DC’s new cinematic universe is practically in its infancy, but with James Gunn at the helm, it’s also maturing at what feels like light speed. The “Superman Saga” is clearly the cornerstone of the new franchise: two sequels to this year’s Superman are already on the way, and Peacemaker Season 2 is also doing its part to advance that storyline. Its most recent episode set the stage for Man of Tomorrow, a team-up film for the Man of Steel (David Corenswet) and his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). The DCU has come out of the gate with plenty of synergy and cohesion — but what’s going to happen to Peacemaker himself (John Cena) after this season comes to a close?
With only two episodes left in Season 2, fans of Peacemaker are naturally wondering where Cena’s vigilante will head next. As his cameo in Superman proved, he could easily jump from the small screen and back to film for a much bigger adventure. He could also return for another season of Peacemaker. There are plenty of possibilities, but only Gunn knows which path this story will take... and the filmmaker is vague as ever on Peacemaker’s future.
Gunn recently teased a bit of Peacemaker’s next act in an interview with Deadline. When asked whether there’d be a Peacemaker Season 3, Gunn answered with his trademark misdirection: “not necessarily.”
“You’re gonna find out more in Episode 8 because it’s not necessarily that,” Gunn explained, shooting down hopes for a straightforward third season. “Some of these characters will continue, but also, it’s not exactly Peacemaker 3.”
We could very well see the cast of the show appear in upcoming films like Supergirl or Man of Tomorrow, rather than continue their adventures in another season of Peacemaker. That said, there seems to be a lot still up in the air for Gunn: as far as a potential Season 3, he’s “not ruling it out” entirely. Peacemaker’s Season 2 finale will likely determine which direction this corner of the DCU goes; it should also answer most of the questions fans have about the next phase of the franchise going into Supergirl.
“You’ll see [Episode] 8 and maybe you’ll find out a little bit more,” Gunn added.
There’s a lot of love for Peacemaker within the DC fandom, so it feels counterintuitive to do away with the show — and all its potential — to fold it into a different story. While it started as a seemingly random spinoff to Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, it’s since proven its capacity to tell a compelling, standalone story. It’s the kind of show that could feasibly go on for multiple seasons, occasionally intersecting with other parts of the DCU. What Gunn is describing sounds like a substantial pivot: if it’s “not exactly Peacemaker 3,” then we could be in for a very different show.
The new DCU needs to bolster its ranks and diversify the stories it tells. At this stage, all roads are leading to Man of Tomorrow, a major chapter in the Superman Saga. A few scenes that set up the events of that film are fine, but Peacemaker otherwise deserves the chance to stand on its own. There’s a chance Gunn’s comments are a big misdirection, but his DCU is once again feeling a bit more complicated than it needs to be.
