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TechRadar

Tom Power

Peacemaker season 2 episode 4 changes what I thought I knew about the origins of the Quantum Unfolding Chamber

Peacemaker (Organization) Chris Smith HBO James Gunn Smiths Curtis Bonds Baker (Person) Lex Luthor Superman DCU

Chris Smith squatting down and looking up as the Quantum Unfolding Chamber door is relocated in Peacemaker season 2 episode 4.

Peacemaker has dropped some new intel about the Quantum Unfolding Chamber
The show's second season reveals how the Smith family obtained the dimensional device
Its latest episode pours cold water on one fan theory about its creation

Peacemaker season 2 has finally revealed how the Smith family obtained of the Quantum Unfolding Chamber (QUC) – and crushed one fan theory about its creation in the process.

The HBO Max show's latest episode, titled 'Need I Say Door', confirms how the Smiths came into possession of the multidimensional device. And, truth be told, it wasn't what I expected.

Full spoilers immediately follow for Peacemaker season 2 episode 4. Turn back now if you haven't seen it yet.

'Need I Say Door' begins with a flashback sequence involving the Smith family (Image credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/HBO Max)

'Need I Say Door' opens with a scene set 35 years in the past. In it, we see Auggie Smith, the family's emotionally manipulative patriarch, leading his sons – Keith and Chris – on a hunting expedition through a forest.

Suddenly, Auggie spots something moving through the dense foliage. Lining up the shot, he fires off a single bullet that, based on the howl that the creature emits, severely injures it.

Bemused by the strange yelp said unidentified creatures makes, Auggie and his boys pursue the wounded being into an open area. Tracking down their prey, the trio are shocked to see a distressed, bug-eyed bipedal extraterrestrial lying on the floor with its entrails in full view.

I don't think you've got long in this world, buddy... (Image credit: HBO Max)

Unmoved by the alien's plight or Keith telling him not to kill it, Auggie finishes off the creature with another shot that rips its head clean off its body before slapping Keith for telling him what to do.

Spotting something unusual in the distance, Chris alerts Auggie and Keith to what he's seen. As the pair head over, Chris also notices a silver, curved briefcase-like object sitting next to the dead alien.

After picking it up, Chris regroups with his dad and older brother to see what they've found. Lo and behold, it's a doorway – one standing in the middle of the forest, no less – to the QUC. Cue the start of Peacemaker season 2's wonderful title sequence as the flashback comes to an end.

Who created the gateways to the QUC? (Image credit: HBO Max)

Anyone who listens to DC Studios' Official Peacemaker Podcast will know something about the QUC would be revealed in the DC Universe (DCU) TV show's latest chapter. On last week's installment of Peacemaker's companion podcast, Gunn teased we'd learn more about in 'Need I Say Door'.

Interestingly, during the fan mail segment of last week's podcast episode, one curious fan theorized that Superman archnemesis and all-round genius Lex Luthor had something to do with its creation. Based on what 'Need I Say Door' reveals about the QUC, that's not the case.

This silver case is how users can relocate the doorway to the QUC (Image credit: HBO Max)

Even so, the fact that the Smiths found a portal to the QUC and relocated it to their family home changes what we thought we knew about its construction.

In season 1, we were led to believe Auggie created the QUC, so who actually did? Is the alien – or the species it belongs to – responsible for making it, or did they procure it from elsewhere, too? And why did said extraterrestrial use it to travel to the DCU?

Furthermore, if Auggie isn't the brains behind this contraption, did he acquire the Peacemaker helmets and his White Dragon super-suit from another dimension, or did he actually make those? And can you can move the QUC portal – it can be transferred to a new location if a suitable doorway is present and if the person moving it knows the correct sequence to input into the previously mentioned briefcase – an unlimited number of times or is there a cooldown feature?

Will the DCU Chapter One show's sophomore season answer any and all of these queries before it ends? Who knows, but at least we have some clarity on the QUC, even if it's as simple as how the Smiths acquired this multiversal technology.