Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Peacemaker season 2, episode 1
After Superman, I’m pretty surprised where James Gunn looks to be taking the DCU next. Peacemaker season 2 has just premiered, starring John Cena’s titular Chris Smith as he embarks on a brand-new misadventure involving an alternate dimension. However, it seems as though the groundwork for an overarching DCU narrative has already been laid.
In Peacemaker season 2’s premiere, Smith discovers another dimension, one where an alternate Peacemaker is a respected superhero with a loving family. However, ARGUS knows Chris is using his father’s Quantum Unfolding Chamber (a pocket universe not unlike Lex Luthor’s in Superman). That said, ARGUS seems to have additional concerns connected to the future of greater DCU at large.
In James Gunn’s Superman, Lex Luthor took advantage of growing concerns about metahuman affairs to turn public opinion against the Man of Steel. Obtaining the US government’s approval to launch PlanetWatch, Luthor was allowed to take Superman into custody after releasing the full message from Kal-El’s parents to Superman, having wanted their son to conquer Earth.
Likewise, Superman motivated his fellow metahuman allies to interfere in Boravia’s invasion of Jarhanpur. In the aftermath, the ending of Superman saw the Secretary of Defense speaking with new ARGUS director Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) about how “metahumans are now making the rules“.
Likewise, it seems as though the public’s metahumans concerns are continuing in Peacemaker season 2. According to a news report watched by Rick Flag Sr., there have been multiple metahuman escapes from both Belle Reve and Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum:
“There has to be a solution. This is the third metahuman escape from Belle Reve or Arkham in the past two months. We’ve got to find a way to protect people from what is rapidly becoming an existential threat.”
Even beyond Superman, it looks as though the public’s worries about metahumans aren’t going away anytime soon in the DCU. Likewise, LordTech CEO and Justice Gang financier Maxwell Lord also confirmed that growing distrust in metahumans is becoming a bigger problem.
Is This The Overarching Plot Of Gods and Monsters?
Keeping all that in mind, this seems to be the DCU’s first ongoing plot, though one that feels pretty surprising. After all, it seems as though all metahumans in general are being feared, and that includes the DCU’s heroes.
Looking to the original comics, that’s something we’ve seen more in Marvel Comics compared to DC, like with the X-Men or Spider-Man, or with the original Civil War event and the legislation requiring superheroes to register with the government.
Typically, the heroes of DC Universe are viewed as beloved heroes who are more often than not integrated into the accepted systems of justice (even Batman following his early years).
However, this doesn’t seem to be the case in the DCU…at least not yet. That said, widespread metahuman fear does seem like an apt recurring narrative for the DCU’s first chapter: “Gods of Monsters”.
In light of these growing metahuman fears, it’s worth noting that there’s not yet a major Justice League team in the DCU like we see in the comics. At present, we have the Justice Gang, which very much looks to be a precursor to the League that might one day form in the future.
Operating in the Hall of Justice (which looked as though they’ve just moved in), perhaps the Gang eventually evolve into a full League, earning even more of the public’s respect and admiration, which could help mitigate the current public’s metahuman unrest.
After all, that certainly seems to be Maxwell Lord’s intention by expanding the Justice Gang’s roster (even if they do reject Chris Smith in Peacemaker season 2’s premiere).
At any rate, it seems as though ARGUS has its sights set on preventing another “Luthor Incident” in Peacemaker season 2, a priority mission that seems to be taking precedent in part due to Rick Flag Sr’s obvious vendetta against Chris Smith due to Peacemaker having killed his son in 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
That said, perhaps ARGUS will shift its focus back to metahumans and its containment efforts in the DCU’s future. Who knows? Perhaps Rick Flag dropping the ball by obsessively focusing on Peacemaker is what will help Amanda Waller get her job back, who’s currently facing congressional hearings after she was forced to step down.
As surprising as this potential overarching arc might be, the idea that the growing number of metahumans is something to be feared makes sense, while also being a pretty fascinating concept going forward.
Thankfully, Superman proved in his own movie that metahumans can be a force for good, though it will be interesting to see how future events and public perceptons will affect the rest of the DCU’s “Gods and Monsters”, in the rest of Peacemaker season 2 and beyond.
New episodes of Peacemaker season 2 release Thursdays on HBO Max.
