The finale of Peacemaker season 2 is here, and it sets up the next chapter for Chris Smith and his allies with some plot developments that directly reference comics. We'll get into what happened and how it ties into DC's comic history, but first, be warned that we'll be getting into major spoilers for Peacemaker season 2, episode 8.
Turn back now if you want to avoid Peacemaker season 2 spoilers
For those still with us, here's what went down. Teaming up with Luthor (who is working from behind the scenes), Rick Flag Sr. manages to use Peacemaker's Quantum Unfolding Tunnel to find an alternate dimension that seems inhabitable for humans.
Revealing that it's all a plan to build an extra-dimensional prison for metahumans by sending them to another world, Flag unveils his name for the newly discovered dimension: "Salvation."
Salvation Run
For longtime DC comic readers, that immediately calls to mind the 2007-2008 comic limited series Salvation Run by writers Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges and drawn by artists Sean Chen, Walden Wong, Joe Bennett, and Belardino Brabo.
In Salvation Run, Lex Luthor, the Joker, and many of DC's top villains are sent to a far-off planet that is survivable to humans by Amanda Waller and Rick Flag Jr. Through the course of the story, a Lord of the Flies style drama unfolds in which cliques are formed, brutal conflicts ensue, and mysteries are discovered across the planet.
There's another twist - hiding among the villains in the guise of Batman villain Blockbuster is none other than Martian Manhunter, the shapeshifting Justice League mainstay who DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has also heavily hinted is already lurking somewhere in the DC Universe.
Ultimately, it turns out that the planet the villains have been sent to isn't a simple, uninhabited world - it's a training ground for the minions of Darkseid, the megalomaniacal ruler of Apokalips.
When an army of Darkseid's vicious Parademons arrive, Luthor winds up rallying the villains to work together to take them down and use their Boom Tube technology to portal home.
Is Darkseid on the way?
Though Gunn has stated that, while he's taking inspiration from Salvation Run, he doesn't necessarily plan to adapt its specific plot points, it's hard not to imagine what may be possible, especially with the potential that Martian Manhunter may be in the mix.
And with Peacemaker seemingly left to his own devices with some kind of monsters closing in, we already know there's something sinister lurking on Salvation.
There's also the possibility that Peacemaker's Quantum Unfolding Chamber is actually related to Boom Tube technology, the portal system used by Darkseid and the other New Gods, both villainous and heroic, to traverse between worlds.
The fact that it actually does cause a kind of booming explosion whenever it's activated could be a clue to its nature. Meanwhile, in Salvation Run, a Boom Tube is the exact method of conveyance used to transport the villains to their prison planet.
And of course, there's the impending Mister Miracle animated series which will deal directly with Darkseid and the New Gods, so they're certainly floating around in the margins of the new DC Universe.
Whatever happens next, it's looking like the next chapter in Peacemaker's story will involve trying to survive among metahuman villains on a hostile alien world. While we wait to find out more, stay on top of all the upcoming DC movies and shows in the works.
