Warning: Contains spoilers for Peacemaker season 1.
The Peacemaker season 1 finale contained a massive DCEU cameo with the Justice League and the brief scene highlights a lot about the upcoming raft of DC films. James Gunn has been teasing something big in the Peacemaker season 1 finale for a long time and there have been plenty of theories about what he might have been hiding. While the cameo only lasts for a few lines, it helps to both payoff some important parts of the Peacemaker TV series and sets up the future of the DCEU at the same time.
In the Peacemaker season 1 finale, Peacemaker (John Cena) and the team go to take down the Butterflies’ cow. Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) calls her mother, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and asks for backup from the Justice League, but appears to have the request denied. However, after the final battle, as Peacemaker and the rest are leaving, carrying Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), four members of the Justice League arrive. Peacemaker yells at them for being late and suggests that Aquaman should return to fornicating with fish.
There is an absurdity to the Justice League cameo, but like much of Peacemaker, the silliness is a veneer for something deeper. Given the state of his team, Peacemaker is understandably angry with the Justice League for appearing in Peacemaker when they do, and not only are they too late for the main fight they also appear to not help any of the wounded in the aftermath. Here’s which Justice League members appear in the Peacemaker season 1 finale, why the others aren’t there, and what it might mean for the future of the DCEU.
Which Justice League Members Turn Up In Peacemaker
When the Justice League appear in the Peacemaker season 1 finale, only four members arrive. Superman and Wonder Woman are both represented by silhouette, while Jason Momoa appears in his role as Aquaman and Ezra Miller appears as the Flash. After Peacemaker yells at Aquaman about fish, Aquaman sighs and says that he’s sick of the rumor and the Flash claims it’s not a rumor and laughs.
The DCEU Justice League cameo in the Peacemaker season 1 finale pays off James Gunn’s teases about a big reveal in the episode. Gunn had previously said that he couldn’t believe that DC was letting him do it, which lines up with what happens in the scene. It is surprising that Gunn was able to have Momoa and Miller appear as their DCEU characters after the Peacemaker series spent so much time setting up absurd jokes at the Justice League’s expense. However, having the characters appear and discuss the fact that those rumors go much further than just Peacemaker is a great resolution to the string of anti-superhero jokes. Additionally, having Adebayo able to call and ask for the Justice League and them turning up late helps to highlight the growing issue in the large comic book universes of heroes not turning up to help out with some huge scale issues.
Why Did Only Jason Momoa And Ezra Miller Reprise Their Roles In Peacemaker
While four members of the Justice League appear in the Peacemaker season 1 finale, only Momoa and Miller are actually there, while Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Henry Cavill’s Superman are hidden in shadow. Like Aquaman, Superman and Wonder Woman were both mentioned by Peacemaker in less than flattering terms earlier in the series, so their appearance alongside him would not have been unexpected. However, Aquaman and The Flash are both characters that lean more into the comedic sides in their solo outings, so it makes sense that they were the focal point for the conversation.
It is unclear why Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill did not appear in the Peacemaker season 1 finale themselves. It is especially strange given that Cavill has talked about how eager he is to play Superman again. However, he has highlighted some of the aspects of the Superman story that he wants to focus on, and a cameo appearance in Peacemaker might not have been able to pay that off for him. Perhaps most importantly, there are new movies for The Flash and Aquaman parts of the franchise coming out in 2022, so the actors might have been more available either from being on shoots already, or as part of the marketing for the future films. Wonder Woman and Superman, on the other hand, do not currently have specific return dates for the DCEU.
Where's Batman In Peacemaker?
While four members of the Justice League do appear in Peacemaker, there are some notable absences. Bruce Wayne’s Batman is not present in the Peacemaker season 1 finale, despite being one of the most extensively referenced DCEU characters. Peacemaker argues extensively with his father’s neighbor (Mel Tuck) about Batman, criticizing his no-kill rule and calling him names.
Before Peacemaker was released, the timeline for the DCEU canon was muddled by various inconsistencies and the confusion brought about by the Snyder Cut of Justice League. The references to Batman’s no-kill rule in Peacemaker are strange as the DCEU has previously done away with this rule, and it could be teasing that the show takes place elsewhere in the DCEU timeline or multiverse. Ben Affleck is set to reprise his role as Batman in The Flash (2022), alongside Michael Keaton who will also be joining the DCEU as he reprises his own version of Bruce Wayne. The DC Batman portrayal is confused even more by Robert Pattinson’s The Batman. Not including Batman, even in silhouette, in the Peacemaker season 1 finale is likely driven by a plan to keep the DCEU’s new main Batman’s identity a secret ahead of the upcoming movies. Of course, it is also possible that just not all of the Justice League felt it necessary to respond to the threat.
Where's Cyborg In Peacemaker?
There is another notable absence from the Peacemaker season 1 finale Justice League cameo that is a little more complex. At the end of Justice League, both the original and the Snyder Cut, Cyborg (Ray Fisher) joins the Justice League. However, Cyborg does not appear in any form in the DCEU Peacemaker season 1 finale.
Ray Fisher spoke out about the way that he and others were treated by Joss Whedon and Warner Bros. during the filming and production of Justice League, and in doing so helped others to come forward with their own accusations against Whedon. After the fallout from the situation, both Ray Fisher and Warner Bros. stated that Fisher would not return to play Cyborg in any future DC films. While Peacemaker is tied to HBO Max, who Fisher worked with for the Justice League Snyder cut, it was presumably either unappealing or not viable for him to return to the character. Ultimately, the lack of Ray Fisher or an alternative Cyborg in the Peacemaker season 1 cameo suggests that Cyborg will not return to the Justice League in any form in the foreseeable future.
