Warning: Spoilers for Peacemaker episode 6
Peacemaker episode 6, "Murn After Reading," includes a variety of pop culture references and DC Easter eggs. After six action-packed episodes, James Gunn's DC Extended Universe show for HBO Max is speeding toward its conclusion. The Suicide Squad spinoff has been a fascinating release for viewers to examine, as the show's quality is quite high, even though there have been several questions about how Peacemaker connects to the DCEU. This mostly comes through the various DC Comics references included in John Cena's series.
The main story of Peacemaker continues to revolve around Christopher Smith a.k.a. Peacemaker working with Task Force X to try and stop the Butterfly aliens from overtaking Earth. Peacemaker episode 6 picks up immediately after where episode 5 ended with Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) learning that Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) is a Butterfly. She soon discovers that both Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee) already know about his big secret. Meanwhile, Peacemaker and Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) evade the cops and are responsible for the Butterfly's leader getting free and mounting a new army.
On top of the thrilling story included in Peacemaker episode 6, writer/director James Gunn also put several DC Easter eggs and references in "Murn After Reading." The episode's title itself is a clear homage to the Coen Brothers' movie Burn After Reading, and there are other pop culture references littered throughout the episode. In many cases, Gunn gave HBO Max subscribers some additional DC references. Here are all of the Peacemaker episode 6 Easter eggs.
Peacemaker Has Met The Flash & Hates Him
The beginning of Peacemaker episode 6 gives viewers an early and direct reference to The Flash. Ezra Miller became the DCEU's Barry Allen back in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He then had a cameo in Suicide Squad and returned for Justice League. Miller's portrayal of Flash has been met with a mixed reception, something Peacemaker seems to point out. Peacemaker mentions that he has met the Scarlet Speedster before and "thought he was an unbearable d-bag." It isn't known how, when, or why Flash and Peacemaker's paths crossed, but it is quite clear Chris Smith isn't a fan of Barry Allen.
Peacemaker Knows Wonder Woman... Kind Of
Immediately after mentioning his disdain for Flash, Peacemaker also reveals that he knows Wonder Woman, in a manner of speaking. He says that they've never officially met but she did spend "an entire party eye-effing me from across the room." Gal Gadot's Amazon warrior has been to a few different parties in her DCEU appearances, including Lex Luthor's in Batman v Superman. However, her attendance was done with more anonymity, as Diana Prince's secret identity is seemingly intact in the DCEU. Based on Peacemaker episode 6's reference to Wonder Woman, it now seems that Peacemaker and she were at the same superhero party or that Diana is now publicly known to be Wonder Woman.
Peacemaker & Vigilante Love Alien Invasion Movies
There's also a sequence in Peacemaker episode 6 where Peacemaker and Vigilante reference some of their favorite alien invasion movies as they attempt to learn what the Butterflies' plan is. Chris first references Vin Diesel's 2000 movie Pitch Black, while Adrian Chase asks if their plan is similar to the Xenomorphs in Alien. Peacemaker then wonders if Steven Spielberg's sci-fi classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestial is a better comparison for the Butterflies, but Vigilante then questions the possibility of Spielberg's other sci-fi movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a good point of reference. Unfortunately, their time with the Butterfly is interrupted before the correct alien movie comparison is made.
Possible Starro Reference In Peacemaker's Diary
Another potential Peacemaker episode 6 Easter egg comes through a look at Peacemaker's diary. The diary is filled with references to aliens who are invading the planet and the role that politicians and CEOs played in the alien plot. There are various photos scrapbooked into the diary that Leota Adebayo planted in his home, including a drawing of a single eye covering a human's face and a close-up photo of an eye surrounded by blue. Both of these could be references to Starro, the giant one-eyed starfish-looking alien featured in The Suicide Squad. Since Starro is easily the most well-known single-eyed DC villain and one Peacemaker already has a history in the DCEU, it'd make some sense for his fake diary to include some references to Starro.
Dracula Brings Vampires To The DCEU?
Peacemaker episode 6 also includes a possible reference to vampires existing in the DCEU thanks to Dracula. The famous vampire has been part of the DC Comics universe since 1975. Vigilante name drops Dracula during the episode as a comparison to Peacemaker's face. What makes this reference somewhat tricky is that it is unclear if Vigilante is referencing a version of Dracula from across pop culture. That could certainly be the case, but it is just as plausible that James Gunn uses Peacemaker episode 6's Easter egg to help bring vampires to this shared universe. It could be beneficial for the DCEU if some additional supernatural characters are on the horizon.
McDonald's Hamburgler or DC's Crimson Avenger?
One could also argue that Peacemaker episode 6 secretly referenced the DC hero known as Crimson Avenger. When Locke lies about who killed three police officers, he says that a caucasian man who is five and a half feet tall with red hair, a striped shirt, a red tie, a black mask, and a fedora is the suspect. Fitzgibbon believes he's describing McDonald's mascot Hamburglar, which gives the episode a good joke. However, the description isn't too far off from the DC hero Crimson Avenger, who wore a black mask and fedora in the comics and often had red clothing, including a tie. The original Crimson Avenger, Lee Travis, has been part of the DC Comics universe since Detective Comics #20 in 1938, so Gunn may have secretly disguised a reference to him with the McDonald's joke.
Leota Adebayo Is From Gotham
One of Peacemaker episode 6's other blatant references to the larger DC world comes near the end as the city of Gotham gets namechecked. The fictional city protected by Batman turns out to be where Leota and her wife previously lived prior to Adebayo taking a spot with Task Force X. It's unclear if Peacemaker will actually go to Gotham at some point in the series after this mention. If it does, then perhaps Batman, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, or another DCEU character with ties to the city will make an appearance.
Peacemaker releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.
