Superman Broke a DCU Rule Before We Even Knew it Existed

The new DC Universe is just getting started, and that means we will continue to learn about the rules and world of the franchise as it unfolds. James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU kicked off with Creature Commandos, but the doors really blew open this summer with the release of Superman. Thursday morning, the next chapter of the franchise began with the premiere of Peacemaker Season 2, which reveals quite a lot about the overall universe, as well as the core “Justice Gang” group that watches over it. WARNING: This article comes with mild spoilers for Peacemaker’s Season 2 premiere…

Early in the first episode of Peacemaker‘s sophomore season, the titular Peacemaker (John Cena) takes part in an interview to join the Justice Gang. A panel of Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn) conduct the interview — though none of them actually want to be there — and share a little tidbit of information about their group. The major point we learn from them here is that the Justice Gang has made it a point to try and “avoid casualties,” which may be news to anyone who saw them in action during Superman.

Big Changes for the Justice Gang

The Justice Gang is trying to remain casualty-free going forward, but that wasn’t the case the last time we saw them. If you recall, the confrontation with Boravia and Lex Luthor in Superman ended with Hawkgirl intentionally killing the Boravian leader. Sure, there were a lot of reasons for her to do that, but it also could’ve very easily been prevented.

We’re not here to argue the morality of killing ruthlessly evil people in fictional universes, but it does create a contrast between these first two appearances of the Justice Gang. Perhaps the “try not to kill” rule has always been in place and Hawkgirl just decided to break it. But remember when they joined Superman in the fight against that kaiju in downtown Metropolis? The Justice Gang was fine with wiping the monster off the map, while Superman wanted to find a solution that spared its life.

The most likely scenario with this new team guideline is that it was a recent addition, partly due to the events of the Superman movie. There’s also the fact that Superman appears to be part of the team now, given that he was seen in the “recap” of Peacemaker, hovering alongside the Justice Gang in a scene that replaced the previous Justice League cameo.

If Superman is indeed part of the Justice Gang — in any kind of capacity — the “no kill” rule is probably a deal-breaker. We know Superman’s stance on it historically, and the David Corenswet version of the character that leads this DCU made it abundantly clear throughout his movie. This Superman will go to great lengths to preserve life, whether it’s the life of a human, a giant monster, or a squirrel.

That’s how Superman should be, and he’s clearly bringing those ideals to the group that will eventually — hopefully — become known as the Justice League.

What did you think of the Justice Gang’s appearance in Peacemaker Season 2? Let us know in the comments!