How PEACEMAKER Season 2 Changed the Justice League Cameo from Season 1

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In the second season of “Peacemaker,” there was a moment that felt very much like something straight out of DC Comics. To set the scene, the opening recap (“Previously On”) shows the climactic event from the end of season one, where Peacemaker and his team failed to prevent an alien invasion just as the Justice League, including Superman, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, and presumably Supergirl, arrived. As Peacemaker passed by, he scolded them for their tardiness, as he had already saved the day. Hawkgirl and Guy exchanged some quick banter, while Superman and the rest remained silent.

Absolutely, fans of “Peacemaker” season one might recall events differently. In the year 2022, it was actually Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash from the Justice League who made an appearance and cracked jokes instead. This is James Gunn’s playful way of explaining that “Everything from season one unfolded as you remember it, but it was the Justice Squad, not the Justice League, who appeared at the end.” Interestingly, this is a classic DC Comics storytelling style, as they often rewrote their own history in similar ways during the ’80s and ’90s.

In the 1985 comic book series titled “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” significant changes were made to the DC Universe’s fifty-year-old continuity. Characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman had their histories significantly revised during this reboot. Although much of the original DC continuity persisted, the early history of certain characters, such as Wonder Woman, was slightly altered in the post-“Crisis” comics. As a result, when these comics revisited the formation and early years of the Justice League, they swapped Wonder Woman with Black Canary within the narrative.

In a unique approach, the post-Crisis DC landscape didn’t unfold as you might recall. This is due to DC Comics drastically reconfiguring their three major characters, which initiated a domino effect in their chronology. Forty years later, DC Comics continues to unravel this complex web they wove themselves. Comic books such as “The New History of the DC Universe” are still grappling with making sense of it all. Now, the cinematic DC universe finds itself in a similar position.

It appears that certain elements from the original DC Extended Universe (DCEU) are still considered part of the current DC Universe (DCU). For instance, movies like “The Suicide Squad” and the original “Suicide Squad” seem to remain in the storyline. However, most other films such as “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman,” “Wonder Woman,” “Shazam,” “Aquaman,” and their sequels no longer fit into this continuity. One might speculate that the DCEU underwent a significant multiversal event similar to a Crisis, but one that didn’t get portrayed on screen.

In the 2023 movie “The Flash,” if they intended to create an event that rewrites history, it could explain this shift. However, the ending of that movie shows Ezra Miller as Barry Allen still in this revamped universe, and George Clooney as Bruce Wayne. These elements don’t seem to align with the current DCU either.

Essentially, this method will provide a significantly less troublesome situation for DC Studios compared to what DC Comics experienced. Based on current understanding, Peacemaker appears to be the primary ongoing character from the previous DCEU that’s still part of the continuity. Given their closeness to him, it seems likely that the two adjacent Suicide Squad projects will also be incorporated. Although there’s speculation that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn might be included as well, this could mean Jared Leto reprises his role as the Joker, a scenario we’d rather avoid. In the end, James Gunn skillfully navigated the continuity challenges by making it entertaining. Often, that alone is sufficient.

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2025-08-22 04:05