The season finale of Peacemaker season 2 is now streaming, and every episode is chock full of DC references, Easter eggs, cameos, and even some retcons that slightly rewrite the ending of the first season.
With so much to absorb, it's easy to miss some of the references and Easter eggs, especially as some of them are lurking in the background. Fortunately, we've gone over every episode of Peacemaker season 2 with a fine-tooth comb, pulling out everything we could find.
Read on as we lay out all the Easter eggs and cameos in each episode of Peacemaker season 2 - but be warned, there are Major spoilers ahead.
Peacemaker Season 2 Easter eggs
Episode 8: Full Nelson
Big Belly Burger: Big Belly Burger is kind of the McDonald's of the DC Universe, the most famous and widespread fast food restaurant in the world. What's interesting though is that the chain, which actually began in Green Lantern Hal Jordan's home city of Cost City in comics, is owned by Lex Luthor's LexCorp.
Nelson: Nelson is the band fronted by twin rockers Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, the sons of mid-20th century TV and music heartthrob Ricky Nelson. Nelson is often a punchline for pop rock fans, usually remembered as a corny, cult-classic group - meaning they're perfect for Peacemaker.
Door 22: Door 22 is the first dimension we see the ARGUS agents enter, and it appears to be the home of the vulgar, destructive imps mentioned by Peacemaker's alt-reality dad earlier in the season. The naming of Door 22 proves that there's no apparent correlation between the number of each door and the number of DC alt-realities from comics. Earth-22 is the world in which the landmark story Kingdom Come, about a retired Superman coming back to save the world from young, vicious heroes, takes place.
Otis: Terence Rosemore's Otis returns from Superman alongside several of other Luthor's henchmen who have joined Rick Flag's ARGUS team, with Flag himself said to be working closely with Luthor to pull off something seriously menacing.
DC Zombies: One of the doors the ARGUS agents travel through leads to a world infected by zombies. There is in fact a DC zombie world in comics in the 2019 story DCeased and its follow ups, in which the planet is overrun by the undead thanks to an infection caused by Darkseid's terrible power, the Anti-Life Equation.
Salvation Run: The prison world found by Rick Flag and Luthor is named Salvation - a direct reference to the 2007-08 comic Salvation Run in which many of DC's villains are sent off-planet to another world where they have to survive each other and the environment in a Lord of the Flies style struggle. With Peacemaker stranded there at the end of episode 8, Salvation Run seems to be the influence of whatever form the follow-up to Peacemaker season 2 might take.
Arkham: Gotham City's Arkham Asylum is home to many of Batman's most fearsome enemies - but as Rick Flag points out as he references the many escapes of Arkham prisoners, the vaunted home for the criminally insane isn't anywhere near as secure as his alt-reality prison may be.
Checkmate: The 11th Street Kids (including Peacemaker), Agent Fleury, Judo Master, and Sasha Bordeaux form their own security agency - Checkmate. In comics, Checkmate is a secret government black ops group run by Maxwell Lord (bankroller of the Justice Gang in the DC Universe) which he uses to attempt a takeover of the world by mind-controlling Superman, before he's killed by Wonder Woman. Sasha Bordeaux then takes over as one of the premiere agents of the group, leading her to eventually form a romantic relationship with Mister Terrific.
Episode 7: Like a Keith in the Night
Sydney Happersen: Fans will recognize actor Stephen Blackeheart, who reprises his role as Sydney Happersen from Superman. In that film Happersen is one of Luthor's henchman who offers to help Mister Terrific close the rift. Here, he aids Rick Flag in using Luthor's tech to help him find Peacemaker's portal, after which Rick says he's gonna keep him around. Happersen is a minor comics character, who first appeared in 1987's Superman Vol 2 #2 by writer/artist John Byrne.
Larry Fitzgibbon: Another returning character, Lochlyn Munro reprises his Peacemaker season 1 role as Evergreen police detective Larry Fitzgibbon. In this case, he's a cop from Earth-X who is investigating Peacemaker after the confrontation at Argus in the beginning of the episode.
Episode 6: Ignorance is Chris
Blue Dragon: In the other dimension, Peacemaker's dad is known as the Blue Dragon, rather than the White Dragon. It's a bit obvious due to his color scheme, but this confirms his new identity. What's a little more odd is that we haven't learned Keith's superhero name just yet.
