Peacemaker season 2 writes Zack Snyder characters out of existence
Think you've seen this scene before? Think again!
Following a highly publicised reboot, previous DC films like Aquaman and Zack Snyder's Justice League are no longer considered canon.
As such, they don't share a universe with new stories including Creature Commandos and James Gunn's Superman.
However, a few characters have survived this transition, such as John Cena's Peacemaker from The Suicide Squad.
That's good news for fans of the Peacemaker series, which released its first season as part of the old DC universe.
But with a new season now upon us, how does series creator James Gunn explain the Justice League cameo at the end of season 1 if Zack Snyder's world no longer exists in canon?
In case you forgot, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and The Flash all showed up to help Peacemaker save Earth from an alien invasion, but they arrived too late.
"Go f**k another fish, asshole," said Peacemaker to Jason Momoa's Aquaman as he stormed past the team. Ezra Miller's Flash then suggested it's not a rumour, to which Aquaman simply said, "F**k you, Barry."
As popular as this scene was back when it aired in 2021, it doesn't make sense anymore if we're supposed to believe that Peacemaker season 2 belongs to the new DC universe.
Instead of simply ignoring this problem or writing in a throwaway line to explain it away, Gunn smartly tackles this head-on.
Season 2 opens with a "Previously in the DCU" montage that looks back at what happened in Peacemaker season 1.
But then Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) suggests calling in the "Justice Gang", not the Justice League, and with that, we're treated to a new version of that season 1 cameo which has now been re-filmed with the new team we first met in Superman.
While Mr Terrific, Superman and Supergirl hang back in the shadows, Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern and Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl describe Peacemaker as a "meat-head".
"Screw that guy," continues Green Lantern. "Do you know he tells people I'm a puke freak?"
By swapping the Justice League out for the Justice Gang, Gunn found a smart way to establish Peacemaker's place in this new DCU without entirely contradicting what's come before.
And he did it with a cheeky wink that perfectly fits the tone we've come to expect from Peacemaker.
Peacemaker season 2 is available on Sky Max and NOW from Friday 22nd August 2025.
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Authors
David Opie is a freelance entertainment journalist who writes about TV and film across a range of sites including Radio Times, Indiewire, Empire, Yahoo, Paste, and more. He's spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and strives to champion LGBTQ+ storytelling as much as possible. Other passions include comics, animation, and horror, which is why David longs to see a Buffy-themed Rusical on RuPaul's Drag Race. He previously worked at Digital Spy as a Deputy TV Editor and has a degree in Psychology.
