Week after week, the audience for the second season of Peacemaker grew as excitement built for the new chapter of the DC Universe. The show successfully blended its signature humor and surprising heart with a multiverse-spanning story that expanded the lore of James Gunn’s new saga. As a result, the series earned critical acclaim and a devoted following, with many seeing it as a sign that the DCU was finally on the right track after years of inconsistency. However, the much-anticipated finale of Peacemaker Season 2 proved to be a controversial conclusion, leaving a significant portion of the fanbase feeling frustrated and dividing opinions on what had been a universally praised season.
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Warning: Spoilers below for Peacemaker Season 2
The core of the issue is that the final episode of Peacemaker Season 2 feels less like a conclusion to its own story and more like an extended teaser for future DCU projects, primarily the upcoming film Man of Tomorrow. Instead of resolving the key emotional and narrative arcs established throughout its eight-episode run, the finale dedicates its most crucial moments to setting up new conflicts and introducing last-minute twists that it fails to properly explore. This approach leaves several major plot points dangling, making the entire season feel incomplete. As a result, what should have been a satisfying ending instead feels like required viewing for the next installment in the franchise.
1) What Happened in Earth X?
A significant portion of Peacemaker Season 2 revolved around the discovery of an alternate dimension that was ultimately revealed to be Earth X, a terrifying reality where the Nazis won World War II. After the violent confrontation in the penultimate episode, the ARGUS of Earth X is almost certainly aware of the Quantum Unfolding Chamber’s existence, which would logically lead them to investigate the technology and the dimension their targets escaped to. Furthermore, the alternate version of Chris’s (John Cena) brother, Keith (David Denman), survived the brutal ordeal and now has every reason to seek revenge on the 11th Street Kids for the death of his father (Robert Patrick).
Despite the gravity of this threat, the finale completely abandons the Earth X storyline. There is no mention of the potential for a cross-dimensional Nazi invasion or Keith’s quest for vengeance. It is also jarring that the heroes, having discovered a dimension where Black people are enslaved in work camps, simply turn their backs on the entire affair without a second thought. For a show that has otherwise invested heavily in the moral development of its characters, this decision to leave an entire world under fascist rule unaddressed feels both narratively and ethically unfinished.
2) What’s the Danger in Salvation and What Will Happen to Peacemaker?
Season 2 of Peacemaker ends on a massive cliffhanger, with Christopher Smith being forcibly exiled to Salvation, a mysterious planet that Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) intends to use as a metahuman prison. In the final moments, Chris is left stranded and alone as the sounds of monstrous creatures echo around him. The name of the planet is a direct reference to the Salvation Run storyline from the comics, where Earth’s villains were banished to a world that was secretly a training ground for the forces of Apokolips. This strongly suggests the beasts are likely connected to Darkseid’s Parademons. With no third season of Peacemaker currently confirmed, this leaves the hero’s fate entirely in the hands of Man of Tomorrow or another unannounced DC Studios project, which must now address what happens to him and how his exile connects to the larger cosmic plot of the DCU.
3) How Does Checkmate Work, and How Can They Stand Up to ARGUS?
In response to the fascistic turn of Rick Flag Sr. and ARGUS, Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez) joins forces with the 11th Street Kids to form Checkmate, a new independent spy agency. Their stated mission is to counter ARGUS and work for the betterment of the world. While this is a noble goal, the finale of Peacemaker Season 2 fails to explain how Checkmate can realistically achieve anything. The organization is a private initiative funded by blood money that Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) stole from criminals. In contrast, ARGUS is an official and powerful government institution with vast resources. It is entirely unclear what Checkmate actually does or what authority it possesses, making it difficult to understand how this self-funded group could possibly thwart ARGUS’s large-scale plan to exile all metahumans to Salvation.
Which unresolved plot thread from the Peacemaker Season 2 finale frustrates you the most? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Paramount+