St. Roche: St. Roche, Louisian is the home of Belle Reve prison, the headquarters of Task Force X which houses metahumans and other super criminals, including, as of the ending of Superman, Lex Luthor. In comics, the city of St. Roche is protected by Hawkwoman.
Lex Luthor: Rick Flag Sr. pays a visit to Belle Reve where he consults with none other than Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor where he's serving 265 years in prison alongside metahumans, who he hates. Rick Flag Sr. has a proposal for Luthor, which involves the villain helping track Peacemaker's dimensional portal in exchange for being transferred to Metropolis' Van Kull Maximum Security Prison.
Van Kull: In the comics, Van Kull is a maximum security facility for meta-humans, located near Metropolis. That doesn't sound like a better deal, so is Flag trying to trick Lex here? That won’t end well…
Earth-X: As many viewers have suspected, Peacemaker's alternate reality is a version of Earth-X, a DC reality in which the Nazis won WWII and took over the world. In comics, Earth-X is home to the Freedom Fighters, a group of heroes who first appeared in Quality Comics before transferring to DC. This Earth-X, while not named, seems to have its equivalent in the Sons of Liberty, of which the alt-reality Vigilante is a member.
Peacemaker's ghost mom: In the post-credits scene, an extended version of an earlier scene in which the DCU's Emilia Harcourt encounters Peacemaker's brother Keith. She lies her way into saying that she and Chris talk to his mom, who is a ghost. Funny enough, in comics, Peacemaker was once haunted by the spirit of his evil racist father.
Episode 5: Back to the Suture
Three Years Later: This timestamp at the start of Rick Flag, Jr's funeral establishes how long it's been in DC continuity since the events of The Suicide Squad. This flashback, labeled "three years ago," takes place right before the start of Peacemaker season 1.
Giant Starfish: The fact that Task Force X fought Starro in Corto Maltese is another tidbit of pre-DC Universe continuity that is now officially DCU canon. James Gunn has previously stated that only aspects of The Suicide Squad and other pre-Creature Commandos DC movies and shows that are referenced in official continuity are considered to be set in stone.
Sasha Bordeaux: We're now getting a glimpse of Sasha Bordeaux's cybernetic abilities, which she used as part of the secret espionage organization Checkmate in comics. That in turn led to her starting a romantic relationship with Mister Terrific. Her comic origins are a bit different from the story of a plane crash given in the show. In comics, she's turned into an OMAC (One Man Army Corps), a cyborg warrior initially created by the sentient spy satellite Brother Eye.
Metropolis Incident: Rick Flag, Sr's mention of the "incident in Metropolis" is obviously a reference to the plot of Superman, in which Lex Luthor's unstable interdimensional portals created a disaster that nearly destroyed the city.
Episode 4: Need I Say Door
Quantum Unfolding Chamber: Now we know how Peacemaker's dad got ahold of his extradimensional space - and he's definitely no genius. It's not clear exactly what species the alien they steal the tech from might be, but it's not impossible they'll be seen again.
The Primal Eagle: The term "Primal Eagle" doesn't seem to be a real world term. However, the Indigenous Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes region hold eagles to be sacred, with the bald eagle in particular representing an important place in their culture. The symbol Red St. Cloud paints does indeed specifically resemble an Anishinaabe eagle, as seen on the flag of the Anishinaabe Nation.
Peacemaker's Helmets: It seems like there's an interesting story behind the origin of Peacemaker's helmets, and presumably his father's White Dragon armor, than just the extradimensional space.
Flying Teeth: Harcourt's punch knocking out this poor schlub's teeth is the second shot like that in a recent James Gunn DC project, as Superman has a similar scene where the Man of Steel himself punches the teeth out of one of Luthor's soldiers.
Rick Flag, Sr.'s Back: Rick Sr. broke his back during Creature Commandos, when the monstrous Clayface dropped him over his knee, much like Bane famously did to Batman. He was then saved by Eric Frankenstein and taken back to ARGUS to recuperate.
Wish Fulfillment: The idea that Peacemaker's alternate reality is really an illusion meant to trap him in a false sense of security has DC precedent. In DC comic continuity, Superman was once ensnared by an alien plant known as a Black Mercy, which caused him to believe he was back on Krypton while his body was in fact comatose. And in Batman: The Animated Series, The Mad Hatter pulls a similar trick on the Dark Knight using his mind control technology.
Alt-Reality: Adebayo is insistent that Peacemaker's alt-dimension seems too good to be true, and that sure seems to be the way things are pointing. There are a few theories about what the truth of the other reality might be, but we'll have to wait and find out.
