The lingering plot threads from the DCEU continue to be addressed in Peacemaker Season 2 and will likely continue to be explored and canonized throughout the upcoming projects that may include a character or two from that universe. This week’s episode may shock many fans with a reference to Enchantress from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, a film infamous for its outcome. With the return of Rick Flag Jr. and the show exploring a moment from the past, James Gunn has not only seemingly canonized their relationship from the film but also may have retconned the end of that film, hinting at a possible future for the character in his DCU.
The Enchantress Returns?
The appearance of Rick Flag Jr. itself was a surprise to many, of course, even though rumours had swirled for a while now, and fans have had their theories on the possible return, but the details that came with it were surely unexpected by just about everyone. While Joel Kinnaman had previously played Flag for Gunn in The Suicide Squad, many details about the character prior to the film were kept to a minimum, with the only real trailing details being previous relationships with other returning characters.
As Harcourt begins to get dressed, she urges Rick to get up, as they both have to get to wor,k and he is set to ship out to Corto Maltese later that day. When she mentions that, she also says that he should be with June, hinting that their romance is an affair and that Flag is still with June Moone, as he was back in 2016. Flag quickly mentions that “she’s a f*cking sorceress” and that he’s afraid to break up with her because she could “blow a hole through the planet.” This doesn’t really sound like the June Moone we last saw in 2016, having been depowered and freed from the possession of the Enchantress by Harley Quinn.
Is David Ayer’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Still Canon?
Yes? Maybe? No? Not Really? “Vague memories of things that happened”? Ding Ding Ding! Winner! As most things from the DCU so far, certain plot threads and events will be and have been picked back up in the DCU after the shuttering of the DCEU. Some things have happened almost exactly the same, and some have happened similarly or just not at all how they had previously happened, so how does this situation work?
The big reason behind the formation of Task Force X is because of the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday in Batman vs Superman, in response to other possible metahuman threats and the need to be able to fight back and defend from those threats. This, of course, is not how things have played out in the DCU, with Superman being very much alive and not even active in 2016 in this universe. So, to understand this situation, you just simply have to think of it as part of a vague memory, an event similar to 2016’s Suicide Squad did happen, but the cause of that situation is different, and the outcome is mostly different. What’s confirmed canon is Rick Flag Jr. and June Moone’s relationship, as well as her being the Enchantress.
At the end of the first film, Enchantress dies, killed by Harley Quinn, but June Moone does not and is presumably now unable to wield the magic and abilities that the deity provided her. Does the character have a future in the DCU? Could she also be out for revenge and looking for the Peacemaker? We’ll just have to wait and find out.
The first three episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max, and you can check out our review here! More coverage of the series is set to follow throughout the coming weeks so make sure to stay tuned to Popped for all things peace-related!
