James Gunn has opened up about the creative decisions behind Peacemaker season 2, including why the series has moved away from the Justice League toward the Justice Gang as part of the worldbuilding of the new DC Universe (DCU).
Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, the filmmaker reflected on how the show’s first season was made at a time when the original DC Extended Universe (DCEU), predecessor to the DCU, had no clear leadership.
That absence of oversight stretched back to 2017, when Zack Snyder stepped away from Justice League (2017) and his broader role overseeing the DCEU after a family tragedy. Joss Whedon was brought in to complete the film, but no one assumed Snyder’s larger responsibilities of steering the franchise forward.
In the years that followed, Dwayne Johnson and his team made a valiant attempt to take on creative leadership of the DCEU. However, that effort quickly unravelled following the disappointing box office performance of Black Adam (2022).
Against that backdrop, Gunn recalls that Peacemaker was made in something of a creative vacuum, with little oversight and the understanding that the DCEU itself might soon be rewritten by The Flash (2023).
“Peacemaker was always in a weird place. People say he was part of the DCEU but he wasn’t really. He was part of this ‘in-between Universe’ of DC when there was nobody really making sure that everything was connected and at a time when they were going to rewrite everything with The Flash.” Gunn explained.
Gunn gave context for the ending scene of Peacemaker Season 1, saying, “We were kind of able to do whatever we wanted, and we had that brash ending, which I loved, it was one of my favourite things from the whole season, but it just didn’t fit in with the DCU. And Peacemaker, there’s hardly anything else that you need to change for him; he can slide very easily into the DCU, same with Blue Beetle. They just kind of fit in very nicely. We just have to retcon a couple of things.”
Gunn’s comments also serve as reassurance for fans of Blue Beetle (2023). Though regarded by many as one of the strongest entries to emerge from the DCEU, its release was hampered by poor timing, coming after news had already broken that the shared universe was coming to an end. Now, both characters appear well-positioned to make the leap into the DCU’s next chapter.
Conversation with Ting Wei is like chatting with a weird AI bot programmed only with One Piece lore and theories, sitcom quotes and other miscellaneous pop culture references. When he’s not sleeping, he’s highly likely reading manga. In fact, the only thing he reads more than manga is the Bible, and it’s honestly pretty close.
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