John Cena as Chris Smith in Peacemaker
Warner Bros.
Season two of Peacemaker has come to an end, with writer/director James Gunn delivering an emotional resolution and a serious cliffhanger.
While many fans were disappointed by the relatively small scale of the Peacemaker finale, others found the lack of world-ending threats and restrained DC cameos fairly refreshing.
However, the Peacemaker finale is very much about setting up future plotlines for the DC cinematic universe.
The final scene isn’t the last viewers will see of Chris, but it is the end of Peacemaker.
What Happens In The Finale Of ‘Peacemaker’?
Chris Smith (John Cena) has been on quite a journey this season, forced to face some deeply unpleasant truths about his family.
The much-hyped plot twist of the season sees Chris choosing to leave to a seemingly happier dimension, Earth-X, in which he and his family are not only alive, but respected as a trio of famous superheroes.
Chris quickly learns that you can’t just run away, even to another universe, after discovering that Earth-X is a dimension in which the Nazis won the war, and flees after a tragedy-laden misadventure.
Strangely enough, the Nazi-dimension doesn’t come into play again, but the visit has taken its toll on Chris, who is horrified that his family’s happy ending can only exist in a fascist state.
Utterly convinced that he is a harbinger of death and despair, Chris is wallowing in prison, where he believes he belongs.
The 11th Street Kids, however, haven’t given up on Chris yet—Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Adrian (Freddie Stroma), and Economos (Steve Agee) manage to track him down.
The team forces Chris to see the best of himself, reminding him that he has inspired them all to do good and be true to themselves. Led by Adebayo, and funded by Adrian’s “blood money,” the crew decide to create a new crime-fighting group known as “Checkmate.”
Checkmate is from the comics, with Peacemaker being an early member. Fan favorites such as Amanda Waller and Mister Terrific, breakout star of Superman, have been involved in the team at one point or another.
Meanwhile, the head of A.R.G.U.S., Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) is using the trans-dimensional portal to try and find a habitable universe, and uncovers an alarming number of hellworlds.
Marvel’s experiments with the multiverse are widely viewed as a failure, but Peacemaker manages to get far more mileage out of the concept, turning the multiverse into a frightening series of “what ifs?”
James Gunn actually wanted to include Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool as a cheeky cameo in the finale, but didn’t manage to figure out the complications.
Perhaps that’s for the best, as Gunn appears to have learned from Marvel’s mistakes. While the Peacemaker finale is clearly being used as a launching pad for the DC universe, it stands alone as a conclusion to Chris’ arc.
Superman’s Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) was the big cameo of the season, and his obsession with creating a place to imprison superheroes, or “metahumans,” comes into play here.
Once the A.R.G.U.S. team finds a hospitable planet, Flag names it “Salvation,” intending to use it as a prison planet for the super-powered.
Unfortunately for Chris, who doesn’t even have powers, Flag hasn’t forgotten that he killed his son (during the events of Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad).
Despite the looming threat, Chris manages to finally get an answer out of Harcourt when it comes to the “party boat incident,” in which they shared a kiss.
Chris asks her if that night meant anything, and she confirms, “Of course it did.”
Cue another “Oh Lord” needle-drop, which might be a bit excessive (as much as I enjoy Gunn’s storytelling, the man tries to turn everything into a music video).
Chris appears to have gotten everything he ever wanted—a found family of misfits, love, and escape from the ugliness of his upbringing.
Then comes the cliffhanger, as Flag abducts Chris and throws him through the interdimensional door, making him the very first prisoner of Salvation.
Stranded, Chris hears howling and roaring from unseen entities in the distance, and we know that he’s not alone on this planet. Hopefully, someone with real superpowers will soon be imprisoned on Salvation to help him out.
The finale marks quite a shift from that of Peacemaker season one, which ended with shadowy cameos from The Justice League, all of whom ended up being recast as the DC universe got rebooted.
Seeds have definitely been planted for the larger story of DC’s cinematic universe, but Peacemaker season 2 was more about the characters, finally bringing peace to Chris, who has proved to be a surprisingly compelling protagonist.
Will There Be A Third Season Of ‘Peacemaker’?
There are currently no plans for a third season of Peacemaker, although Gunn did say, “Never say never. But right now, this is about the future of the DCU.”
Gunn confirmed that the Salvation cliffhanger will be concluded in future DC projects, such as the planned Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.
Peacemaker has been a vitally important stepping stone in the rebooted universe. The character first appeared in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as a fairly one-dimensional meathead, but the pandemic prompted Gunn to revisit the character out of boredom.
The first season of Peacemaker was a pleasant surprise, imbuing a relatively unknown comic book character with a great deal of depth and pathos.
While much of the Nazi-universe plot threads were left untouched in the finale, two seasons are enough—Chris’ emotional journey has reached its end, and the character is in mortal danger once again.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/10/12/the-ending-of-peacemaker-season-2-explained/