James Gunn has released a new image from Superman featuring Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., but more than one fan has pointed out at one time or another that Grillo’s hair is different from the Creature Commandos animated series.
Grillo, who voices Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos, has white hair in the animated series. But in Superman, the character has black hair, and fans are wondering why.
Turns out, there’s a reason, and Gunn didn’t hold back.
Gunn Blames Tulsa King
In a prior interview while promoting the release of Creature Commandos, Gunn explained the change happened due to Grillo’s other gig.
“Because that motherf-cker 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?’” explained Gunn.
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.’”
So Is This the Same Character?
Grillo is indeed playing the same version of Rick Flag Sr. from Creature Commandos, and Gunn has said the DCU animation and live-action are fully connected. Grillo also stars in Peacemaker Season 2. But don’t expect 1:1 visual consistency, especially when real-life logistics and network schedules get in the way.
The image above shows Grillo standing next to Gunn on set, with noticeably dark hair. The contrast with the white-haired animated version sparked speculation online, but Gunn’s quote clears that up and takes a shot at bad dye jobs in the process.
When asked if Grillo’s hair could be white in the future, Gunn joked Rick Flag Sr. dyes his hair.
“It could be, 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,” said Gunn. “I think on Season 2 of Peacemaker, we got a dyed beard, and we also have a dyed hair, which is Rick Flag.”
Gunn also happened to release the image for Frank Grillo’s birthday.
“Not everyone in the DCU is black or white – most are shades of gray,” said Gunn, referencing the hair color change. “And no one brings color to gray more than Frank Grillo, our own Rick Flag, Sr. Can’t wait for folks to see you bring the DCU together in #Superman and #Peacemaker. Happy Birthday, buddy!”
Superman flies into theaters on July 11. Peacemaker Season 2 premieres Thursday, August 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. on HBO Max.
