James Gunn Almost Cut Peacemaker Season 2's Devastating Final Scene
Peacemaker season 2 almost ended with a fist-pump—the first draft of its finale was far more uplifting.
Spoilers ahead for the Peacemaker season 2 finale. If you have not watched it yet, maybe circle back after the credits.
James Gunn says the big Salvation twist at the end of Peacemaker season 2 was not the original plan. He only added it after a chat with DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran, and yeah, that last-minute tag is now a major puzzle piece for the new DCU.
What the original ending was
On the final episode of 'Peacemaker: The Official Podcast,' Gunn explained that the initial ending stopped with the Checkmate reveal. The 11th Street Kids — Eagly, Fleury, Judomaster, and Sasha Bordeaux included — roll out of their shiny new agency with a victory strut. That was meant to be the closing beat: team formed, future bright, cut to black.
'The first draft ended there. I gave it to [DC Studios co-CEO] Peter Safran and I said, "I had another thing I wrote that I put on the ending" and he's like, "What?"'
What changed (and why)
After that conversation, Gunn tacked on a final-final scene that flips the vibe completely. John Cena's Chris Smith gets grabbed by Rick Flag Sr. and ARGUS. It is payback tied to Rick Flag Jr. — if you need a refresher, The Suicide Squad covers their bad blood, though it does not line up perfectly with the new DCU continuity.
Flag Sr. does not just arrest Chris; he exiles him to a dimension called Salvation, a built-to-order world that keeps metahumans out of Earth's business. The portal fades. Chris is stranded. Then a low growl echoes from the distance. So he is not alone, and it is probably not friendly.
'We knew Salvation was a part of our future, I didn't know I was going to put it here — we knew it was part of the DCU plan. I told him what it was and [Peter] goes, "Oh, you've gotta put that in there."'
The bigger DCU play
Gunn has said before that Peacemaker season 2 functions as a prequel to Superman: Man of Tomorrow, which is slated for 2027. On the podcast, he also called Salvation the beginning of a larger DCU arc. Translation: that stinger is not just a cheeky tag — it is the on-ramp to whatever comes next.
- Original plan: End on Checkmate, with the 11th Street Kids (Eagly, Fleury, Judomaster, Sasha Bordeaux) walking out of their new agency triumphant.
- Final cut: Add the coda where ARGUS and Rick Flag Sr. kidnap Chris Smith, banish him to Salvation, the portal dissolves, and an ominous growl hints at what he is stuck with.
What any of this means for Man of Tomorrow and the rest of the slate is still under wraps, but the message is pretty clear: that last scene was the real starting gun.