Let’s play a fun game called “Unraveling The DC Movies Continuity!” As James Gunn and Peter Safran continue to work hard on the universe of films and television shows that they are building from the comic-book sources, Gunn is doing his best to introduce new projects like the Superman movie he’s currently filming, chart future DC movies, and sustain momentum on the television side. Part of that rests in the planned programming of Peacemaker Season 2, which will follow up with John Cena’s psychotic anti-hero. This is one of the holdovers from the existing DCEU, on more than a few levels, so Gunn recently took to social media to try and clarify the timelines of the DCU for fans.
In the process, he made me a little bit more confused.
Let’s start with what we know. The character of Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, made his DCEU debut in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad… which used a few characters from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad – like Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) – but didn’t establish any real continuity. Peacemaker then went on to have his own HBO Max show, and when Gunn took over DC, he decided that he wanted Cena and his cast mates to continue on in the new DC existence. So, as long as you have seen The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1, you will be up to speed on what you need to know for the new season of Peacemaker, right?
Not exactly. Gunn, who wrote the second Peacemaker season but is too busy helming Superman to direct all of the episodes, took to Threads and told fans:
OK, so, Peacemaker Season 1 isn’t canon. Which wipes the slate clean and allows for James Gunn to start fresh. It also means that the scene where Peacemaker (John Cena) met the Justice League didn’t happen… therefore, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller no longer need to be Aquaman and The Flash, if that’s what Gunn decides.
Thankfully, another fans asked if there was going to be any continuity from The Suicide Squad. Because Peacemaker did some serious shit in that movie… namely, killed Rick Flag Jr. (Kinnaman). And since Rick Flag Sr. is going to be a member of James Gunn’s Creature Commandos, this is where things got a little sticky. Gunn shared on social media:
“Many strands will remain consistent”? What is that supposed to mean? I get it. Gunn is trying to start over from scratch. Only, he got the chance to play in the sandbox a little before shutting the door on the pre-existing universe, so he’s rewriting some of the rules along the way. He has to play a little fast and loose with the timeline. He also has one Elseworld project in Matt Reeves’ The Batman world, which is revving up to produce a sequel. But that movie won’t affect Gunn’s planned Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold (which, we think, Andy Muschietti is still planning to direct).
Right now, the lynchpin of the new DC Universe is Superman. But Gunn tried to lay straight the developing timeline when he finally shared:
OK, so, as has been reported, Creature Commandos will kick off James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU some time in 2024. That will be followed by the blockbuster Superman in July 2025 (which is actively filming right now). After Superman comes Peacemaker Season 2 – which does not view Season 1 as canon. And after that is Waller… which also stars Viola Davis, who was part of the DCEU and will not be recast. Seriously, you need a massive whiteboard to keep all of this straight. I guarantee that Gunn has several of them on the wall of his Superman office, as well as a banner with the word, “Verisimilitude.”
