James Gunn would love to do to Peacemaker season 1 what George Lucas did for Star Wars, and it’s not in the way you think!
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for Peacemaker season 2
Peacemaker returned for its second season, which had to address the big changes in the DC Cinematic Universe. When season 1 premiered in 2022, the DCEU was still the “Snyderverse” with hopes that Henry Cavill’s return as Superman in Black Adam would spark a new wave of films set in this universe.
That didn’t happen, of course, with Black Adam and The Flash combining to fail at the box office and basically kill off the Snyderverse films to be replaced by James Gunn and his new vision for the films. Gunn, the creative force behind Peacemaker, thus had to address how the show fit into his new continuity.
Leave it to Gunn to figure out a brilliant way of handling the season 1 issues in the season 2 premiere in hilarious fashion!
Could James Gunn redo Peacemaker season 1?
One of the best parts of the Peacemaker season 1 finale was that after Peacemaker stopped the alien invasion, he was confronted by the Justice League, berating them for showing up so late. While Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were only shown in shadows, viewers did see Aquaman (Jason Momoa) cursing at the Flash (Ezra Miller) for a joke Barry had been telling about him.
With that Snyderverse now gone, there was speculation on the idea that Peacemaker (John Cena) could somehow stumble onto a portal to another reality. Instead, the premiere opened with a “previously on” recap where, instead of the Justice League, Peacemaker confronts the Justice Gang from Gunn’s Superman film.
This time, Superman, Supergirl, and Mr. Terrific are in shadow while viewers see Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabella Merced) with a joke about Guy having a “puke fetish.” It was a very clever way to link season 1 with the new Gunn movies, even though that first year still contains references to the Snyderverse.
Speaking to TV Insider, Gunn half-joked that he’d love to do with Peacemaker what George Lucas did with the Star Wars Special Editions and “correct” season 1 to fit into his new DCU with newly filmed scenes and upgraded special effects.
“At some point, I would love to Lucas the s—out of it. But right now, I don’t have the money.”
It’s likely Gunn was only joking, yet given his quirky style, the idea of him putting out a Peacemaker Special Edition wouldn’t be that crazy. He can edit out references to the Snyderverse films and replace them with bits from his own DCU, as well as toss in new touches of characters and such. It would be a great Blu-ray release, not to mention smooth over the canon. Whether or not it happens, Gunn would be inclined to make sure Peacemaker season 1 fits his new DC Universe more than the Snyderverse did.
Peacemaker streaming on HBO Max.