Peacemaker Season 2's Justice Gang Cameo Explained By DC's James Gunn

As I recently explained, retcons have existed in comic book storytelling for numerous decades. It's a device that has allowed new creative teams to take pre-established characters in new directions without necessitating an entire remake or reboot of continuity. In other words, it's a narrative shortcut. It's also a signal for new readers to jump onboard an ongoing title, a device which allows them to learn the essentials of what they need to know and get up to speed as quickly as possible.

After the Marvel Cinematic Universe successfully adapted the way comic book characters function on the page — having the ability to weave in and out of solo and group stories — it was only a matter of time before other comic book narrative devices showed up. It just so happens that James Gunn, writer/director and co-CEO of DC Studios, has been the first to use several such devices with his first couple major DC Universe projects. Where "Superman" adopted the device of letting viewers jump right into the heart of a story already in motion, the premiere of "Peacemaker" season 2 used the retcon, showing a scene from the end of the first season which originally featured the DC Extended Universe's Justice League, now replaced by the DCU's Justice Gang.

While the question of the continuity of "Peacemaker" now being set in the DCU was answered by that single retcon, another question remains: Why did Gunn bother to bring "Peacemaker" over to the DCU in the first place? Wouldn't the character's ties to the DCEU, including his initial appearance in "The Suicide Squad," make such a transition more of a headache than it was worth? According to a recent interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Gunn appears to have a pretty practical viewpoint on all of those issues and then some. While there are little references and other retcons peppered throughout "Peacemaker" season 2 which help firmly establish its DCU shift, in Gunn's mind, it was specifically the Justice Gang cameo which needed to be addressed and retconned up top in order to make the transition official.

Although there is certainly more than just a single character appearance or scene that needs to be retconned for "Peacemaker" to move from the DCEU to the DCU, it was the Justice League's cameo at the end of the season 1 finale that became the primary issue for Gunn when establishing the second season. As Gunn explained in his Rotten Tomatoes interview:

"...we had that brash ending, which I loved. It was one of my favorite things in the whole season. But it just didn't fit in with the DCU. And Peacemaker ... you know, there's hardly anything that you need to change for him to slide very easily into [the] DCU ... But maybe we have to retcon a couple of things, but this was the big one."

As Gunn goes on to say, one of the reasons he really wanted to bring "Peacemaker" over to the DCU involves the series' importance in telling "a bigger story," an arc that also includes "Superman," the upcoming "Supergirl" movie, and the "Lanterns" TV series. As per his creative vision for the DCU, Gunn is also trying to be "very cognizant" of keeping each individual project friendly to new viewers, even those who're only watching one of those movies or shows instead of all of them. Thus, retconning is a much faster, cleaner, and clearer device to use, as opposed to some type of multiversal explanation or time travel shenanigans.

It's entirely likely that Gunn dismissed those aforementioned options thanks to the reason why he felt "Peacemaker" could be transferred to the DCU, which is that the first season existed during a particularly directionless time in the DCEU. As Gunn elaborated:

"Peacemaker was always in a weird place. People say he was part of the DCEU, but he wasn't really. He was a part of this in-between universe of DC when there was ... nobody really making sure everything was connected. And at a time when they were going to rewrite everything with 'The Flash.' You know, we were kind of able to do whatever we wanted."

As Gunn alludes to in that comment, it's entirely possible that we may have been looking at a very different DCU had "The Flash" worked as intended and won over audiences. Sure, Gunn's "Superman," the second season of "Peacemaker," and other upcoming DCU projects were already in development. Yet had "The Flash" been a hit, perhaps Gunn, for example, would've felt less compelled to do a retcon and let the Justice League cameo in "Peacemaker" remain intact. Maybe it would've been revealed as a visit from an alternate universe Justice League, or perhaps it would've established some sort of other dialogue between the DCEU and DCU. As it stands, however, the moment has been retconned, and the DCU is as close to a fresh start as these characters and this universe is likely to get for years. In addition to retcons, Gunn appears to be heeding another lesson from the comic book world: No matter the past, the story must keep moving forward.

New episodes of "Peacemaker" season 2 are streaming on HBO Max.