Kupperberg Park: The name Kupperberg Park is likely a reference to long time DC comic book editor and writer Paul Kupperberg, who, along with writing Peacemaker's 1986 DC solo comic, co-founded a fan-led revival of Charlton Comics, the original publishing home of Peacemaker. Charlton went out of business and the characters, including Peacemaker, were subsequently purchased by DC, debuting in the DC Universe in the '80s. Kupperberg developed many of the Peacemaker concepts that have been adapted into the show.
Episode 3: Another Rick Up My Sleeve
Harcourt and Rick Flag, Jr.: The connection between Emilia Harcourt and Rick Flag, Jr. is a major revelation with huge implications for Peacemaker season 2. But what might be even more interesting is the reference to "June," AKA June Moon, the Enchantress, played by Cara Delevigne in 2015's Suicide Squad. This is one of the first bits of continuity from that film that has made it into the canon of the new DCU so far.
Martians: In DC comic books, Martians actually have two eyes, like J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter - a character who Gunn has teased may already be part of the new DC Universe. That said, in the recent Absolute Martian Manhunter alt-reality comic, the Martian Manhunter is a purely psychic one-eyed entity.
The Sons of Liberty: The Sons of Liberty come from comics, where their objective is largely the same: to overthrow the US government who regularly fought with Superman. Initially, they actually had their own superhero, Agent Liberty, who was dedicated to their cause. But as the Sons of Liberty became more extreme, and Agent Liberty had more and more contact with Superman he wound up reforming and becoming an actual hero.
Red St. Cloud: Michael Rooker's eagle hunting expert Red St. Cloud is an original character created for Peacemaker.
Episode 2: A Man Is Only As Good As His Bird
Amanda Waller's retirement: A news report in the background of one of the episode's first scenes discusses Amanda Waller leaving ARGUS behind after the reveal of the truth about Task Force X, confirming that Rick Flag, Sr. is now the official head of the organization
Rick Flag, Jr's death: This scene took place in The Suicide Squad, and is one of the main elements of the film that is considered "canonical" in the new DC Universe. James Gunn has expressed a caveat that only things referenced in official DC Universe releases will be counted in the future.
Gotham: Here's another reference to Batman's home city. Though we know very little about what the Caped Crusader will be like when he makes it into the new DC Universe, Gunn hasn't shied away from peppering references to Batman and his mythos throughout all three of the official in-continuity projects so far.
Beaker: Beaker is of course a funny looking Muppet who is sorta shaped like, well, a beaker, with a mop of red hair on top. As the assistant of the comedic scientist Bunson Honeydew, Beaker is often subject to the strange consequences of Bunson's experiments.
Agent Fleury: Tim Meadows plays Agent Fleury in Peacemaker season 2, an offbeat agent whose so-called 'bird blindness' plays into some of the funniest parts of the episode. That said, Fleury is a new character created for Peacemaker - but it's a bit funny that 'Fluery' sounds a lot like 'Fury,' as in the MCU's Nick Fury.
The 11th Street Kids: This one's not a secret. 11th Street Kids is the name of the Hanoi Rocks song that Peacemaker and his team bond over when they finally start to let their guards down and work together in Peacemaker season 1.
Episode 1: The Ties That Grind
Kite Man: As Peacemaker talks to a room full of students, he references defeating Kite Man, a semi-obscure Batman villain who uses kites as weapons. Viewers of Harley Quinn: The Animated Series know Kite-Man as an important supporting character in that show and as the star of his own spin-off cartoon Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, all of which exists in its own continuity that pre-dates and remains separate from the new DC Universe.
The Justice Gang: The opening of Peacemaker season 2, episode 1 pulls off a retcon of the finale of season 1, replacing the Justice League of Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Henry Cavill's Superman with Justice Gang members Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, David Corenswet's Superman, and Supergirl, though only Guy and Hawkgirl are shown in close-ups. The retcon also involves Peacemaker's jokes about Aquaman being replaced by jokes about Guy Gardner instead.
Top Trio/Terrific Trio: Peacemaker, his dad, and his brother are a team of mega-popular superheroes in an alternate universe, known as the Top Trio. There's no team called the Top Trio in DC lore, but there is a team known as the Terrific Trio who appeared in the future-set animated series Batman Beyond. Judging by the clippings about Gotham City which are later shown in the Top Trio's library, it's possible the Top Trio name takes some influence from the Terrific Trio.
