Because of these catastrophes, Flag and Waller send the villains to Salvation, ironically giving the baddies their own world to conquer. Of course, villains being villains, they soon form tribes and start scheming against one another, resulting in all-out chaos. The baddies break into three camps—one led by Lex Luthor, another by the Joker, and a third by the immortal Vandal Savage—and eventually Martian Manhunter and Darkseid’s henchman Desaad gets involved. Also, in one issue, Gorilla Grodd kills fellow intelligent primate Monsieur Mallah by beating him to death with his lover the Brain.
That might sound fun but, sadly, it is not. Despite strong pencils by Sean Chen and the involvement of dependable writers Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges, Salvation Run feels very much like an editorial mandate in search of a story. Things happen not because they make sense for the character, but because certain plot points need to be in place for future stories.
DC editorial clearly wanted to use Salvation Run to set up the next company event, Final Crisis. But because Final Crisis comes from Grant Morrison, and because Morrison was more interested in telling metatextual stories about the nature of superhero fiction, it did not fit DC editorial’s dreams of crossovers. So while Final Crisis remains an incredible piece of work, all of the various tie-ins—including, and perhaps especially, Salvation Run, have been consigned to the dustbins and dollar bins of comic book history.
Which means it’s the perfect series for James Gunn to revive. Before Gunn put him in the lineup of 2021’s The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker was a terrible character, one who never resonated with fans, despite multiple attempts by DC. Yet, Gunn made Chris Smith into one of the richest and most nuanced figures in superhero fiction, turning his nonsensical motto—”I love peace so much, I’m willing to kill for it”—into an exploration of toxic masculinity and the possibility of redemption.
Moreover, Salvation Run is a good idea for a story, even if the execution of the comic didn’t work. Gunn has worked to earn Flag’s mistrust of metahumans. And though he’s happy to use Lex’s technology and associates Happersen and Otis, Flag would certainly have the right to stick Luthor on Salvation after the near-destruction of Metropolis in Superman.
In short, it’s easy to see how Salvation Run could be fertile ground for the upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. Flag sends both Superman and Luthor to Salvation, along with other metahumans. And though Lex hates the metas, Superman can inspire them and him, and the two enemies will work together for the good of all. Of course, that doesn’t explain where Brainiac comes in, the presumed ultimate villain of Man of Tomorrow. Brainaic is one of the few baddies who doesn’t appear in Salvation Run.
