Actor Frank Grillo wanted to dye his hair and beard white to stay true to his character’s animated look. Unfortunately, his filming commitments on Taylor Sheridan’s “Tulsa King” made such a permanent change impossible.
Luckily, DC Studios co-head and writer James Gunn came up with a hilarious yet perfectly logical explanation rooted in the character’s personality:
“Rick Flag Sr. is an incredibly vain man who’s easily swayed by women and the stroking of his ego, so I guess this guy dyes his hair.”
Gunn ties it back to an emotional moment in Peacemaker Season 1, when John Economos (Steve Agee) admitted to dyeing his beard. Now, Flag Sr. is supposedly doing the same to hide his vanity. It makes total sense for his new image after rising to A.R.G.U.S. director.
Hints of a Darker Future
GI Robot, Dr. Phosphorus, and Rick Flag Sr. standing together in Creature Commandos
But there might be a deeper plan behind Flag Sr.’s dark locks. When Grillo told Gunn he’d dye his hair white for a potential Peacemaker Season 3, the director stunned him: “You can’t do that. We have something else we need to do, and your hair has to stay like this. Didn’t you know?”
This reveals Gunn has major plans for Flag—and his hair color is hiding a story secret. With Flag potentially teaming up with his old enemy Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) in Peacemaker Season 2, Grillo’s dark-haired Flag Sr. might be heading toward something far more villainous than we expect.
Series & Film Details
- Character: Rick Flag Sr.
- Actor: Frank Grillo
- Appearances: Animated series “Creature Commandos” (white hair), live-action “Superman” and “Peacemaker” Season 2 (dark hair)
- Reason: James Gunn claims he dyes it to feed his vanity and ego
- Future: The character’s arc may play a bigger role in upcoming DCU projects (possibly the Superman sequel)
