Peacemaker pulled off an ideal retcon, and what made it good was the simplicity of it. Peacemaker Season 2 debuted on HBO Max on August 22, 2025, over three years after Season 1 concluded. One of many greatest questions going into the brand new season involved how James Gunn would fold the sequence, beforehand an entry of the earlier DCEU, into his now-established DCU and make it simple to know for informal viewers members and hardcore followers. Gunn beforehand teased that there can be a proof for the Justice League tease on the finish of Peacemaker Season 1, resulting in loads of hypothesis about how James Gunn would deal with such a choice.
The top outcome was so apparent. It did not contain any complicated multiverse mechanics, or a whole season of tv, or a tie-in comedian to elucidate the change. James Gunn simply embraced the medium of tv with a recap, added just a few reshot scenes in that subbed out Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash with Nathan Fillion’s Inexperienced Lantern and Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, and moved on. It was easy, efficient, and what a retcon must be.
‘Peacemaker’ Did not Overthink the Retcon
Among the best components of Peacemaker’s retcon was its simplicity. Whereas adjustments or contradictions in tv sequence are sometimes ignored, comedian books often dedicate whole storylines to exploring these discrepancies. For instance, in That ’70s Present Season 1, Donna has a youthful sister who isn’t seen or referenced once more, but when that had been a comic book e-book, there possible would have been a complete miniseries devoted to explaining her absence. DC specifically loves continuity rewriting storylines, with lots of the firm’s most iconic, like Disaster on Infinite Earths, Inexperienced Lantern: Rebirth, and Flashpoint, all constructed round explaining or including retcons to the franchise’s continuity. Some characters, like Surprise Lady, Hawkman, and Energy Lady, use their convoluted and contradictory backstories as a part of their character arcs.
This need to elucidate continuity hiccups has expanded into characteristic movies and tv sequence. Followers specifically appear to be so invested in titles which are constructed round explaining or justifying adjustments to a franchise, which, to a extra informal fan, can really feel like homework. Nonetheless, as was seen with The Flash, a complete film constructed round explaining a reboot may be slowed down with plot mechanics. Regardless of years of followers speculating about The Flash‘s significance for the DCU reboot, the film in the end proved pointless for explaining the brand new franchise. It did so by simply shifting it. The DCU did not want a proof or an origin as a result of most informal audiences most likely did not care. The DCU simply began by immersing viewers in tales like Creature Commandos and Superman, constructing the world alongside the way in which.
Within the case of Peacemaker, it affords an easy recap to replace the viewers on what stays canon and what has modified on this new established order. In any case, the Justice League cameo wasn’t actually necessary to Peacemaker‘s journey, so it did not matter what workforce of heroes he met. It might be the Justice Gang or might have been the Smallville model of the Justice League. The one factor that issues in regards to the cameos is to determine the universe Peacemaker is in. Every thing in Season 1 takes place in each the DCEU and DCU except specified in any other case, however now Season 2 onward is about within the DCU.
Embracing the Medium of Tv
Since tv reveals began telling two-part tales, the medium has embraced the temporary “beforehand on” intros. These catch the viewer up with what is occurring within the episode they’re watching, assuming that they could must be reminded of some key particulars, or typically a viewer is coming right into a story late. Comics are comparable, as most points in long-running tales are likely to have recaps in the beginning, so a reader who is likely to be selecting up a problem for the primary time is aware of the related plot particulars.
Whereas most writers (and followers) would really feel like they wanted to do a whole multiverse story to justify this new established order of Peacemaker now being a part of the DCU, James Gunn opted for a less complicated clarification that embraced each the medium of tv and comedian books. Recaps are commonplace, so why not use them to additionally place retcons when wanted? Most individuals perceive {that a} retcon is related to the story they’re about to observe, so it successfully communicates to the viewers what is critical and likewise what’s or just isn’t canon from Season 1.
The recap additionally opens the door to additional connecting numerous tiles. As a substitute of claiming “beforehand on Peacemaker,” it stated “Beforehand within the DCU,” not solely letting audiences know all of the occasions proven on Peacemaker now exist inside this new continuity, but in addition tying the franchise collectively with out audiences needing to see each entry. Regardless that Episode 1’s recap solely featured clips from Peacemaker Season 1, future recaps within the sequence might characteristic clips from Superman or Creature Commandos. This definitely permits a sequence just like the upcoming Lanterns to keep up continuity with these DC titles with out requiring somebody to maintain up with each entry, a problem that has just lately plagued the MCU titles.
Additionally it is an efficient software for permitting James Gunn to fold in different prior DCEU components into the DCU if he needs. Whereas the occasions of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1 have been referenced within the DCU, the recaps might additionally result in different expansions, reminiscent of exploring precisely how Blue Beetle appears to suit into the DCU. Or whether or not Harley Quinn’s journey previous to The Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, is canon. It’s a fast, efficient technique to catch audiences in control with out the episode itself needing to come back to a halt and clarify all the pieces.
In an age the place all the pieces is so over-explained that Netflix even encourages writers so as to add further dialogue to elucidate the film’s plot in case somebody was taking a look at their telephone, Peacemaker‘s recap was a pleasing shock. In 30 seconds, James Gunn and DC Studios established a easy retcon that explains Peacemaker Season 2’s connections to the DCU with no multiversal disaster or a pace power retcon in sight.
Peacemaker
- Launch Date
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January 13, 2022
- Community
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HBO Max, Max
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Christopher Smith / Peacemaker
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Danielle Brooks
Leota Adebayo
