Peacemaker
Season 1 ended with a pretty monumental cameo from the DCEU’s Justice League, but James Gunn’s recent comments suggest that Season 2 may find a way forward. Like many, I simply loved Peacemaker season 1. The show was hilarious from start to finish, and the exploration of these characters was incredibly compelling with drama, heartache, and epic dancing. So when Peacemaker season 2 has been confirmed to take this series to the UDC
I was incredibly pleased.
However, it’s important to note that the show actually established its roots in the DCEU. John Cena’s Peacemaker not only came from another DCEU film, THE Suicide Squadbut the The season 1 finale featured an impressive special scene featuring the four main members of the DCEU Justice League. Although Gadot and Cavill’s characters were silhouettes, indicating that neither actor actually appeared in the cameo, both Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller have brief speaking roles in the episode. But James Gunn seems to suggest there are ways around this.
I’m so interested to see how Peacemaker season 2 navigates the DCEU’s Justice League season 1
The Justice League Cameo Needs to be Addressed
The big question of canon has been raised a lot when it comes to the DCEU versus the DCU. While Gunn Said The DCU Is A Complete RebootThis was further complicated by the inclusion of a property like Peacemakerand other comments about when things are referenced, i.e. the DCU canonizing past events. This self-realization seems to loosen the rules quite a bit, but Gunn has since clarified that almost all of Peacemaker is canon, except for the Justice League cameo.
He then suggested that next season they will “deal” with this, indicating that there is a plan for the series to clarify this line in some way. Gunn has been very candid and open when answering fan questions on social media, but it could be that the real answers about canon and the DCEU to DCU crossover it won’t be clear until a show like Peacemaker reveals more details. However, the suggestion from Gunn’s comments may already suggest something.
There may be a logical reason for the appearance of the DCEU Justice League
Personally, having been a fan of many of Gunn’s other works and seeing his talent for comedy and creativity when it comes to storytelling, I believe he can do something clever to address the cameo. By explicitly stating that they intend to “deal” with it, it seems like there is some element of the cameo that could break the DCU barrier to Peacemaker season 2. Gunn’s talent as a writer means he’s certainly capable of handling it.
However, this doesn’t explicitly mean the show will be tasked with handling the cameo. Obviously, at this early stage in the DCU’s development, with no feature films and a handful of animated and live-action shows on the horizon, there’s a lot of ground to cover and a lot more opportunities to discuss the canon. There’s also the existence of the Elseworlds DCU, which could provide another route for Gunn push this moment out of the main timelineand in a more loosely defined and creatively open space.
How Peacemaker Season 2 Could Explain DCEU’s Previous Justice League Cameo
Peacemaker Season 2 has its work cut out for it
My hopes are that Gunn will employ his talents as a comedy writer and use the characters to explain the cameo in the show. Something as simple as everyone being stoned, or not in their right mind, might seem like a very low effort, but using the first season’s narrative, like the alien invasion, to explain it could be more satisfying. THE Characters can also have a moment of self-awareness where they address a reality-altering event that means their world is just a little different than before.
A simple but probably effective way to do this would be to simply play a flashback, with Peacemaker carrying Emilia as before, but instead of walking past the Justice League and saying they are late, the scene could be changed to delete the cameo, and watch Peacemaker drop another funny line about the lack of backup. In a less satisfactory alternative, it is possible that Peacemaker season 2 will avoid discussing the topic, and Gunn will simply make an announcement in advance to say that the cameo is no longer canon.
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