Peacemaker Season 2 is the next entry in James Gunn’s DCU, and given its links to The Suicide Squad, you’re entitled to feel a bit confused about whether it’s canon.
Ever since Gunn and Peter Safran were tapped to reboot the franchise, the canonical status of everything in the now-defunct DCEU has been a constant debate, whether it’s fans debating who should (and shouldn’t) crossover, or Gunn insisting what is (and isn’t) canon.
The premiere of Peacemaker Season 2 has reignited the conversation, particularly after it rewrote history by completely retconning the Justice League’s appearance in the first season’s finale.
Also, arguably even more so than last time, Season 2 has a big connection to The Suicide Squad in the shape of Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag. So, is it canon? Yes… sort of.
How The Suicide Squad is canon in the DCU
James Gunn considers The Suicide Squad to be an “imperfect memory” of events that happened in the DCU. That means everything in it isn’t strictly canon – but if anything from the film is mentioned in a DCU project, that makes it canon.
So, for example, Peacemaker killing Rick Flag Jr. under Amanda Waller’s orders is absolutely canon, because it’s a main plot point in Season 2. ‘Project Starfish’ is canon, as is Corto Maltese, because they’ve all been referenced in Creature Commandos, Superman, or Peacemaker Season 2.
However, while Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 could return down the line, everything they did isn’t considered canon… yet.
“Well, it’s whatever we mention in anything,” Gunn earlier explained to Collider.
“Listen, Peacemaker is pretty easy. Peacemaker Season 1 is basically canon outside of the appearance of the Justice League at the end, which you’ll see something about that in Peacemaker Season 2.
“Suicide Squad is probably a little bit looser. We know that Rick Flag Sr. is angry because his son was killed by Peacemaker, so we know that situation happened in the past, we have something to refer to to think of what it might be like that that happened, but that exists as canon because it was mentioned in Creature Commandosm not necessarily because it existed in Suicide Squad.
“I think of Suicide Squad and Peacemaker as pretty unreliable memories of what happened in the DCU.”
In an appearance at New York Comic Con, Gunn also reiterated, “There are references to things that happened in the past. And those references then become canon in the DCU because we mention them.”
In short, events and characters from The Suicide Squad that have appeared or been spoken about since Creature Commandos are canon. Otherwise, it’s a matter of if and when – especially when it comes to Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
“That will be revealed down the line,” he told EW when asked if she’ll reprise her role.
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