Rick Flag

*"I joined the military to serve my country, not to be its puppet."*
―Rick Flag[src]
Richard "Rick" Rogers Flag, Jr. was a U.S. Army colonel, special operations forces specialist, and the field leader of the A.R.G.U.S. affiliated black ops team Task Force X. In 2021, he was recruited by Amanda Waller to lead Task Force X, alongside a team of Navy SEALS. The mission proved successful, and Flag stayed on as the Squad's field leader.

In 2020, Flag led a new incarnation the Squad on a mission to Corto Maltese to destroy a Nazi-era fortress known as Jotunheim, along with the dangerous Project Starfish. Upon reaching the island, Flag and the team had to face the soldiers of Corto Maltese, but most of the team died in battle. Flag fled into the jungle where he encountered a rebel group against Silvio Luna, which he joined. Flag joined the new Task Force X team to get to Jotunheim successfully. Flag intended to reveal the whole truth about the alien creature Starro, but had to face Peacemaker, who was secretly working with Waller to protect the files. In a battle against Peacemaker, Flag was killed when Peacemaker stabbed him in the heart with a shard of tile, although the latter eventually became regretful for killing Flag.

## Biography

### Early life

Richard Rogers "Rick" Flag, Jr. was born in Washington, D.C. as the son of Richard Rogers "Rick" Flag, Sr., a decorated war veteran and was known to have attended junior high where he met a girl named Marsha Lane. During a winter high school break, he worked as a messenger for a legal firm in Midway City. There, he was known to have met and slept with a girl named Emily Spiegel.

### Military Service

*"I know, you both served on special forces in Qurac that took down Avral Kaddam. Flag was the one who initially recommended you."*
―Amanda Waller to Bloodsport[src]
Flag later enlisted out of a sense of patriotism and graduated from West Point, proceeding to serve an unknown number of tours in the United States Military, including one mission in Qurac to take down Avral Kaddam, before getting assigned to A.R.G.U.S., under the jurisdiction of Amanda Waller.

### Saving the world

#### Recruited into Task Force X

Following the approval of Waller's Task Force X pitch to the Pentagon, Rick was assigned by her to be the task force's field commander. He attempts to object, however, stating that Waller needs actual soldiers instead of criminals and supervillains. Ultimately though, Waller forces him to comply and accept his position by revealing the debilitating leverage she had over him.

### Corto Maltese's mission

#### Forming a new team

*"So, this is the famous Suicide Squad.""Well, we consider that term degrading. The official term is "Task Force X," and love 'em or hate 'em, these are your brothers and sisters for the next few days."*
―Rick Flag and Savant[src]
Flag first meets Savant in Belle Reve before taking him to meet the rest of the squad After the team was ready, Flag took them to the plane to go to Corto Maltese, but first he met up with Harley Quinn, who was late for the flight. On the flight to Corto Maltese, Blackguard panics after Harley Quinn taunts him by lying that Weasel was a werewolf, which leads to Flag having to calm him down before revealing that Weasel had killed 27 children.

#### Battle on the beach

While hiding out on the beach, Blackguard reveals he had betrayed the team and contacted the local militia, which Rick promptly relays to Amanda Waller. During the following battle, the entire team with the exceptions of Harley and Flag are killed, Harley is captured and Flag escapes into the jungle before being found by Sol Soria and her rebels.

#### Working with a new Suicide Squad

Eventually found by Bloodsport, King Shark, Ratcatcher 2, Peacemaker, and Polka-Dot Man after assumed being captured, Flag is irritated to learn that the Squad killed off the entire town. Thankfully, Flag joins the squad in order to find Thinker.

#### Capturing of Thinker and saving Harley

*"You're gonna risk the entire mission for a mental defective dressed as a court jester?""We don't leave one of our own behind."*
―Peacemaker and Rick Flag[src]
With the help of Sol, Flag and the Squad find Milton, a bus driver who is willing to take them into the La Gatita Amable, a nightclub in the city, to find Thinker. Disguised, he and the squad share a drink and have fun, until coming across soldiers who are searching for him and the Squad. After Bloodsport distracts the team, Flag turns himself and Peacemaker in. Whilst in the transport, Flag, Peacemaker and Bloodsport escape, finding the other members of the Squad, and make their way to the military fortress, forming a plan to save Harley Quinn. Unbeknownst to Flag or any of the Squad members, Quinn had escaped. Though frustrated that he wasn't able to carry out his plan, Flag is able to formulate another plan to break inside of Jotunheim.

