleeping together on the sly, prior to his untimely death.
But, this isn’t the only time Kinnaman’s Rick Flag Jr. appears in the episode. Because, although he’s still very much dead in the regular universe, when Peacemaker awakens in the other dimension, he takes a little ride down to see the alternate Harcourt and finds that Rick is very much alive in this universe, and maybe, dating Harcourt in this timeline, too.
So, in terms of bigger DCU canon stuff, Peacemaker Season 2 has not only reaffirmed that most of The Suicide Squad happened (including Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn?) but also has introduced a new version of Rick Flag Jr., who, isn’t dead, which would make his father, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), in theory, very happy.
Peacemaker Season 2’s multiverse story isn’t playing by the usual rules
Related: The 3 Things To Watch Before ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2
So far, one thing that makes Peacemaker Season 2 so interesting is that we’ve yet to see the downside to the alternate dimension that Peacemaker has discovered. He’s way more beloved in this world, and his entire family is alive. So, is there a rub? Are we in for a big twist? Peacemaker calls it the “best. dimension. ever.” But is it?
Series creator and DCU boss James Gunn has said that episodes 6, 7, and 8 of this season are top secret, meaning even critics and members of the press won’t know what happens in those before airing. Meaning, if Peacemaker is hiding a bigger twist with this alternate dimension, it might be much bigger than Rick Flag Jr. being alive.
Peacemaker Season 2 streams on HBO Max.
Related: The Best Joke In the ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Premiere Is Actually a DC Deep-Cut
