Rick Flag is the collective name used for multiple fictional characters featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. Although each character shares the same name, they are portrayed as distinct family members who typically play significant roles in collaborating with the United States government and military within the DC Universe.
The original Rick Flag Sr., initially known as Richard Montgomery Flag Sr., is a World War II veteran and field commander of the Suicide Squad. This wartime group was composed of convicted men who were used as expendable agents for highly challenging missions. Despite internal conflicts within the squad, under Rick Flag Sr.'s leadership, the team achieved success in completing their missions. Following the conclusion of World War II, the character establishes a family and has a son who is named after him before his death.[1] Richard Roger Flag Jr., also known as Rick Flag Jr., is the most prominent and widely recognized incarnation of the character in comics and other media. He is typically portrayed as the field commander of the modern Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad, similar to his predecessor. Rick Flag Jr.'s leadership and exceptional skills have earned him a reputation as one of Amanda Waller's most loyal and trusted operatives within the team, despite the high mortality rate associated with their missions.[2] In a previous version, the character was alternatively depicted as a soldier named Anthony Miller, who was suggested to have been implanted with false memories, believing himself to be the son of the original Rick Flag. However, in modern continuities, this aspect is often disregarded. In certain retellings, Rick Flag Jr. is sometimes portrayed as the grandson of the original Rick Flag, rather than his direct son.[3]
The character made his live-action debut in the television series Smallville, played by Ted Whittall. In the DC Extended Universe, Rick Flag Jr. was played by Joel Kinnaman in the films Suicide Squad (2016) and The Suicide Squad (2021), also appearing in archive flashbacks in the 2022 first season of Peacemaker. Frank Grillo currently voices his father, Rick Flag Sr., in the DC Universe animated series Creature Commandos (2024), and will play the character in live-action in the upcoming film Superman (2025) and the 2025 second season of Peacemaker.
