'Not Everyone Can Love Everything' — DCU Chief James Gunn Acknowledges Criticism of Peacemaker Season 2 Finale, but Says 'I Don't Get' Complaints About Lack of Big Reveals

James Gunn has acknowledged disapproval of the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, and addressed 1 constituent successful peculiar that has near immoderate fans disappointed.

Warning! Spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2 finale follow:

Peacemaker Season 2 conscionable ended its eight-episode tally connected HBO Max with a large turning constituent successful the beingness of John Cena’s aspiring do-gooder Christopher Smith. DC Studios co-CEO Gunn had teased that the finale would laic the groundwork for his Superman follow-up, 2027’s Man of Tomorrow. The effect was an occurrence that powerfully hinted astatine which quality volition service arsenic the communal force uniting Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor and David Corenswet’s Superman.

The occurrence besides contained the debut of Checkmate and the satellite Salvation (more connected some successful our Peacemaker Season 2 ending explained). But that didn’t halt immoderate from saying the finale was a letdown, oregon an unsatisfying decision to the events the bid had acceptable up truthful well. It leaves Peacemaker himself dangling with a cliffhanger, and fixed Gunn has ruled retired a Season 3 — astatine slightest for present — immoderate are disquieted we won’t get a due payoff.

Gunn spent the commencement of this week successful a typically chatty temper connected Threads, answering instrumentality questions astir Peacemaker and the wider DCU. Among the questions, 1 idiosyncratic asked him if he’d seen the disapproval of the amusement and its last episode.

“Definitely!” Gunn replied. “Not everyone tin emotion everything. I emotion the occurrence but I recognize not everyone does which is wholly fair.”

That was a possibly vague response, but Gunn got much circumstantial erstwhile helium responded to different instrumentality who said they were hoping for a large uncover successful the finale, and asked whether Langston Fleury, the erstwhile A.R.G.U.S. cause who yet joins the Checkmate bureau with the 11th Street Kids, is the DCU’s Martian Manhunter.

“He's not but I don’t get that radical don't deliberation determination aren't large reveals here, including Checkmate and Salvation,” Gunn responded.

In this effect he’s utilizing the Checkmate and Salvation reveals to support the play finale from the circumstantial ailment astir its deficiency of large surprises. The occurrence shows Chris and co signifier their ain peacekeeping bureau called Checkmate, which marks the organization’s debut successful the DCU.

Salvation, meanwhile, is possibly the much important reveal. The distant satellite was introduced successful 2007’s Salvation Run, which is based connected a communicative transportation from nary different than Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin. In the comics, Salvation is astatine the bosom of a program to escaped Earth of metahumans, and it looks similar Peacemaker is mounting Salvation up for a akin relation successful the DCU.

The effect to Gunn's comments is mixed. "I deliberation the occupation is that lone Gunn knows wherever this is going," said redditor Eugene_Dav. "It's astir apt thing cool, but close present it's conscionable like, 'Oh, sure, a authorities prison' and 'Okay, the 11th Street Kids get different show.' Even for comic publication fans who cognize astir these premises, it's wholly unclear what this means for the DCU. Because we don't person capable information, and Checkmate could beryllium a meaningless sitcom oregon an important unit influencing the plot. Although I similar Gunn's thought of a clash betwixt the government, corporations, and metahumans. However, determination doesn't look to beryllium a expansive communicative yet. We request to wait."

There are immoderate fans, however, who judge Salvation should beryllium considered a large reveal, and that the situation planet's quality successful the amusement hints astatine the absorption of the overarching DCU.

"I deliberation it's fundamentally telling america what comic tally the full signifier is based on, and successful crook we yet person an thought of what this archetypal signifier of the DCU arsenic a full is truly going," TrueBlue2088 said. "I deliberation its large stuff..."

James Gunn considers Checkmate and Salvation large reveals for Peacemaker Season 2. Photo by Michael Loccisano/WireImage.

In September, Gunn had teased the value of Peacemaker Season 2 to the wide DCU, describing it arsenic a "prequel" to the past just-announced Man of Tomorrow. Going 1 measurement further, Gunn said that Peacemaker Season 2 "directly" builds up to Man of Tomorrow.

It was an absorbing assertion from Gunn, with 2026 acceptable to spot Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface each travel retired arsenic portion of the continuing DCU, good earlier Man of Tomorrow a twelvemonth later. But this wasn’t the archetypal clip Gunn had stressed Peacemaker Season 2’s cardinal relation successful the overarching story, with appearances from Justice Gang members who starred successful July’s DCU kickstarter Superman already successful spot and a large cameo aboriginal successful the season.

Some person said Checkmate and Salvation are excessively obscure to number arsenic large reveals, and volition person near casual DC fans much confused than excited. "Checkmate is conscionable not a precise celebrated oregon fashionable spot successful the DC comics," said poison-harley. "If it was starring to thing that is fashionable with an existent fanbase, past you’d person radical excited."

"It's a chill motion and all... But unless you are a monolithic comic publication instrumentality you person nary thought what this means," suggested isIwhoKilledTrevor.

There are present questions implicit Peacemaker’s fate, fixed there’s nary Peacemaker Season 3. Gunn has said the decision of Season 2 sets up Peacemaker to instrumentality connected a broader relation successful the DCU moving forward.

“He's truly important to me,” Gunn said of the character. “Peacemaker is an important character. And I said from the opening erstwhile we took connected this job, it's astir truly propping up and maintaining and repositioning the large diamond properties that DC has, the Batmans and Wonder Womans and Supermans, and past creating diamond properties retired of the smaller characters similar Peacemaker.”

The adjacent evident question, then, is whether Peacemaker himself volition look successful 2026 DCU movie Supergirl oregon 2027’s Man of Tomorrow.

“Well we’ll person to see,” Gunn teased. “That's a secret!”

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].