DC Studios boss James Gunn may have just revealed how he will draw a line between DCU and Snyderverse through a key decision. Gunn's new interconnect DC Canon is not a whole new beginning for the comics world, and the Suicide Squad director brings elements of the franchise as part of his new vision.
Although these chosen DCEU characters are now popping up in the DCU, Gunn seems to confirm his strategy to address legacy franchise, which is vague.
Season 2, Episode 5 of the popular HBO Max series opens at the funeral of Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr. Here, the X User DCU profile finds Kinnaman's distant workgroup X leader's middle name is different from the version of the character seen in the DCEU.
Warner Bros.
While the middle name of the Snyderverse version of Rick Flag Jr. (confirmed by a transaction card released parallel to the movie), his Peacemaker Season 2 Memorial reveals the pair's views.
This further demonstrates the theory that these DCU characters are different from the versions that appear in Snyderverse. Instead, Gunn's new interconnect Canon appears to be doing in a separate schedule/reality and (a variant of some DCEU characters was stolen from Marvel).
Flag's middle name change is probably the first sign of how Gunn will distinguish these traditional characters from the last attempt of the on-screen DC universe from the new version.
This is a detail that most fans will miss, but it provides enough recognizable markers for those willing to identify, which is not the same character as the previous franchise version.
Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr. HBO Max's Peacemaker Season 2 continues with the new episode Thursday afternoon 9:00 ET.
Why does DCU use DCEU characters?
Warner Bros.
Some fans find it confused to watch James Gunn introduce his new DCU. While DC Studios owner’s vision for the new DC Canon has been called a new beginning of the franchise, it has been open to revisiting the now-defunct Snyderverse’s selected elements.
Characters like Peacemaker and Rick Flag Jr. are perfect examples of this. They arrived at the DCU in all the luggage they used to adventure on screen, although these other items are not considered Canon now.
In the early days, it seemed Gunn chose what he brought to the new DC world without rhyme or reason. Therefore, no project or character from Snyderverse should be considered as a Canon, but rather as a specific element.
Essentially, it is not DC Canon unless explicitly stated by Gunn or DCU itself (read more about the DCU/DCEU Canon issue here).
For example, Rick Flag Jr. But that doesn't necessarily mean every character, narrative rhythm and dialogue in the Suicide Squad.