James Gunn’s DCU Just Made a Surprising Multiverse Reveal (And It Changes DC Canon)

Warning: Spoilers for Peacemaker season 2 below!

Peacemaker season 2 has introduced a major reveal about DC’s multiverse in its second episode, one that both opens vast possibilities and greatly expands upon one element of classic DC lore. Peacemaker season 2 is the third installment of James Gunn’s unfolding DCU, though the series is modifying itself somewhat to enter the DCU, due to the show’s beginnings in the DCEU. The main alteration to that end thus far has been the swap of the Justice League’s cameo in Peacemaker season 1 for a cameo by the Justice Gang from Gunn’s Superman in season 2. However, that alteration might also be a byproduct of the co-existence of alternate timelines and realities, if Peacemaker season 2’s unfolding story is any indication.

Peacemaker season 2’s premiere episode, “Another Rick Up My Sleeve”, also included Christopher Smith (John Cena) encountering a doppelganger of himself whom he is forced to fight and ultimately kill. The origins of the second Peacemaker also tie into season 2’s multiverse-heavy story, and the establishment that many different co-existing DC universes are parallel to the DCU. Moreover, Peacemaker season 2 has also made a big change to DC’s canon as it relates to the multiverse; In season 2’s second episode, “A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird”, Peacemaker reveals more about the show’s multiverse portal known as the Quantum Unfolding Chamber.

Peacemaker Establishes That at Least 100 Realities Exist in the DCU Multiverse

After killing his doppelganger in the climactic fight scene of season 2’s first episode, Peacemaker makes an even more significant discovery. Not only did the other Christopher Smith originate from an alternate reality through the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, but he is also one of many. The whole incident leads to Peacemaker discovering that the Quantum Unfolding Chamber is “a dimensional portal that leads to 99 other universes”, with this one line having major ramifications for Peacemaker season 2 and the entirety of James Gunn’s DCU roadmap.

The establishment of 100 DC universes existing side-by-side indicates that the multiverse and Elseworlds projects are not only on the table at DC Studios, but could be even more relevant to DC’s film and television future than Gunn has thus far indicated. Moreover, the fact that the Quantum Unfolding Chamber leads to 99 other universes also does not necessarily mean that the number of alternate realities in the DC multiverse stops there. There might indeed be infinite Earths out in DC’s multiverse, with the Quantum Unfolding Chamber having only established a doorway to 99 of them, but as a starting point for the Elseworlds cosmos, 99 universes alongside Gunn’s DCU opens up vast potential, along with greatly expounding upon one element of DC canon.

DC’s Multiverse Is Usually Centered Around 52 Alternate Universes

While the title of DC’s seminal multiverse story, Crisis on Infinite Earths, implies an endless quantity of DC Elseworlds, DC Comics has typically emphasized the number 52 in most multiverse-related storytelling. DC has often made the canonical stipulation of there being 52 Earths in the multiverse, altogether. Under those parameters, each DC universe has traditionally been assigned its own numerical designation, such as Earth-1 for the primary DC Comics continuity, Earth-2 representing DC of the Golden Age of comics, Earth-3 being populated by evil versions of DC’s heroes, and so on.

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DC Comics even paid homage to the centralization of the number 52 in its multiverse with the New 52 continuity reboot, which began in 2011 in the aftermath of Flashpoint‘s timeline reset. While 52 parallel Earths is still a lot, Gunn clearly has a much bigger picture in mind by overtly expanding the scope of DC’s multiverse to encompass a minimum of 100 Earths. In turn, that could indicate the role of Peacemaker season two as being a much bigger reference point for the DCU’s future than previously thought.

Why the DCU Having 100 Parallel Universes Is Such a Big Deal

While all the current focus of DC Studios is on the DCU’s first three projects in Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker season 2, the DCU will not be the only pillar of DC Studios. Gunn has made clear that any DC movies or TV shows that do not take place within the DCU will be given the Elseworlds designation, with Gunn expressing his enthusiasm for Elseworlds projects on multiple occasions. While Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise is the only currently active DC project that meets that standard, Gunn’s establishment of 99 Earths in DC’s multiverse on Peacemaker season 2 leaves a whopping 98 others, at least.

That suggests not only vast possibilities for different versions of DC heroes and villains under DC Studios, but also the possibilities of DC Studios’ Elseworlds projects providing a large playground for multiverse crossovers and characters meeting. The fact that Gunn has set up such a vast quantity of DC universes that exist alongside the DCU opens possibilities for everything from the first animated or live-action adaptation of DC’s ongoing Absolute Universe to the kinds of cross-pollination of alternate realities seen on the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths and 2023’s The Flash. With Gunn even going as far as to not release the final three episodes of Peacemaker season 2 to the press (due to some apparently huge spoilers for the DCU’s future, per Gunn), it seems that the Quantum Unfolding Chamber and the 99 other doorways in DC’s multiverse it opens could be a far bigger deal for DC’s cinematic future than previously thought. Gunn may have elected to break DC’s tradition canon by expanding the multiverse’s scope from 52 universes to at least 100, but with the vast possibilities that present, it could be well worth it.

Peacemaker season 1 is available to stream on HBO Max, and new episodes of Peacemaker season 2 are released on HBO Max on Thursdays.