#### Infiltration in Jotunheim

Once inside, the team splits up, with Bloodsport, King Shark, Harley Quinn, and Polka-Dot Man going to the upper levels to plant the bombs, while Flag and Ratcatcher take Thinker down to the basement. Once there, they bear witness to the gruesome experiments that Thinker had conducted on Starro and it's captives, which horrifies them, especially Ratcatcher.

When Thinker tells them that they were sent to Corto Maltese to cover up the U.S's involvement in Project Starfish, Flag refuses to believe him at first, enraging Thinker as he then reveals the truth; thirty years ago, the American government had found Starro and saw the potential in weaponizing such a powerful beast, so they made a secret deal with the Corto Maltese government to be able to conduct their illegal experiments on their soil, while Thinker himself oversaw them.

*"C'mon, man. This is nothing personal.""Holding a gun on me is pretty fucking personal."*
―Peacemaker and Rick Flag
As he explains, Peacemaker suddenly shows up, finding Thinker untrustworthy. Disgusted and betrayed, Flag breaks inside the controls and finds a hard drive that contains the secrets to what the American government had done, planning to share it with the press, only to be cornered by Peacemaker, who attempts to stop Flag under orders from Amanda Waller. Right then, the building rumbles, and the group realizes the bombs have been set off too early. Believing that the information contained would cause an international dispute, Peacemaker tries to reason with him and begs Flag not to make him kill him. Before the confrontation can turn violent, however, the floor above caves in on Flag, Ratcatcher, Thinker, and Peacemaker, knocking all of them unconscious.

#### Showdown with Peacemaker

*"Peacemaker. What a joke."*
―Rick Flag's last words to Peacemaker[src]
Upon waking up, Flag, despite being wounded from the debris, sees the hard drive and attempts to take it, but Peacemaker stops him, leading to a brutal fistfight. Despite Peacemaker initially having the upper hand, Flag eventually manages to pin Peacemaker to the ground with a metal rod, choking the latter. Before Flag succeeds, Peacemaker grabs a shard of tile broken off from the fight and uses it to stab Flag through the heart. With his last breaths, Flag calls Peacemaker out for his hypocritical name before collapsing to the ground, dead.

### Legacy

*"I killed Rick Flag for you people.""No one never told you to kill Flag."*
―Peacemaker and Emilia Harcourt[src]
Soon after, Peacemaker realized that Ratcatcher had unwittingly witnessed Flag's death. She then took the drive and flees upstairs, prompting Peacemaker to chase after her. Ratcatcher then informed Bloodsport and the other Task Force X members about what had happened, forcing a confrontation with Bloodsport and Peacemaker, resulting in Peacemaker being mortally wounded.

This act of rebellion unwittingly inspired Task Force X to commit to another one, saving the citizens of Corto Maltese from Starro even at the cost of defying Amanda Waller. Ultimately, the Task Force was successful. Bloodsport managed to use the contents of the drive to bargain for their freedom. Although Bloodsport solemnly admitted to Ratcatcher that he sadly couldn't deliver exactly on Flag's final wishes, he did remark that he had made the best compromise he possibly could out of it.

Peacemaker managed to survive his final confrontation with Bloodsport. When informed that he would have to embark on another mission for A.R.G.U.S., Peacemaker brought up Flag, complaining that he'd already killed him for them. The following day, Peacemaker, influenced by the music he was listening to, started to cry, mourning his part in causing Flag's death and noting that Flag was right in saying that he was a joke.

## Personality

*"You’re a good man, Colonel Flag."*
―Sol Soria to Rick Flag[src]
Years after, Flag had become more upbeat and cheerful in his mannerisms. Rick even began to form bonds and started to care for some of the Task Force X members, such as Harley Quinn and Bloodsport for example. He also showed to have had a strong sense of morals, as he was willing to tell the world about the horrible unethical experiments that the US government performed on the people and Starro.

## Abilities

*"You take the finest special forces officer this nation has ever produced, Colonel Rick Flag."*
―Amanda Waller[src]
* Peak human condition: Flag was in top physical condition. Flag was also a skilled athlete, as he golfed with a three handicap. He was strong enough to trade blows with Peacemaker, although he was ultimately overpowered.
	+ Peak human durability: Flag is very tough, swiftly recovering after being sent flying back by a superhumanly strong blow from Incubus, though this was also due to Flag's bulletproof vest. He engaged in a duel with Peacemaker even after he painfully extricated a sharp piece of debris from his side.

