A brief scene in James Gunn’s Superman acts as a precursor to Season 2 of Peacemaker, via a brilliant cameo.
James Gunn’s Superman doesn’t just introduce a new iteration of the Man of Steel – it also lays groundwork for the newly rebooted DC Universe.
The film is therefore filled with characters, from leads Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor, to all the Daily Planet employees, to superheroes like Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and Metamorpho.
But there’s also a genuinely funny cameo midway through proceedings, that leads into Season 2 of Peacemaker. SPOILERS ahead…
Peacemaker briefly appears in Superman
A big chunk of Superman’s plot revolves around a message Kal-El has received from his late parents Jor-El and Lara. That’s a staple of Superman stories, where it usually consists of benevolent advice.
Here, however, Jor-El tells his son to rule over Earth with an iron fist, to take as many wives as he can, and show no mercy. It’s unclear if the message is real, or if Lex Luthor has tampered with it, and that’s a question that hangs over the movie.
Either way, Jor-El’s words are broadcast to the world, and mankind turns on Superman, viewing him as a dangerous despot in waiting. Which is when Christopher Smith – aka Peacemaker – unexpectedly pops up.
In his Peacemaker costume, Smith is interviewed on a news show, and says of Superman’s potential turn: “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
That opinion got a big laugh in the screening I attended, and potentially sets up beef between the DC stalwarts in some future story.
Rick Flag Sr. turns from hero to villain
It isn’t the only bit of table-setting that happens during the movie either, as Rick Flag Sr. is the man sent to arrest Superman for the crime of having a bad dad, which is part of the Sr.’s journey to the dark side.
As played and voiced by Frank Grillo, Flag was introduced in the first DCU show – Creature Commandos – where he was the leader of Task Force M, and more recently director of A.R.G.U.S.
But anger over the death of his son at the hands of Smith in The Suicide Squad has twisted his world view, turning Rick into the villain of Peacemaker Season 2.
As James Gunn explained to Collider: “You take the character of Rick Flag, who starts out in Creature Commandos as one character, goes to Superman, continues to evolve and change, and then he starts out as a protagonist of one show and ends up as basically the antagonist of Season 2.”
So as well as seeing Christopher Smith taking a cheap shot at the Man of Steel in Superman, you’ll also witness some setting up of Rick Flag Sr. that will pay off when Peacemaker returns in August.
Galaxy IA su 400 milioni di dispositivi entro l’anno. Jisun Park, Samsung: “L’IA non eliminerà lo smartphone”