The second season of Peacemaker has come to a close and somehow, against all odds, it was even better than season 1. What’s more, it set up a couple massive cliffhangers that are going to need to be followed up on. Unfortunately, that might not happen the way it deserves to.
DC Studios co-CEO and Peacemaker showrunner James Gunn has revealed that a third season of Peacemaker is not the works, announcing on the official Peacemaker podcast, “Peacemaker will be back. As this TV show? We’ll see exactly what form. We have plans, but you’ll see all these characters in the future of the DCU, and not too long.”
What that means is that the events of Peacemaker season 2 will, at the very least, be addressed in future movies. We already know Gunn has Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow on deck next. Meanwhile, he told Deadline he has his “next few” movies lined up.
I know better than to doubt James Gunn. He made the Guardians of the Galaxy a household name with its own roller coaster at Disney World. He gave Superman a movie worthy of, well, Superman. This is the first time I’ve been hopeful about the DC universe of movies since roughly 1992, when I saw Batman Returns on the big screen.
I’m legitimately excited to see where this universe goes next, but so much of that is due to the ground covered in Peacemaker.
We first met the character in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Between Gunn’s writing, the performance of John Cena, and the characters that surrounded him, I loved the character as presented, even if he was a bit hollow. Then I watched season 1 of the show. It turns, out he’s more than a metal helmet, a giant gun, and quips about how he’ll do anything for peace.
The first season of Peacemaker gave Christopher Smith, the man behind the helmet, a reason to exist. It introduced a gang of misfits that became his found family, and it made them all matter. They were all misunderstood or cast off in their own lives and began working together for a greater good. Through that, bonds were formed.
That’s the sort of storytelling possible across multiple episodes of TV, rather than a single film. Between its two seasons, there are 16 episodes of Peacemaker. Each one digs a little deeper into the cast of characters, leaving us with vulnerable heroes who can really only rely on each other to get by.
When that level of storytelling gets condensed into a two-hour movie, important details will have to fall by the wayside, even if they don’t seem all that important at the moment. The scene of Vigilante hanging out with his alternate universe self in season 2 would not exist if this were a movie. Also going away would be rooftop parties, low-stakes rides in the car, will-they/won’t-they romantic tension, and so many of the details about the show that make us love it. These moments make the 11th Street Kids feel like a real group of friends you want to be in, regardless of the horrible stuff they’re made to do in the name of what’s right. In a world of superheroes, they’re human. They don’t have powers. They simply want to do what’s right and be there for each other, even if that means traveling to another universe to bring someone back.
And after how season 2 wrapped up, we need those moments more than ever. Chris is locked away on Salvation, a parallel earth that’s being converted into a prison for metahumans, seemingly without a way for anyone to find him. What’s more, as the season comes to an end, none of his friends know he’s been abducted.
Gunn has already said we won’t find out Peacemaker’s fate in Man of Tomorrow. However, the ramifications of Rick Flag Sr. sending him there will be dealt with.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the showrunner explained, “People should expect that the way that the military and Rick Flagg and everybody are working together and they’ve created a probably illegal prison for metahumans on another dimension is gonna be a part of DCU stories going forward. And not just a tertiary, Oh, this is Arkham — it’s a part of the stories. There’s an escalating war, obviously, that’s going on between the government and metahumans. And this is a part of it.”
I’m glad Gunn is seemingly taking some inspiration from real-world events in adding an illegal secret prison created by the government to contain undesirables to his vision. But what about the human moments that matter?
That is what’s at risk by continuing the show on the big screen, rather than in a third season. The aftermath of Chris being trapped and how the 11th Street Kids will react and spring into action to get him back are the moments that matter most, in my opinion. And it’s Gunn’s fault for making me care about them in the first place.
Without a follow-up to Peacemaker’s story in Man of Tomorrow, those moments aren’t coming anytime soon, if at all. And granted, one of those “few” films the writer/director has on his to-do list could be a big-screen Peacemaker adventure. But as much as I would enjoy it — and it would certainly be able to spend more time on the aftermath of season 2’s cliffhanger — it would still be a big-budget comic book movie. There would still be limited time on screen, and those human moments would quite possibly fall by the wayside.
Whatever Gunn’s vision for the future of the DCU is, I’m excited to see where it goes. I just hope he doesn’t give up on the episodic storytelling Peacemaker has shown he can do so well.
Of course, this could all be for nothing if there’s a Checkmate show in the works. Even Peacemaker star Steve Agee recently told Polygon he suspects that might be the next frontier for the character.
“I would imagine [any future for the Peacemaker characters without Peacemaker] would be Checkmate,” he said. “I mean, we’re all there [in the finale], in addition to Tim Meadows and Sasha Bordeaux as Sol Rodriguez, and Nhut Le, who plays Judomaster.”
For his part, Gunn hasn’t shut that idea down. In the Rolling Stone interview, he simply teased, “We’ll find out as time goes on.” Obviously, he’s already found out and knows what’s going to happen because, well, it’s up to him. And I want that show badly. But if you’re reading this, James, I am begging you for one more season of Peacemaker. Or two, whatever you think is best. The characters and the fans deserve it.
And when you do, please make sure John Cena is wearing the helmet the entire time and he has at least one episode in a car opposite Danielle Brooks in each episode. Thanks.