* Expert marksman: Flag is a highly skilled marksman, one of the best Tier One shooters in the military. He able to use any civilian and military-grade weaponry with great skill, landing precise shots, and the Corto Maltese soldiers. For instance, he fired his shotgun at two soldiers working side by side, resulting in them both having their sides exploding from the shot. However, was surpassed in accuracy and precision by Bloodsport and Peacemaker.
* Expert combatant: Flag is highly skilled in armed and unarmed combat, though he was ultimately brought down by her. He also fought and ultimately overpowered Peacemaker, a very strong and experienced combatant, pinning him to the ground and choking him with a metal pipe.

*"I don't do luck. I do planning and precision."*
―Rick Flag to Amanda Waller[src]
* Keen intellect: Flag is quite intelligent, having graduated from the prestigious West Point, where he honed his leadership, tactical, and career networking skills. Flag's tough military attitude, however, does occasionally make him seem less intelligent than he actually is.
	+ Expert tactician: Flag was the best tactician Amanda Waller had ever known. He was an expert in special operations and counterinsurgency, able to come up with an effective strategy to bring down Incubus by attacking him from both fronts. In Corto Maltese, he was smart enough to escape after Team A was massacred, and was quick to become allies with the resistance to formulate the plan to get to Jotunheim.
* Indomitable will: Flag was a brave and dedicated soldier. He also stood his ground when he intended to expose the U.S. government's horrific experiments to the world, even when challenged by Peacemaker.

## Equipment

* Glock 17: Rick Flag is seen carrying a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, which he uses as his sidearm.
* Glock 45: Flag carried a new sidearm in Corto Maltese.
* IMI/Magnum Research Desert Eagle Mark XIX: Flag attempted to shoot Peacemaker with his own pistol, but he was disarmed.
* Heckler & Koch HK416A5: Rick Flag is seen carrying an HK416 rifle equipped with different attachments and accessories. His version of the HK416 is the DS20R full-sized barrel version, a standard among US Special Forces equipment.
* Mk 18 Mod 1: Flag carried a carbine to Corto Maltese.
* Benelli M2 Super 90 TTI: Flag commandeered a shotgun after he was liberated from a convoy.

## Relationships

Allies* A.R.G.U.S.
	+ John Economos - mission coordinator
	+ Emilia Harcourt - mission coordinator
	+ Flo Crawley - mission coordinator
* Task Force X - subordinates
	+ Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn - friend and savior
	+ Robert DuBois/Bloodsport - friend
	+ Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2
	+ Abner Krill/Polka Dot Man †
	+ Nanaue/King Shark
	+ Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang † - friend
	+ Gunter Braun/Javelin †
	+ Mongal †
	+ Cory Pitzner/T.D.K.
	+ Weasel
	+ Sol Soria
	+ Milton †
* Starro † - target
* Corto Maltese Armed Forces
	+ Silvio Luna † - target
	+ Mateo Suarez †
	+ Isabella †
* Gaius Grieves/Thinker † - manipulatee
* Brian Durlin/Savant † - former subordinate
* Richard Hertz/Blackguard † - former subordinate
* Christopher Smith/Peacemaker - former suboridnate, savior, attempted victim and killer

## Trivia

* In DC Comics, Rick Flag is the name of three characters appearing in various DC Comic books. They are a father, son, and grandson, with Richard Flag Jr. being the son.
* His main weapon is a 5.56x45mm Heckler & Koch HK416 carbine outfitted with various accessories, while his sidearm is a 9mm Glock 17 pistol and a combat knife.
* In John Ostrander's original *Suicide Squad* comic run, Flag is seemingly killed by a nuclear explosion inside Jotunheim. Thus, Jotunheim's presence in *The Suicide Squad* sparked speculation among fans that Flag would sacrifice himself and die in the upcoming film, which was later confirmed upon the film's release.

## Behind the scenes

* Luke Evans, Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Cruise, Joel Edgerton, Karl Urban, and Jon Bernthal were considered for the role of Rick Flag.
* Tom Hardy (who previously played Bane in 2012's *The Dark Knight Rises*) was originally cast as Rick Flag but dropped out due to his prior commitment to filming *The Revenant*.
* Justin Howell and Kyle Mclean were stunt doubles for Joel Kinnaman in the role of Rick Flag.

## References

1. ↑ Rick Flag trading card
2. ↑ Jump up to:6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Gunn, James (writer and director) (August 6, 2021). *The Suicide Squad*.
3. ↑ *Peacemaker: 1.01: A Whole New Whirled*
4. ↑ *Peacemaker: 1.02: Best Friends, For Never*

## External links

The DC Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Rick Flag.

* Rick Flag on DC Database
* Rick Flag on Wikipedia