Peacemaker Season 2 is about to feature serious beef between Chris Smith and Rick Flag Sr., so here’s a reminder of exactly why Rick Flag Jr.’s dad is so angry.
As played by John Cena, live-action Peacemaker was introduced in James Gunn’s 2021 Suicide Squad movie, before spinning off into his own TV show.
Peacemaker Season 1 dropped in 2022, while Season 2 hits this week, and you can read our 4-star review of the first five episodes, as well as a guide listing what to watch in advance of the new series.
But the plot loops back around to a shocking scene in Suicide Squad, so here’s what happened, and how it plays into the TV show.
Why did Peacemaker kill Rick Flag Jr.?
Peacemaker murdered Rick Flag Jr. to protect his boss Amanda Waller, and to prevent an international incident. Here’s how the kill went down…
During the movie, Amanda Waller sends the Suicide Squad to a fictional South American island nation called Corto Maltese, with orders to shut down a secret experiment called Project Starfish.
The Thinker has overseen this campaign of torture against dissidents, journalists, and political rivals, but reveals to Flag that “we serve the same master.”
Meaning America has been conducting those experiments on foreign soil, and the Suicide Squad have been sent to cover that illegal activity up.
Rick can’t believe what he’s hearing, and says he wants to serve his country rather than be its puppet. So he grabs 30 years of records on a hard drive, to let the world know the truth about Project Starfish, and make those in charge accountable.
At which point Peacemaker shows up, and says “I can’t let you do that, Colonel. Miss Waller charged me with making sure those records don’t leave this building.”
Smith says it isn’t personal, to which Flag screams, “They experimented on children!”
“That information gets out, it cause an international incident,” comes Smith’s response. “Keeping the peace is worth any price, including the life of a hero like yours, sir, so please, don’t make me do this.”
A fight between them follows, and they pound the hell out of each other, until Chris Smith stabs Rick Flag Jr. in the heart with a broken piece of toilet.
“Peacemaker… what a joke!” says Flag, before breathing his last breath.
That shocking act of violence is set to have far-reaching consequences in Peacemaker Season 2, as Jr.’s father – Rick Flag Sr. – is now the head of A.R.G.U.S., and clearly wants revenge or retribution for the death of his son.
We’ll find out more about his plan when Peacemaker returns to HBO Max at 9pm ET on August 21, 2025, and Sky Max in the UK on August 22, while there’s also a sneaky way to watch Season 2 for free.
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