Michael Rooker’s Triple DCU Turns — Here’s Why He Can Keep Coming Back (and What It Means for Canon)

Michael Rooker has appeared as multiple characters in the DC Universe so far, and James Gunn has indicated Rooker could play more roles there. Below are the confirmed appearances and the statements that clarify how they fit into DCU continuity.

1. What roles Rooker has played
2. How the appearances were confirmed
3. What James Gunn has said about canon
4. What this means for the DCU canon

What roles Rooker has played

So far, Michael Rooker has played three distinct characters in DCU projects:

• Savant in the film The Suicide Squad.
• Sam Fitzgibbon, a neo-Nazi, in the animated series Creature Commandos.
• Red St. Wild, an eagle hunter, in Peacemaker season 2 (episodes 4 and 5).

In Peacemaker season 2, Red St. Wild uses rituals to astral project and track a bird named Eagly. In episode 5, he shoots Eagly and is then attacked by a larger “prime eagle” and its flock. After the sequence, Rooker said, “It’s up to the fans.”

How the appearances were confirmed

Rooker and James Gunn discussed the Peacemaker role on Peacemaker: The Official Podcast with James Gunn. According to their conversation, Gunn asked Rooker to take the role after “something wasn’t working right” with a previous actor. Gunn told Rooker, “I have this role for you that would be great in Peacemaker, but you’d probably die.”

Gunn then added, “We will not consider this as meaning that you can’t play another role in the DCU,” which Rooker said influenced his decision to accept the part. During the podcast, Gunn also joked, “This is how we tell you Rooker will be playing The Flash.”

What James Gunn has said about canon

Gunn has made multiple statements about how different DC projects fit together. Specifically, he told IGN that “almost” all of Peacemaker season 1 is canon. Separately, Gunn described his film The Suicide Squad as an “imperfect memory”, a phrase he posted publicly in a message on Bluesky.

You can view Gunn’s message about the film on this post.

The reporting also states that Creature Commandos and Superman are considered fully canon within Gunn’s stated DCU continuity, and that Peacemaker season 2 follows that continuity as well.

What this means for the DCU canon

Concrete takeaways from the facts above are straightforward. First, James Gunn has publicly allowed flexibility in casting: he told Rooker he could play multiple roles in the DCU. Second, Gunn has explicitly clarified which projects he treats as canon or flexible—he called The Suicide Squad an “imperfect memory” and said “almost” all of Peacemaker season 1 is canon, while other projects like Creature Commandos and Superman are reported as fully canon. Therefore, an actor appearing in multiple DCU roles is consistent with how Gunn and the DCU have handled continuity so far.