Peacemaker Season 2 concluded in shocking fashion with a cliffhanger ending that paves the way for the future of the DCU, and might just hint at who will be the villain in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.
Season 2 of Peacemaker saw Chris Smith using the Quantum Unfolding Chamber to visit Earth X, where his father and brother are alive, and life appears to be better.
But later we learned that this alternate dimension was a Nazi state, while in Episode 8, Chris figured out that he has everything that he needs in our world, courtesy of his new family, the 11th Street Kids.
The season therefore appears to be ending on a positive note, until something happens that spoils all that optimism, and is set to have far-reaching consequences in the DC Universe.
Lex Luthor’s plan finally revealed
Trouble was clearly afoot when Rick Flagg Sr. asked Lex Luthor for help during Season 2, which resulted in A.R.G.U.S. agents exploring various dimensions in the QUC, and frequently getting killed.
They are searching for somewhere uninhabited, where it’s safe to breathe, but beyond that, the expendable agents have no idea what the mission is for.
They eventually find such a place, and the truth is then revealed – the planet in question is to be used as a prison, which will be called Salvation, and designed to keep meta-humans incarcerated away from Earth.
Flagg explains that he used Luthor’s brain “to make the world a better place,” and guarantees that “no one will ever escape Salvation.”
Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 8 ending explained
Harcourt had hoped their collective efforts in the QUC were for the greater good, so to learn that her colleagues died to locate a glorified jail angers her, as well as the rest of the 11th Street Kids.
So they strike out on their own, using Vigilante’s blood money to set up the ‘Checkmate’ agency, with plans to “make the world a better place.” Meaning Episode 8 looks like it will end on an upbeat note.
But Season 2 has a sting in its tale, with Rick Flagg having Chris kidnapped, shoved in the back of a van, and delivered to a warehouse where he’s sent to the prison planet.
Referencing his dead son, Flagg says “This is for Ricky, you piece of sh*t,” before closing the door on Peacemaker, stranding him in Salvation.
Flagg then walks away grinning, while Chris hears terrifying noises coming from Salvation’s woods, which is where the episode ends.
What Salvation means for the future of the DCU
Salvation actually appeared in the comics during DC’s ‘Final Crisis’ crossover event in 2007, wherein the Suicide Squad captured a bunch of supervillains – including Lex Luthor – and banished them to that dimension.
Here’s how Peacemaker showrunner James Gunn describes the connection on the show’s official podcast: “There is a comic called Salvation that is a limited series in which Amanda Waller and Rick Flagg say ‘screw it – there’s all these meta-humans that keep getting into prison and out of prison. F*ck it. We don’t care what happens to them. This isn’t about justice. We’re going to sent them off to this planet where they can’t get off.’
“That’s where we’re sort of beginning our part of our larger story in the DCU, here in this moment.”
Did Peacemaker just set up the villain in Superman movie Man of Tomorrow?
While there’s no word yet regarding the future of Peacemaker – and more specifically if Season 3 will happen – James Gunn ends that podcast by stating “Peacemaker will be back,” before adding “you’ll see all these characters in the future of the DCU in not too long.”
Which begs the question, where? Gunn has previously intimated that Season 2 was sowing seeds for his next Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow, and the writer-director has also revealed that the film’s plot will see Supes teaming up with Lex Luthor to face a larger threat.
In the comics, it’s revealed that Salvation was under the auspices of Darkseid collaborator DeSaad, an evil villain with superpowers and a love of torture. So if James Gunn is using the Salvation storyline in the comics as a template, we might now know the identity of Man of Tomorrow’s big bad…
'No, Unequivocally F***ing No': Spider-Man Star Andrew Garfield Firmly Shuts Down Avengers: Doomsday Return Rumors