Peacemaker’s Justice League Cameo Is Non-Canon to New DCU — James Gunn Explains Exactly Why
Peacemaker’s crowd-pleasing, season-ending interaction with the Justice League is now merely a fun memory and not a part of the new DCU’s canon, James Gunn has made clear in a new interview.
To recap that “super” cameo from the Peacemaker Season 1 finale: As the titular Chris Smith (played by John Cena) marched away from a climatic battle scene with an unconscious Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) in his arms, suddenly, with a crackle of electricity, who would appear but the Justice League! — in the form of Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and a silhouetted Superman and Wonder Woman.
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A silhouetted Batman and Cyborg were also to be involved in said cameo, but wound up scrubbed out. “There are reasons for [their absences],” Gunn said at the time, “but I’m actually uncertain whether I can say what those reasons are. It might have to do with future stuff.”
After Peacemaker chided the superfriends for being tardy to the party, there were callbacks to his spreading of the rumor that Aquaman has (ahem) relations with fish. When Barry indicated(/joked?) that he thought that rumor was true, Aquaman shot back, “F–k you, Barry” — after which the two shared a chuckle.
The new DCU shepherded by DC Studios bosses Gunn and Peter Safran launches this Thursday with the premiere of Max’s animated Creature Commandos. Events from both Peacemaker and Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad get mentioned in Commandos because “they’re light canon,” Gunn said in an interview with THR.com.
Peacemaker‘s connection to the new canon “is pretty straightforward, with the exception of the appearance by a certain group at the end” of the Season 1 finale, Gunn said, explaining: “They don’t exist yet. But the rule is: If we mention [something from the past] in one of the new DCU shows [and movies], then it happened. That’s the way we’re dealing with it.”
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Across TV and film projects under his new DCU, “Everything is very consistent in terms of the politics of the world and where the world is at and what’s going on — who are the metahumans in power, who are the metahumans not in power? Who are the power brokers, who are not the power brokers?” Gunn elaborated. “We see a glimpse of it [in Creature Commandos], but we see more of it in Superman (written/directed by Gunn and soaring into theaters July 11, 2025) and Peacemaker.”
Superman and Peacemaker also have in common the fact that they are each poised to drop some jaws.
“Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, [Superman lead] David Corenswet is going to freak everyone out with how great he is,” Gunn enthused. He is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with, and he can do everything.” Similarly, “Season 2 of Peacemaker is also going to take people by surprise,” Gunn teased. “We take a very different route than the first season, and it’s a really magical story that people are going to be blown away by.”
Want scoop on Peacemaker, or for any other DC TV show ? Shoot an email to InsideLine@tvline.com, and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!
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