James Gunn Just Debunked a Major Peacemaker Fan Theory About This DCU Hero

This post contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2

When sending episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 to media outlets for review purposes, James Gunn deliberately withheld the final three episodes in an effort to preserve all of the surprises they contained. This set an expectation amongst the fan base that these three episodes would feature a bunch of major DC Universe connections and reveals. One of the most prevalent theories is that viewers will see the return of David Corenswet’s Superman before Peacemaker Season 2 wraps up. Speculation about a Kal-El appearance went into overdrive when a photo of Corenswet and John Cena together on set in costume went viral. Anyone who thought that picture was anything more than just the two actors sharing a moment is bound to be disappointed by the latest update from Gunn.

Speaking with Variety after the premiere of Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 6 (which features a cameo from Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor), Gunn addressed whether or not Superman will be on the show as well. “No. In fact, David was very upset that Nick got to be on the show, and he didn’t,” he said. “It just didn’t work. I needed Lex in the show to serve a specific purpose. And actually, what Lex and Rick Flag are up to affects very much what happens in an aspect of Man of Tomorrow. So all of that is connected. But this relationship between Rick Flag and Lex Luthor is a potentially negative thing for Superman and all metahumans.”

James Gunn Debunking Superman Fan Theories Is for the Best

Actors and creatives are known for being coy when discussing details about upcoming franchise projects, so some might believe Gunn is using a bit of misdirection to throw fans off the scent. However, he’s proven to be very transparent over the years, frequently commenting on various rumors and reports to provide clarity about his movies and TV shows. For instance, he recently opened up about the appearance of a Robert Pattinson Batman logo on the Clayface set, saying the prop “never came across my desk” for him to personally approve.

It would be atypical for Gunn to blatantly lie about Superman’s involvement in Peacemaker. He easily could have said something like “we’ll have to see what happens” if he wanted to hide something, but instead he opted to just come out and say Corenswet doesn’t have a cameo on the show. While some DC fans will surely be disappointed to learn this is the case, it’s arguably for the best Gunn is clearing things up now. It gives viewers enough time to adjust their expectations for the remaining two episodes. Instead of waiting anxiously to see if Corenswet shows up, they can just sit back and enjoy whatever multiversal madness Gunn and Co. cooked up. The focus can be fully on the 11th Street Kids’ plight.

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Resisting the temptation to shoehorn a Superman cameo in illustrates Gunn’s story-first approach to the DCU. The Lex Luthor cameo in Episode 6 felt organic because it tied into Rick Flag Sr.’s storyline; he needs help locating Peacemaker’s interdimensional portal, and Lex has the resources to provide that aid. It’s also a subtle way to start laying the foundation for Man of Tomorrow that doesn’t distract from the narrative at hand. As fun as it would have been to see Corenswet either reprise the DCU’s Superman or play an evil Earth X variant, it’d be a shame if the cameo was just a bit of fan service. It sounds like Gunn might have toyed with the idea, but decided to scrap it because it “didn’t work.”

It would appear John Cena was telling the truth when he told his story behind the viral Corenswet photo. He was simply just paying a visit to the Superman set to reach out to the younger actor and give him some valuable advice. Perhaps their characters will cross paths on screen at some point in the DCU’s future. Superman will obviously be a key figure moving forward, and Peacemaker will likely continue to be around (especially now that he knows his “perfect” world is a Nazi paradise). Gunn has a 10-year plan in mind for the DCU’s overarching narrative, so there’s still the possibility for all kinds of crossovers.

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