Peacemaker's second season has now come to a close with a final episode that brought several long-running character arcs to a close, featured a horde of bloodthirsty imps – and moved some important pieces into place ready for the forthcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.
Although all the DCU films and shows are designed to be able to stand alone, there is certainly connectivity between them, with James Gunn having previously stressed that Peacemaker season 2 and Man of Tomorrow are "very, very connected." Now that we've seen the full run, we have some thoughts on how that might come to play out – after this spoiler warning, of course.
How does Peacemaker season 2 set up Man of Tomorrow?
Peacemaker's second season focused in large part on the Quantum Unfolding Chamber – a device for entering a myriad of different realities. For much of the run, Peacemaker was hopping back and forth between the prime Earth and what he initially saw as a utopian alternative reality where his brother Keith and father Auggie were still alive. Alas, it was eventually revealed to be Earth X – a planet where the Nazis won World War II.
As we learn in 'Full Nelson', however, Rick Flag intends to use it for his own nefarious ends, however, and that's where Man of Tomorrow comes in. In the new episode, Flag reveals a plan to forcibly relocate the Metahumans on Earth to another world that he has called Salvation. Indeed, that is where the season ends, with Flag having Chris abducted and thrown through the portal into this other world, where he is left to rot.
Gunn has since confirmed that this episode and this scene is key to where the DCU is going in the near future, and particularly Man of Tomorrow. Responding to a question from user disgraceprtyush that asked "How is that finale gonna setup Man of Tomorrow?", Gunn wrote, "Where Chris is at the end, what is happening between the government and the metahumans, Rick and Lex's new partnership, and all of their decision to do what they did is all a part of the future, MoT, and more."
Presumably, then, part of Man of Tomorrow will involve Rick Flag continuing his plan to use Salvation as an off-world prison for his metahuman enemies. Could that include Superman? That feels likely, given that Flag is now firmly allied with the Man of Steel's own arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor.
We know from previous comments by Gunn to Howard Stern that Man of Tomorrow will, in part, feature "Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat." Could it be that Flag double-crosses Luthor and boots him into Salvation alongside Superman – leading to this "much bigger" threat growing in their absence? And could this even lead to an alliance between Superman and Peacemaker? That would be a lot of fun and may finally give Chris the chance to be a real hero, just as he's always wanted.
Then there's the nature of Salvation itself. While the planet looked fairly habitable from the few scenes we saw of it in the episode, it may be home to some dark secrets. In fact, the world has featured in the comics, in a story arc from 2007–2008 called 'Salvation Run'. In that story it is revealed to be a training world for the New Gods of Apokolips, ruled over by the evil DeSaad. If you're interested in the comics, then check out our guide to the bizarre history of Peacemaker in DC comics.
Gunn confirmed the connection in the latest episode of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, "There is a comic called Salvation [Run] that is a limited series, in which Amanda Waller and Rick Flag say, 'Screw it, there's all these metahumans that keep getting into prison and out of prison. F**k it, we don't care what happens to them. This isn't about justice, we're gonna send them to this other planet where they can't get off.' That's where we're sort of beginning a part of our larger story in the DCU here in this moment."
For more on the DCU's grand plans, check out our guides to upcoming DC movies and DCU Chapter One.
