Peacemaker Season 2 Just Recast a Major ‘Suicide Squad’ Actor as a New DC Villain

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An actor from James Gunn’s *Suicide Squad* recently appeared in Season 2 of *Peacemaker*, suggesting they might not reprise that role in the new DC Universe (DCU). While John Cena returned as Peacemaker, a few other actors from *The Suicide Squad*-like Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee-have also joined the DCU. Surprisingly, another key character from *Suicide Squad* has now been confirmed to be part of the DCU, and it’s an unexpected addition.

In Season 2 of *Peacemaker*, Michael Rooker appeared as the villain Red St. Wild in three episodes. This means James Gunn, the show’s creator and writer (and now head of DC Studios and the DCU), brought back a key actor from *The Suicide Squad* to play a new character in *Peacemaker*.

Rooker played the character Red St. Wild in episodes 3 through 5 of season two. Throughout the season, his primary goal was to track down and eliminate Eagly, who was infamous as the world’s most skilled eagle poacher.

It’s not surprising to see John Rooker in *Peacemaker* – he’s been in every movie and most of the TV shows directed by James Gunn. Interestingly, he’d already worked with Gunn on a DC project, playing Savant in *The Suicide Squad*.

Though Rooker’s character in *The Suicide Squad* didn’t have a lot of screen time – his character was killed off early in the film by Amanda Waller – he was still clearly introduced as Savant. So, when he appeared in *Peacemaker* Season 2, it meant the actor was playing a different character within James Gunn’s DC Universe, requiring a recasting.

As we’ve discussed, Michael Rooker has worked with James Gunn on many projects. It’s especially worth noting that *Peacemaker* Season 2 marks his third role in a DC Universe project, meaning he’s been in every DCU film or show released so far.

I was really surprised to see Ron Perlman pop up in an episode of *Creature Commandos* as a character named Sam! Since it was an animated show, though, Sam looked pretty different from Ron, so it didn’t feel odd at all that he could then come back and play a completely different role later on. It was a smart way to handle it, really.

Rooker also provided the voice for a robot character in James Gunn’s *Superman* movie. Although his appearance wasn’t used, and only his voice was featured, he was still listed in the film’s cast.

Beyond his work with DC, Michael Rooker has consistently collaborated with James Gunn. Before joining DC, Gunn directed the three *Guardians of the Galaxy* films for Marvel Studios, and Rooker appeared in all of them as the popular character Yondu.

The actor, known for his superhero roles, has also worked with Gunn on other films. He previously played the lead villain in Gunn’s horror movie, *Slither*, where his character, Grant Grant, became infected with a parasitic creature.

James Gunn returned to the superhero world in 2010 with the dark comedy film Super. Michael Rooker also starred in the movie as Abe, a sidekick working for a drug dealer.

Season 2 of *Peacemaker* is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes dropping every Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. The show features John Cena in the title role, alongside Danielle Brooks and Freddie Stroma.

Will Michael Rooker Return to the DCU?

With James Gunn now leading the creative side of the DC Universe, many believe we haven’t seen the last of Michael Rooker. Although his character, Red St. Wild, seemingly died in Season 2 of *Peacemaker*, a return isn’t out of the question.

Michael Rooker wasn’t the first choice to play Red St. Wild. James Gunn shared on the *DC Studios Showcase* podcast that another actor was originally cast, but had to drop out. Gunn then asked his friend, Michael Rooker, to take the role as a personal favor.

We originally cast a different actor as Red St. Wild – he was very talented and a great person, but it just wasn’t the right fit. After filming most of his scenes, I reached out to my friend Michael Rooker and asked if he’d be interested in taking over the role. He asked about the pay, and I explained that it would actually be a favor for us. He agreed to do it.

Just because Michael Rooker was in Season 2 of *Peacemaker* doesn’t rule out him appearing in future projects within the franchise. On the official DC podcast, Rooker and James Gunn revealed they made an agreement: he could play Red St. Wild, while still remaining available to portray a different character later on.

We’ll try to make your character as over-the-top and funny as possible, and if you ever want to play a different part later on, we’re happy to accommodate that.

It’s very likely Michael Rooker will appear in the DC Universe sometime in the future. While we don’t know who he’ll play, he often portrays villains, so that seems like a good possibility.

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2025-09-25 05:36