Did Peacemaker’s Finale Just Set Up James Gunn’s Next The Suicide Squad Spinoff?

Last week brought about the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker, the The Suicide Squad spinoff series that ushered in a whole new kind of storytelling for the DC Films universe. The first season of the live-action series was filled with emotional moments, epic fight scenes, and a killer soundtrack, all while having some interesting ties to the larger DC universe. While one cameo appearance in the finale’s final moments has been the main topic of conversation as of late, there’s also been the question of the mysterious second The Suicide Squad spinoff idea, which creator James Gunn confirmed was pitched to HBO Max alongside a second season of Peacemaker. There’s been a lot of guessing as to what the spinoff could be — and there’s a chance that the season finale of Peacemaker might have provided a clue.

The bulk of the episode surrounded Christopher Smith / Peacemaker (John Cena) and his cohorts destroying the conspiracy of Project Butterfly, as well as the giant “cow” that provides the alien butterflies their food source. After all of that was done and dusted (and the humans who had been possessed by the butterflies had largely been killed), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) held a public press conference to address what happened. Not only did Leota also manage to clear Peacemaker’s name, after he had been framed for murder in the penultimate episode, but she went public about the existence of Task Force X, as well as Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) role in orchestrating it.

At the moment, we know very little about the possible second spinoff series, outside of Gunn saying that it “won’t be as much [of] a comedy” as Peacemaker, but will be part of the same universe. This has made fans wonder if the series could concern another character who survived the events of The Suicide Squad — with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Robert DuBois / Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher II (Daniela Melchior), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone and Steve Agee), Weasel (Sean Gunn), and possibly T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion) all having made it out alive. (Granted, there’s always a chance it could be a prequel about a now-dead character, but it remains to be seen if that’ll be the case.)

If the second spinoff is about another surviving character from The Suicide Squad — whether it be Bloodsport, Ratcatcher II, King Shark, or some combination of the three in an ensemble setting — the idea of Task Force X going public could definitely be part of the inciting incident. Depending on just how easy it is for the public to determine who has survived Task Force X (which, given the fact that part of the team’s fight against Starro invasion was broadcast on international television, doesn’t seem impossible), there could be some organization or other DC villain who crosses paths with those characters, creating a whole new conflict. Fans have also speculated for years that DC could be making a Secret Six series, and it’s easy to imagine a version of the group with any combination of the surviving characters from the film, on the run from whatever is targeting them.

The first season of Peacemaker is now available to stream in its entirety exclusively on HBO Max.