Freddie Stroma, the guy who turned Vigilante intoPeacemaker’s lovable human chainsaw, says he’s got exactly zero intel on whether he’ll be back in DC’s new master plan.
Not “I can’t say.” Not “wait and see.” Just: nobody’s talked to him.
In an interview withThe Direct, Stroma said he’s had “no conversations” about returning as Vigilante, and he doesn’t know anything about a timeline. Which is a pretty blunt splash of cold water for fans who’ve been treating Vigilante like a lock for DC’s next wave.
Stroma’s message: stop assuming I’m hiding something
Stroma’s quote is clean and unromantic: no conversations, no information, no secret calendar tucked in his sock drawer.
He also addressed the standard fandom suspicion, because, yes, actors lie all the time when studios slap them with NDAs the size of a phone book. But Stroma’s saying: I’d love to play the coy mystery man, but I can’t. I’ve got nothing to tease because nobody’s told me anything.
And that usually means one of two things. Either Vigilante isn’t in any near-term plan. Or DC is still messing around in the “ideas on a whiteboard” phase and hasn’t bothered to loop in the actor because there’s no script, no schedule, no deal, nothing you can actually sign.
Vigilante’s popularity doesn’t automatically buy him a ticket to the new DC
Vigilante popped inPeacemakerbecause the show’s tone is a specific cocktail: filthy jokes, sudden sincerity, and a team dynamic that makes the chaos work. Stroma’s character was a big part of that, funny, unhinged, and weirdly sweet in the way only a guy who treats violence like a hobby can be.
But here’s the catch: a character can crush as a sidekick in a streaming series and still be a headache to “port” into a movie or another show. Drop him into the wrong project and he’s either too much or suddenly not enough. DC has to decide whether Vigilante is a spice you sprinkle in the right dish, or the main course.
Studios love “safe bets,” sure. But they also hate the feeling of a universe that keeps dragging the same toys back onto the floor. DC’s trying to relaunch and reorganize at the same time, and that’s when fan favorites can get stuck in limbo.
James Gunn has “ideas,” but ideas don’t equal a call to your agent
Part of the confusion is thatJames Gunnhas previously suggested, per the reporting referenced here, that after finishingPeacemakerSeason 2, he had ideas for Vigilante and other characters.
Fine. Gunn has ideas for everything. That’s his job.
But “I’ve got ideas” isn’t the same as “we’re staffing up a writers’ room” or “we’re booking stages” or “Freddie, clear your schedule.” Fans hear “plans” and translate it as a promise. Studios hear “options.” Those are two very different languages.
So Stroma saying nobody’s contacted him doesn’t actually contradict Gunn having thoughts. Both can be true: the creative brain is humming, and the business machine hasn’t moved an inch.
DC’s new playbook: tight lips, controlled reveals, and selective returns
DC Studios is trying to project discipline now, fewer sloppy announcements, fewer public reversals, more “we’ll tell you when it’s real.” That’s the vibe, anyway. New projects are in development, new actors are coming in, and some familiar faces are being kept around.
The downside of that approach is what you’re seeing with Stroma: even when a character hits big, the actor can be left hanging for a long time while the studio decides where (or whether) the piece fits.
And if DC’s trying to avoid another round of “announced, hyped, canceled,” then keeping Vigilante in the maybe-pile is the safest move. Frustrating for fans, but safer for the brand.
For now, the only hard fact is the simplest one: Freddie Stroma isn’t in the loop. And in franchise-world, that usually tells you plenty.