DC Just Set Up a Deep Cut Superman Villain Nobody Would Expect (Twice)

Superman is the face of the DC Universe, there’s no doubt about it. His solo movie sets the tone for the entire franchise, offering messages of optimism and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. The reason the Man of Steel has to put on a brave face is that evil forces are working against him. Leading the charge is LuthorCorp CEO Lex Luthor, who views Superman’s existence as a reminder of humanity’s weakness. Luthor works tirelessly to undermine the titular hero’s hard work, damaging his reputation and cloning him in an effort to show how replaceable he is. However, despite throwing the kitchen sink at Superman, Luthor goes down.

Claiming victory doesn’t mean Superman is off the hook, though. There are surely other bad guys waiting in the wings to challenge him. In fact, the first episode of Peacemaker Season 2 goes out of its way to double down on a villain tease that happens in Superman, paving the way for one of the Man of Steel’s most unlikely adversaries to make the jump to the big screen.

The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 1.

Peacemaker Season 2 Makes a Big Deal About Imps

After Luthor exposes the message from Kal-El’s parents to the world, the Kryptonian has to weigh all of his options. He mulls them over with Lois, who visits her boyfriend while the Justice Gang is fighting a mysterious creature outside the window. It seems dangerous, but Superman reveals that it’s just an inter-dimensional imp and nothing to be worried about. The two go back to their conversation, and there’s no mention of the imp again in Superman. Gunn is making sure the DCU’s audience is paying attention, though, because he’s bringing up imps again in another project.

Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 1 sees Christopher Smith discover a door to an alternate reality in his father’s pocket universe. After he walks through it, he realizes he’s in a dimension where his brother and father are still alive and all three of them are part of a super team. Auggie and Keith invite Chris to sit down and have a drink with them, and they start trading war stories. It turns out Auggie’s favorite memory is the time he came home to find Chris running around with a group of imps in the house. The three men joke about the situation, including how Keith found a dead imp in a car, but they don’t realize just how dangerous the creatures can be.

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Mister Mxyzptlk Might Be Setting the Stage for His DCU Arrival

Arguably, the most famous imp in DC Comics is Mister Mxyzptlk, who hails from the fifth dimension. In early Superman comics, he arrives in Metropolis and starts using his reality-warping powers to torment the Man of Steel. He keeps up his antics for decades, making a big enough name for himself that he appears in other forms of media. In addition to making numerous animated appearances, Mister Mxyzptlk has also had three live-action stints, appearing in Smallville, Superboy, and Supergirl. The door is clearly open to make his fourth, and he might not be alone when he does.

The first season of Peacemaker name-drops Bat-Mite, another imp, who is so obsessed with the Dark Knight that he creates ridiculous scenarios for the hero to deal with so he can watch him work. While James Gunn has been coy about Bat-Mite’s status in the DCU, both Batman and Superman could be getting visits from beings from the fifth dimension in the near future.

Peacemaker is streaming on HBO Max.

Do you think the mentions of imps in the DCU are connected? Would you like to see Mister Mxyzptlk join the franchise? Let us know in the comments below!