James Gunn Says DCU Is Building Toward a Big Event — And ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Holds the Clues: “It’s Not What Anyone Thinks”
With Superman now in theaters, fans are already looking ahead to what’s next for James Gunn’s DC Universe. The next big project? Peacemaker Season 2. In a new chat with Screenrant, Gunn teased that the show is setting up something much bigger than people expect.
During the interview, Gunn was asked about Krypto, the superdog introduced in Superman. The interviewer wondered if Krypto might secretly be the heart of the DCU, just like Rocket ended up being the center of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
Gunn shut that idea down quickly, but added a curious twist. “Yeah, I don’t think it’s Krypto’s story. I think I know whose story it is, and it probably isn’t anyone anyone would ever expect.”
He also made it clear that everything is building toward a major event, even if fans aren’t guessing right just yet. “Yeah, and it’s not what anyone thinks. It’s not what anyone would guess. But I think if people watch the next season of Peacemaker, they’ll see where a lot of these things are going and have a little bit more of a sense of maybe what can happen.”
This comment has set off a wave of speculation. Naturally, fans are thinking about multiverse possibilities, especially after the recent leaked trailer for Peacemaker Season 2, where Peacemaker himself mentions being aware of another dimension that’s “way better” than his own.
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Gunn has said that both seasons of Peacemaker are canon in the DCU, though there’s still the Justice League cameo from Season 1 that needs explaining. Gunn promised that it will be addressed in the new season.
Peacemaker, played by John Cena, will obviously cross over into the main DCU timeline, officially bringing his version of the character fully into Gunn’s universe. Peacemaker himself, however, is not the mysterious central figure Gunn is hinting at.
So, who could this surprise character be? One good guess is Rick Flag Sr. The character has already appeared in both DCU projects released so far. He had a big role in Creature Commandos and also showed up in Superman, though his part there was smaller.
He’s also expected to play a major role in Peacemaker Season 2. Actor Frank Grillo, who plays Rick Flag Sr., has even suggested that his character could become like the DCU’s version of Nick Fury, pulling the strings behind the scenes.
As for the new season itself, Peacemaker Season 2 continues the story of Christopher Smith, the mercenary better known as Peacemaker. The show is described as a “soft reboot,” picking up after The Suicide Squad movie but now fully part of Gunn’s new DC Universe.
James Gunn wrote and directed all eight episodes, with John Cena returning as Peacemaker. The cast also features Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodríguez, David Denman, Tim Meadows, and Michael Rooker.
Production took longer than planned. Filming was supposed to start in 2023, but Gunn’s promotion to DC Studios co-CEO and his work on Superman pushed the schedule back. Gunn had planned to focus on the Waller series first, but after delays caused by Hollywood strikes in 2023, he switched priorities, bringing Peacemaker back into the spotlight.
Filming for Season 2 took place alongside Superman at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, starting in June 2024 and wrapping up in November.
Peacemaker Season 2 is now set to premiere on HBO Max on August 21, 2025. Fans will have to wait until then to see who Gunn’s mystery character really is, but according to him, it’s someone nobody is expecting.
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