James Gunn Reveals If Man of Tomorrow Answers This Big Peacemaker Question

This post contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2

In the build-up to the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, DC Studios co-head James Gunn teased that the episode played an important role in setting up the upcoming film Man of Tomorrow. Fans finally got a chance to see what Gunn meant when the finale, “Full Nelson,” debuted last week. Most notably, the episode introduces Salvation, an alien planet the U.S. government has repurposed as a prison for metahumans. Peacemaker Season 2 ends with Rick Flag Sr. exacting revenge on Christopher Smith by banishing him to Salvation, cursing the reformed antihero to a solitary existence on a mysterious world where unknown threats could attack. Salvation is poised to be a main recurring element through the DC Universe’s first saga, but while Man of Tomorrow explores the concept further, it won’t answer the biggest question fans have.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Gunn was asked if Man of Tomorrow will reveal what’s become of Peacemaker following the cliffhanger ending of “Full Nelson.” “No, no, no. But people should expect that the way that the military and Rick Flag 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,” Gunn said. “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.”

The DCU Needs to Address What Happened to Peacemaker

Despite Peacemaker Season 2 ending on a twist, there currently are no plans for Peacemaker Season 3. Instead, various threads will be followed up on in other DCU projects. Since Peacemaker served as a bridge between Superman and Man of Tomorrow, some fans might have assumed that John Cena could have a role in Man of Tomorrow — even if it was just a cameo to explain what happened to Peacemaker after the credits rolled. It sounds like that won’t be happening; fans are preconditioned to expect creatives to play coy about upcoming movies and shows, but Gunn has always been transparent. He confirmed David Corenswet wouldn’t appear on Peacemaker, helping fans adjust their expectations. If Gunn says something, it’s safe to take it at face value.

At the same time, Gunn himself has said Peacemaker is “an important character” to the larger story the DCU is telling. So viewers can rest assured that Christopher Smith isn’t just going to be abandoned moving forward. The question then becomes when audiences will see him again. One possibility is the TV series Lanterns. In the same Rolling Stone interview, Gunn noted that show is “important in setting up things” while still operating as “its own thing.” It’ll be interesting to see if Lanterns dives into the Salvation angle, or if it lays the foundation for another key arc Gunn and Co. are looking to tackle. If Peacemaker’s fate isn’t addressed on Lanterns, it seems unlikely fans will hear about him next year. Supergirl and Clayface don’t appear to be logical spots for a Peacemaker comeback, at least on the surface.

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It’s certainly plausible Peacemaker will return in a project that hasn’t been officially announced yet. His friends are now running the Checkmate agency, so there could be a series revolving around them as they try to find out what happened to Peacemaker. Checkmate will have a continued presence in the DCU, similar to ARGUS, meaning Gunn may have big plans for those characters. DC Studios has not officially dated any movies past 2027, so much of its slate is a question mark. When Gunn feels comfortable enough to announce more movies or shows, fans will have a better idea of where Peacemaker could show up.

Ideally, this matter will be resolved sooner rather than later. If Peacemaker’s future continues to linger as a dangling thread, it will become a source of frustration for fans, adding to already mixed feelings about the Peacemaker Season 2 finale. One of the worst things that could happen is for the character of Peacemaker to get lost in the shuffle as the larger plan for the DCU comes into greater focus, unfavorably mirroring Marvel Cinematic Universe twists and reveals that went nowhere. Fortunately, Gunn clearly loves Peacemaker and that corner of the DCU, so he isn’t going to forget about the character.