The DCU Already Has A Huge Villain Plot Hole, But A Wild Theory Might Fix It

The rebooted DC Universe might have already introduced a wild villain plot hole in Peacemaker season 2, but this brilliant theory provides the perfect explanation for this confusion. Peacemaker season 2 has certainly caused a stir by expanding James Gunn’s new DCU into some unexpected and shocking places. While the season introduced new elements such as Earth X, Salvation, Checkmate, and more, one pre-established DCU character also took a sudden turn into villainy in the series.

Frank Grillo made his DCU debut as the voice actor of Rick Flag Sr. in the animated Creature Commandos series in 2024. The father of Joel Kinnaman’s deceased Rick Flag Jr. from The Suicide Squad, the older Flag became the leader of Task Force M in Creature Commandos, and then appeared as the new Director of ARGUS in Superman in July 2025. Grillo reprised the role in Peacemaker season 2, but the recent series was a tale of two halves for Rick Flag Sr., and his change in personality has caused confusion among audiences.

Rick Flag Sr. Wasn’t Acting Like Himself in Peacemaker Season 2

During Creature Commandos and even Superman, Rick Flag Sr. demonstrated some sort of respect, or at least apathy, towards the world’s Metahumans – those with superpowers. He led Task Force M, a team comprised entirely of Metahumans, and formed bonds with each member of his team. Creature Commandos’ finale also saw him set up a new team of Metahumans for the series’ second season, suggesting he’d continue on this streak. He even showed familiarity and respect for David Corenswet’s Superman in his self-titled debut, but Peacemaker season 2 showcased a very different Rick Flag.

Peacemaker season 2 introduced a version of Rick Flag Sr. who has some sort of weird vendetta against Metahumans. He wants to bring John Cena’s Christopher Smith to his knees to avenge the death of his son, but Peacemaker himself is not actually a Metahuman. Even so, Flag’s hate for Peacemaker snowballs into a hatred for all Metahumans, leading to him finding the planet Salvation and moving forward with plans to make it into a prison for Metahumans – with Peacemaker as the first resident. This shift was jarring and hasn’t been explained, but a new theory has the answer.

Lex Luthor Replaced Rick Flag Sr. With a Clone: DCU Theory Explained

In the wake of Peacemaker season 2’s Rick Flag evolution, some fans have come to believe that the Flag we’ve been watching isn’t Flag at all. A new theory suggests Lex Luthor might have cloned Rick Flag Sr. and replaced him with his own pawn. Flag went to visit Luthor at Belle Reve during Peacemaker season 2, with Nicholas Hoult reprising his Superman role, and the pair struck an interesting deal that hasn’t yet been fully explored. Flag seemingly got Luthor transferred to the Metropolis-set Van Kull, while Luthor might have had a larger impact on Flag.

Rick Flag Sr.’s biggest changes seemed to occur after his visit to Lex Luthor in prison, seemingly reinforcing this theory. After their conversation, Flag went full steam ahead with his Salvation plans, acquiring the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, freeing most of Luthor’s unpredictable team from prison, setting up shop in his control room from Superman, and turning his back on the world’s Metahumans. This brought his ideology closer in line with Luthor’s, so it would make sense that Luthor is actually controlling his Rick Flag clone from his new home at Van Kull – or perhaps not in prison at all.

Peacemaker Season 2 May Have Set Up Man of Tomorrow’s Perfect Villain

Lex Luthor perhaps being freed from prison by Rick Flag Sr. sets him up to return in the DCU’s upcoming Man of Tomorrow movie, which is scheduled for a 2027 release. Man of Tomorrow is expected to bring Luthor and Superman together to battle a great threat, and is now suspected to be continuing storylines established in Peacemaker season 2, namely those surrounding Salvation as a Metahuman prison and ARGUS’ corruption. We’ve already seen Lex Luthor clone someone – Superman, no less – so it’s not much of a stretch to imagine that he could have cloned Rick Flag Sr., too.

This could have set up Rick Flag Sr. as a sinister human villain in Man of Tomorrow, while the “bigger threat” that Luthor and Superman face could be the former’s previous clone, Ultraman. The clone of Superman is expected to return as Bizarro, while Flag could also undergo even more corruption as he sends more and more Metahumans to Salvation to join Christopher Smith. Man of Tomorrow could culminate with Lex Luthor revealing the truth and outing himself as a supervillain behind all other villains, so, hopefully, we’ll get the original, non-Metahuman-hating Rick Flag Sr. back in the DCU soon.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

10 Most Powerful Members of Checkmate Who Could Join The DCU Now