James Gunn Just Introduced a Major Tie-In to the DCU’s Avengers: Endgame Rival

The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe are in very different places. Marvel Studios’ franchise is working to get back on its feet after a couple of years of mediocrity, bringing the band back together for its next big event film, Avengers: Doomsday, which will lead into an even bigger movie, Avengers: Secret Wars, an adaptation of the iconic comic book story of the same name. DC Studios isn’t ready to take on a challenge that big. After all, it’s only one movie deep, and while Superman introduces more than its fair share of heroes, it’s still not enough to fill the roster of an Avengers-level project.

What the DCU is doing is slowly pulling back the curtain and revealing the beginning of its plan. It all starts in Peacemaker Season 2, which ends on a shocking cliffhanger that may take years to be resolved. In fact, if James Gunn plays his cards right, he may very well be laying the groundwork for a DCU that will rival Avengers: Endgame in terms of scale.

Everything in the DCU Is Leading to Salvation

Not wanting to overwhelm his audience, Gunn waits until the second major DCU project to start planting the seeds for the interconnected story that he’s bringing to life. The final episode of Peacemaker Season 2 focuses on Rick Flag Sr.’s hunt for a habitable planet to send dangerous metahumans to. He calls the planet “Salvation,” and his plan receives support not only from the government but also from Lex Luthor. Of course, there’s still a personal element to Flag Sr.’s mission, so he sends Peacemaker through the portal as a guinea pig, hoping the anti-hero will prove that the concept works.

If Flag Sr. thought to pick up a comic book, he would know that the Salvation Run storyline starts out pretty well for the home team. Amanda Waller and Flag send the worst of the worst to the remote planet, and things only get harder for the villains when they realize that the beings from Apokolips use their new backyard as a training ground. Luthor and Co. make it back to Earth by the skin of their teeth, but the fight isn’t over because Salvation Run leads into another event that makes it look like a nothing burger in comparison.

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How the DCU Can Use Salvation to Create Its Own “Final Crisis”

The allure of the Salvation Run mini-series is that it’s a tie-in book that’s part of the “Countdown to Final Crisis.” Every story in the event prepares readers for “Final Crisis,” which is the full-on invasion of Earth by Darkseid’s forces. At first, the villains take over human bodies and use them to cause problems, such as framing Hal Jordan for murder. They can’t keep their identities a secret forever, though, and when they all take off the disguises, a war breaks out. The conflict gets so bad that Darkseid has to use his Omega Beams to take out Batman, who has actually been transported back in time.

The DCU isn’t quite ready for Batman to make a sacrifice play, since the character hasn’t even had a speaking role in the franchise. However, there are plenty of bread crumbs that Salvation can leave behind, such as teasing or outright confirming Apokolips’ connection to the alternate reality. That would be enough to tide everyone over until the powers that be at DC Studios are ready to drop the next bombshell.

Peacemaker Season 2 is streaming on HBO Max.

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