James Gunn has explained the reason behind Rick Flag Sr.’s black hair in Superman, addressing questions about the difference from his appearance in Creature Commandos. Gunn revealed that the change was due to actor Frank Grillo’s scheduling commitments during filming. This clarification comes as part of ongoing discussions about character continuity in the DC Universe.
Rick Flag Sr.’s hair is black in Superman because of Frank Grillo’s filming schedule
James Gunn explained the reason behind Rick Flag Sr.’s black hair in Superman during an interview with Collider, stating, “Because that m**********r Frank Grillo was shooting Tulsa King when we were shooting Peacemaker. We were going to originally do the white, he was going to dye it white, and then I saw somebody the other day say, ‘Well, what about temporary hair dye? Haven’t you ever heard of temporary hair dye?’”
Gunn continued, “And I’m like, ‘It looks like sh*t.’ Yes, I’ve heard of that, and it looks like absolute shit when you’re putting fake gray on somebody’s very dark black hair.’” Gunn highlighted that the logistics of Grillo’s filming commitments made it impractical to use white hair dye.
Gunn further elaborated on the character’s appearance and personality, saying Rick’s hair “could be” white in the future. “But as you see from the series, Rick Flag Sr. is an incredibly vain man and easily swayed by women and his ego being attended to, so I think the guy dyes his hair. I think on Season 2 of Peacemaker, we got a dyed beard, and we also have a dyed hair, which is Rick Flag.” This reasoning ties the practical production challenges to the character’s vanity as part of the narrative.
This detail emerged as Gunn addressed continuity in the new DC Universe. He clarified that some elements, like Rick Flag Sr.’s anger over his son’s death, are canon. Gunn stated, “Peacemaker Season 1 is basically canon outside of the appearance of the Justice League at the end.” He also noted the flexible approach to canon in the rebooted DCU.
Production choices actively shape storytelling in the DCU. Rick Flag Sr.’s appearance highlights practical limits and character growth, which Peacemaker Season 2 may further explore.
