The explosive season 2 finale of ‘Peacemaker’ left fans both intrigued and confused. The final moments saw John Cena’s Christopher Smith abducted and stranded on an alien world called Salvation, a dimension now being eyed as a prison for metahumans.
It felt like a bold setup for a third season. However, this was until James Gunn stepped in with a definitive and somewhat disappointing update.
Salvation Is A Launchpad For The New DCU
Speaking to Deadline, James Gunn clarified that there are currently no plans for ‘Peacemaker’ season 3. Instead, the events of the finale are meant to ripple across the broader DC Universe he’s crafting, not lead directly into another season of the HBO Max series. “No, this is about the wider DCU and other stories in which this will play out right now. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be. I don’t want to say never, but right now, no,” Gunn explained.
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“This is about the future of the DCU. It’s an important character.” So while Chris Smith is far from done, his story won’t continue through a third standalone season, for now. Instead, ‘Peacemaker’ and his supporting cast will pop up in other projects as the DCU unfolds across films and shows. However, that raises a big question: if season 2’s ending wasn’t teeing up a third season, what exactly was it setting up?
Season 2 closed with a surprising twist: Rick Flag Sr. working alongside Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. He kidnaps Peacemaker and strands him on Salvation. In the show, Salvation is dark, desolate, and ominously alive. It’s an unsettling backdrop made even more eerie when Chris hears monstrous growls as the episode fades to black. Fans immediately speculated that season 3 would dive deeper into Salvation. However, Gunn has other plans.
On Threads, he responded directly to a fan confused about how the finale ties into the film slate. Gunn made it clear: the cliffhanger is setting up the ‘Superman’ sequel, ‘Man of Tomorrow’, and other upcoming DCU projects. Key elements from the finale that will shape the DCU include: Chris being in Salvation, Lex Luthor’s alliance with Rick Flag Sr., and the government’s interest in controlling metahumans. Rather than resolve these threads in another season of Peacemaker, Gunn is weaving them into DCU continuity.
DCU Will Carry Peacemaker’s Story Forward, Even Without Season 3
To understand Gunn’s choice, you have to remember the timing. ‘Peacemaker ‘season 1 was created before Gunn became co-head of DC Studios. Season 2 brought the character into the rebooted continuity. However, now Gunn and Peter Safran are focused on building a connected universe rather than branching off into isolated sequels. Upcoming DCU titles include: ‘Supergirl’ (2026), ‘Clayface’ , ‘Man of Tomorrow ‘ (July 9, 2027), and ‘Lanterns’.
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While some of these projects take place off-world and may not directly reflect Peacemaker’s cliffhanger, others are poised to pick up the thread. ‘Man of Tomorrow’, in particular, looks like the key piece of the puzzle. Gunn has already teased that Clark Kent and Lex Luthor will be forced into an uneasy alliance against a bigger threat. With Luthor now tied to the building of Salvation, that looming danger could very well originate from the prison world itself.
So, Peacemaker’s abduction wasn’t a dead end; it was a signal flare. Gunn has already shown he’s not afraid to mix tones and characters. And while Lanterns and Clayface haven’t been confirmed to address Salvation, both take place on Earth and could easily reference the government’s growing crackdown on metahumans. Some fans even speculate that Chris could escape Salvation before ‘Man of Tomorrow’. However, based on Gunn’s comments, the film seems to be the story most directly linked to that setup.
