Peacemaker Season 2's Confusing DCU Canon Status Fully Explained By James Gunn
By Dan Bibby
October 1st, 2025
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Peacemaker season 2!
Peacemaker as a character within the DC cinematic universe has some incredibly confusing roots when it comes to franchise canon, but James Gunn has been forced to directly address the issue. After first appearing in 2021's The Suicide Squad, Chris "Peacemaker" Smith has shocked everyone by quickly becoming one of the most recognizable DC heroes.
The confusion surrounding Peacemaker season 2's current canon status comes from the fact that season 1 premiered when Zack Snyder's DC universe was still the sandbox for the franchise. So, other heroes, like Henry Cavill's Superman, were still canonically relevant. Now that the Snyderverse is dead and James Gunn has been installed as the head of the rebooted DCU, Peacemaker's place within the saga's lore is understandably unclear to many.
Because Peacemaker hasn't been rebooted, at least not as solidly as Superman, Batman, and other members of Snyder's superhero saga, it creates the illusion of Cena's character being stuck in a now-defunct branch of the DC cinematic universe. That isn't true, but explaining why it isn't true is complicated, so take a look at what Gunn himself has to say.
The confusion surrounding Peacemaker season 2's current canon status comes from the fact that season 1 premiered when Zack Snyder's DC universe was still the sandbox for the franchise. So, other heroes, like Henry Cavill's Superman, were still canonically relevant. Now that the Snyderverse is dead and James Gunn has been installed as the head of the rebooted DCU, Peacemaker's place within the saga's lore is understandably unclear to many.
Because Peacemaker hasn't been rebooted, at least not as solidly as Superman, Batman, and other members of Snyder's superhero saga, it creates the illusion of Cena's character being stuck in a now-defunct branch of the DC cinematic universe. That isn't true, but explaining why it isn't true is complicated, so take a look at what Gunn himself has to say.
James Gunn Confirms That Peacemaker Season 2 is DCU Canon, But Season 1 & 2021's The Suicide Squad Are Only Sort Of Canon
James Gunn was put in a difficult position when he was given the keys to the DCU and told to reboot it. Because he had already made The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1 within the Snyderverse, he understandably wanted to keep them as intact as he could during the process of scrubbing the slate clean. Both projects were vastly different in tone from the rest of the then-current DC movies, so they already massively stood out.
Gunn has managed to pull off something very tricky while taking over the DCU and has installed a clever transitionary device for the new era. In short, Peacemaker season 2 is fully DCU canon, whereas any flashbacks or mentions of Chris Smith's exploits in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1 are only brought into the new lore as and when they're included. Those moments don't canonize the entire projects from which they're taken. You can check out Gunn explaining in the video below.
my show is canon. and i’ve always said that. pic.twitter.com/e4Q2bP2kut
— Peacemaker on HBO Max (@DCpeacemaker) July 30, 2025
Admittedly, it's not a perfect solution, but it's been handled with impressive finesse considering the delicate balance Gunn had to find to keep the projects alive that he wanted to. The end result is that Peacemaker season 1 and The Suicide Squad are officially not part of Gunn's DCU continuity, but they aren't completely without purpose. They can both be watched and largely assumed to be canonically correct, although there are now some inconsistencies with Gunn's rebooted universe.
If you want to watch the very first official DCU project, Gunn has given Creature Commandos that title. The animated show premiered in December 2024 and mentioned certain events that were then shown and talked about in Peacemaker season 2. Adding to the new narrative tapestry, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor has a cameo in Peacemaker season 2, which is his first appearance since David Corenswet's Superman movie. If season 2 were still in the Snyderverse, Luthor would have been played by Jesse Eisenberg.
If you want to watch the very first official DCU project, Gunn has given Creature Commandos that title. The animated show premiered in December 2024 and mentioned certain events that were then shown and talked about in Peacemaker season 2. Adding to the new narrative tapestry, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor has a cameo in Peacemaker season 2, which is his first appearance since David Corenswet's Superman movie. If season 2 were still in the Snyderverse, Luthor would have been played by Jesse Eisenberg.
Peacemaker Season 1 & James Gunn's Suicide Squad Movie Are Still Worth Watching, Despite Not Being Canon Anymore
James Gunn has provided a few different jumping-on points for those looking to explore the new MCU. Creature Commandos is one option, as is the 2025 Superman movie. Peacemaker season 2 is perhaps the most confusing way of getting started, but the "previously on" segment ahead of the premiere has been playfully retconned to remove the Justice League's cameo in the season 1 finale and replaced them with Superman's Justice Gang.
Still, there remain a few lines and scenes in Peacemaker season 1 that don't quite align with the new DCU's canon. That doesn't mean it's not still great, and it's still largely consistent with the larger story Gunn is now curating. In short, you could get away with not watching season 1, but that doesn't mean you should.
The Suicide Squad is especially optional viewing when it comes to researching Peacemaker's backstory. While the movie's events are probably still about 90% accurate to what happened to Cena's character before Peacemaker, it's possible that Gunn will want to recast villains like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn when he inevitably finds a new Joker. So, don't get too attached to the other characters in the movie.
Getting even deeper into the canonical reeds, 2016's Suicide Squad movie is technically set just before the 2021 effort of an incredibly similar name. The 2016 project does not feature Peacemaker at all, and it's also just not very good. Basically, it's not worth your time, it's not canon, and it won't help you understand anything going on in Peacemaker season 2.
Still, there remain a few lines and scenes in Peacemaker season 1 that don't quite align with the new DCU's canon. That doesn't mean it's not still great, and it's still largely consistent with the larger story Gunn is now curating. In short, you could get away with not watching season 1, but that doesn't mean you should.
The Suicide Squad is especially optional viewing when it comes to researching Peacemaker's backstory. While the movie's events are probably still about 90% accurate to what happened to Cena's character before Peacemaker, it's possible that Gunn will want to recast villains like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn when he inevitably finds a new Joker. So, don't get too attached to the other characters in the movie.
Getting even deeper into the canonical reeds, 2016's Suicide Squad movie is technically set just before the 2021 effort of an incredibly similar name. The 2016 project does not feature Peacemaker at all, and it's also just not very good. Basically, it's not worth your time, it's not canon, and it won't help you understand anything going on in Peacemaker season 2.
Head to Talk Nerdy To Me's TV page for more coverage of your favorite shows.