White Rabbit: In comics, White Rabbit is a Gotham City-based villain who is part of the Wonderland Gang alongside such Alice In Wonderland inspired bad guys as the Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and the Walrus and the Carpenter.
Krank Toys: Krank Toys, the abandoned storefront where Peacemaker's Justice Gang interview takes place, is another reference to a DC animated series, this time to the 2004 animated series The Batman. In The Batman, Krank Toys is owned by Cosmo Krank, AKA the Toymaker. While Toymaker isn't specifically from comics, he's partially based on the Superman villain the Toyman.
Maxwell Lord: Sean Gunn's Maxwell Lord provides some of Peacemaker's connective tissue to the wider DC Universe, having appeared briefly in Superman as the founder and bankroller of the Justice Gang. In comics, Lord is similarly positioned as the financial backer for the Justice League of the mid-'80s, though he is eventually revealed as a mind-controlling supervillain.
Guy Gardner's gold tooth: Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner has a single gold tooth, and while there's no specific information given about how he got it, it's reminiscent of an important part of his comic history. When Guy first joined the Justice League in comics, his arrogant, loudmouth attitude had him challenging Batman for leadership of the team. However, rather than a knock-down-drag-out fight, Batman fells Guy with a single punch, knocking him so hard he turns into a nice guy.
Rick Flag, Sr.: Frank Grillo's Rick Flag, Sr. is turning out to be an important character in the new DC Universe as the only character to appear in all three official DC Studios releases so far - Creature Commandos, Superman, and now Peacemaker season 2. As the father of the murdered Rick Flag, Jr., he's out for revenge against Peacemaker for taking his son's life.
Sasha Bordeaux: Sasha Bordeaux, played by Sol Rodriguez, is one of the premiere secret agents of a certain era of DC comic book history as one of the main agents of the international spy organization known as Checkmate. A cyborg with powers tied to Brother Eye, a spy satellite built by Batman, she joins Checkmate after its former leader, Maxwell Lord, is killed by Wonder Woman while using his hidden mind control powers to send Superman on a rampage.
Dimensional rift: The agents of ARGUS, in particular Rick Flag, Sr. are concerned about Peacemaker's secret extra-dimensional space causing a dimensional rift between realities that could tear the world apart. Their worry is not unfounded, as the climax of James Gunn's Superman revolves around a dimensional rift created by Lex Luthor that nearly destroys Metropolis.
Rainbow Creature: Another Batman reference, the newspaper clipping about the Top Trio defeating the Rainbow Creature that's seen in the team's library is all about Peacemaker and his family fighting one of the Caped Crusader's weirdest enemies. Dating all the way back to 1960, the Rainbow Creature was birthed from a South American volcano, with seven different powers each related to a different color of the rainbow.
Ultra-Humanite: The Ultra-Humanite is another super-villain defeated by the Top Trio. First introduced all the way back in 1939 as one of Superman's first arch-enemies, predating even Lex Luthor. Though he was originally a human scientist with a megalomaniacal streak, the Ultra-Humanite eventually transfers his mind to the body of a white gorilla. The power of transferring minds to new bodies is one of the character's hallmarks, with the alt-reality story JSA: The Golden Age revolving around the Ultra-Humanite placing the brain of Adolf Hitler in the body of a superhero as a plan for world domination.
Keith: Keith, played by David Denman, is the adult version of Peacemaker's dead brother, who Peacemaker accidentally killed as a child while their abusive father forced them to fist fight. Keith's presence as an adult and a superhero alongside his father and brother is one of the biggest signs that the new reality Peacemaker enters is a kinder, more noble place.
Blüdhaven: Peacemaker season 2 isn't shying away from Batman references, with Peacemaker's alt-reality family saying they thought he was in Blüdhaven, a city not far from Gotham with its own colorful criminal underworld. Nightwing has often operated in Blüdhaven while distancing himself from Batman.
Imps: While we don't get a glimpse of the imps mentioned by the Top Trio, this is the second reference to imps in the new DC Universe, with Superman featuring a scene of the Justice Gang fighting an extra-dimensional imp (shown as a huge energy cloud). In DC lore, there is in fact a race of extra-dimensional imps from the Fifth Dimension, most prominently the bizarrely powerful trickster Mister Mxyzptlk, a classic Superman enemy.
Peacemaker season 2 has now concluded on HBO Max. Be sure to check out our Peacemaker season 2 ending explained for answers to all your finale questions.
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