WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Suicide Squad, now in theaters and on HBO Max.
In the world of The Suicide Squad, the more outrageous the character, the better. Any random scene could feature a guy who shoots polka dots, a bipedal Weasel with the intelligence of a Greyhound or a talking shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone, and nobody bats an eye. With a team full of the strangest characters imaginable, the only way to truly stand out from the rest is to just be generally normal.
You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone whose favorite character from 2016's Suicide Squad was the straight-edge military colonel, Rick Flag. Despite being a staple member of Task Force X going back to the John Ostrander days, Flag has typically carried the ignominious label of the "boring" one. After all, The Suicide Squad is about the dregs of society being given a chance to do some good, while having their heads blown up along the way. Naturally, the team's babysitter isn't going to garner the same attention as the chaotic Harley Quinn or the walking contradiction that is Peacemaker. But James Gunn did what the 2016 Suicide Squad could not: it made Rick Flag a hero.
In David Ayer's Suicide Squad, Colonel Rick Flag is a cynic. He leads Task Force X out of pure obligation to his boss, Amanda Waller. Flag shows pure contempt for the squad members, believing they will all cut and run at the drop of a hat. His personality is the gruffly obedient voice of reason. In essence, he is a cudgel used to further Waller's political power. His sole redeeming quality is his love for Dr. June Moone (and chicken wings) but beyond that, he is either spouting exposition or acting like a wet blanket.
When Gunn came aboard the franchise, actor Joel Kinnaman expressed a desire not to be bound by what came before. Since the acclaimed writer-director was not technically making a sequel, Kinnaman was free to create a character that truly stood on his own. One can even argue that the Rick Flag seen in The Suicide Squad is essentially a brand new character.
Here, Flag is much more of an optimist, and his outfit reflects that. Gone are the military fatigues, crew-cut and facial hair. Rick Flag in 2021 sports a bright yellow shirt that harkens back to his comic book origins, with a picture of a bunny holding a sign that translates to, "Obstacles are opportunities." Right off the bat, Gunn is signaling that this is a very different Flag.
The Colonel no longer looks depressed just to exist. He's less dour, even cracking a joke or two. For the first time he actually feels like a part of the team. His relationship with Harley indicates a mutual respect based on trust. They have gone to war together, and somehow, developed a real friendship. When she is captured by Luna, Flag sidetracks the entire operation to rescue her, stating, "We don't leave one of our own behind." It's nigh impossible to imagine the Flag from Ayer's film caring this deeply. When Harley embraces Flag, it is sincere and without any ulterior motive.
The Flag seen here is much more of an idealist than the previous version. His motives are comparatively noble, born out of a desire to help the people of Corto Maltese, unlike his boss. And Waller challenges his ideals at every turn. In the film's opening invasion mission, it's revealed that Waller put Flag on the diversion team. Even after all he's done for her, she used him as a pawn so that Bloodsport could lead his team further into the jungle. After Flag is "captured" Waller does send a rescue team, but her lack of allegiance to him is laid bare.
Later on, Flag is horrified to learn that the U.S. government secretly funded Project Starfish and supported experimentation on Corto Maltese's citizens. The mission to destroy Jotunheim is a cover-up, plain and simple. It's at this point that Flag realizes he's been manipulated from the start. Fed up with playing the role of the good soldier, he tears out the evidence exposing America's involvement with Starro the Conqueror and vows to release it to the press. In a further act of betrayal, Peacemaker reveals that Waller secretly tasked him with destroying the evidence by any means necessary. A fight breaks out between the two that ends with Flag stabbed in the heart. Though Peacemaker dealt the blow, it was Waller who killed Flag.
After an uninspired turn in the first film, Flag's death in The Suicide Squad is legitimately tragic. In the first movie, he stood idly by as Waller committed countless atrocities, shrugging it off as part of the job. But in Gunn's film, he can't abide the corruption any longer. Alongside Ratcatcher 2, Flag is at the heart of this film, acting as the moral compass for the team. The remaining members of the squad carry on his work, defy Waller and bring an unlikely end to Starro.
With The Suicide Squad, Gunn gave Kinnaman the chance to really shine as an actor. He got to inject his character with humor and optimism that shows exactly why he is the team's leader. No longer jaded, Flag was one of the few truly good-natured characters in the film, and his death left an indelible mark that changed Task Force X for the better.
See the new Rick Flag in The Suicide Squad, now in theaters and on HBO Max.