Rick Flag is proud of his misfit team: The Suicide Squad trailer shows the reluctant-leader sporting a particular tattoo that hints a fondness for his work with Task Force X. The Suicide Squad is the DCEU's upcoming sequel to 2016's disappointing villain team-up Suicide Squad. The sequel sees Joel Kinnaman reprise his role as Col. Rick Flag, an accomplished military man who is assigned to Amanda Waller's unorthodox team.
James Gunn is the director of The Suicide Squad, and if the red-band trailer is any indication, viewers can expect the sequel to be infused with Gunn's signature dark, irreverent humor. The movie is poised to correct the issues of its predecessor; unlike 2016's Suicide Squad, which often approached its material seriously, Gunn's take seems to fully (and unapologetically) embrace the silliness of its premise.
Rick Flag in particular seems transformed from his previous appearance, instantly making him considerably more appealing and memorable. In 2016's Suicide Squad, Rick Flag is Amanda Waller's obedient subordinate who (grumpily) complies with her orders. Unfortunately, the over-stuffed movie doesn't afford Kinnaman any opportunities to develop his character beyond being a generic military operative. In The Suicide Squad, however, this has changed: His appearance is goofier in Gunn's movie, sporting a tight yellow t-shirt that contrasts the tactical military gear he wore in the first movie. What's more, the short sleeves reveal that he has a distinct "SKWAD" tattoo on his left bicep. This is almost certainly a reference to the Task Force X "squad" that he is the leader of.
The changes to Rick Flag in The Suicide Squad are indicative of the sequel's different tone. Whereas the character is mainly remembered in the first movie for his unintentionally funny "this is Katana" exposition dump, the sequel's trailer features a more nuanced, flawed, and likable version of the military leader. In the trailer, Flag asserts, "we don't leave one of our own behind," then does a double-take when he sees that Harley Quinn escaped on her own. His sullen reaction is priceless and establishes his dynamic with her, as well as the rest of the squad. This suggests the story in The Suicide Squad has eschewed the tension of Flag's inherent disdain for his team (which didn't add anything to the original movie) and replaced this with a clear affection for Task Force X — hidden under a healthy layer of sour irritation.
Taking Rick Flag in a new direction is a smart choice for The Suicide Squad. Self-serious military men are far too common in the action genre, and by subverting the expectations for the character, Gunn allows Kinnaman to inject the role with personality and relatability. The audience is expected to like the movie's villainous protagonists — so Flag needs to like them too (even begrudgingly). This was one of the major problems with Suicide Squad: the characters often seemed detached from each other, which undermined the plot's stakes. Not every character from Suicide Squad is returning for Gunn's sequel, but the ones that do will need to establish a history between the characters. Based on the exchange between Harley Quinn and Rick Flag seen in the trailer, it would appear The Suicide Squad is addressing this particular fault of its predecessor.
