Explanation of the end of the second season of the Peacemaker series: What happens now?

Season 2 of Peacemaker ended Thursday night. While James Gunn left the future HBO Max Chain in the air, he went on record to say Events of this episode I will directly report to the future of DCU. Does this mean that John Cena will have a bigger role in the next Superman movie? maybe.

The eighth and final episode of the season, titled Full Nelson (which featured a surprise performance from hair metal group Nelson) opened the door (or doors) to a whole new story. What we got in this episode was a peek at a bunch of alternate Earths. Face-eating mini-monsters, zombies, and towering skull spiders are just a few of the monsters that have been waiting behind these doors.

The focus of this episode wasn’t really on these earthly threats. Instead, when the 11th Street Kids teamed up to bring Peacemaker back into the fold, Rick Flag Sr. and Argus worked tirelessly to bring Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) a specific goal in life. The main part of this plan was a place called Salvation.

I may be getting ahead of myself here. Before I continue, I must warn you that there is Major spoilers ahead. If you’re not familiar with the Peacemaker season 2 finale, tread lightly.

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A little peacemaker activation

The peacemaker, referred to as Chris from now on, has been pining for Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) since the first episode of season two. Something happened on a boat between them, and it was this episode that finally showed the sparks that flew between them as they watched Nelson’s band perform on a party boat.

Since then, Chris has been pursuing Harcourt, doing everything he can to see if she will reciprocate his love, only for her to resist him at every turn.

Well, as we’ve learned, Chris is a really nice guy underneath that tough, stupid exterior. All he wants is family and to be loved, which is what really drove him to head to that alternate Earth at the beginning of the season. He was able to reconnect with his brother Keith (David Denman) who he accidentally killed when he was a child. There was also his father, Augie (Robert Patrick), who killed him as an adult in the first season.

He truly felt like he would be able to start his life over and have a second chance here. What we all saw was that this reality was filled with Nazis.

Needless to say, it all fell apart in the penultimate episode. Chris watched his father get killed before him, thanks to Vigilante’s loyalty. Keith survived, albeit narrowly, which might inspire a future revenge plot.

And Chris, who I will refer to as Peacemaker again, was taken into custody as soon as he returned to his reality. Broken and feeling cursed, he turned his back on his friends and eventually tried to escape.

How did Peacemaker season 2 end?

Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) has been directing Peacemaker for some time. Remember, Peacemaker killed his son in the Suicide Squad, and the man has been blinded by revenge ever since. Along with his ARGUS team, he manages to arrest Peacemaker and keep him locked up for some time. Our helmeted hero has finally been released on bail from prison. But freedom was not long for the peacemaker.

Flagg’s crew began searching for Peacemaker’s pocket remote in the penultimate episode. Once he was in custody and Flagg had the Quantum Chamber unfolded, his team was able to detect the dimensional rift and search for… something. Harcourt and John Economous (Steve Agee) had to stick to Flagg’s plan, but they were kept in the dark about what they were looking for until members of their team started turning up dead.

One door after another opened in this dimensional rift, and a variety of monsters came out from this alternate earth and killed people. That is, until they discovered a single door that opened onto a quiet meadow. This was the alternate Earth Flagg had been searching for.

He called it “Redemption” and pitched it to the government officials we saw around that Superman circle office as the perfect prison for superhumans. Yes, this was exactly the idea that Lex Luthor brought to the same office, but now Flagg was fully on board. And the first person they were going to put there? The peacemaker himself.

What is salvation?

Before the bag was thrown over his head and he was thrown into this alternate Earth alone, Peacemaker found the happiness he was searching for. Things went well with Harcourt, and it seemed that the 11th Street Kids, along with ARGUS members Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez) and Langston Fleury (Tim Meadows), formed an anti-ARGUS organization called Checkmate – an organization taken directly from Storyboards.

The peacemaker found a sense of love and family, but the peace he found was short-lived. Flagg’s team ended up capturing the man, and thanks to a forged signature on a document that led to the hero volunteering to go alone, he was thrust into redemption as the first and only prisoner on the prison planet. A swarm of wild animal sounds came from far away.

Where does the DCU go from here?

Salvation and Checkmate both have comic book origins, but it’s unclear how James Gunn plans to use the prison planet or the newly formed 11th Street Kids organization. I have a strong suspicion that Checkmate will play an important role in future DCU projects.

Gunn’s statements on the subject support this sentiment. He told members of the press, Via Deadlinethat seeds were planted in this episode “relevant to the broader DCU”. Does this mean we’ll see Cena and his Peacemaker co-stars in 2026’s Supergirl movie, the planned Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow or other planned DC projects? “This is a secret,” Gunn said. Well, of course it is.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker are now streaming on HBO Max.