James Gunn, 59 Jokes About ‘George Lucas-ing’ Peacemaker After Superman Crossover

The man who brought us Peacemaker, dancing trees, and emotional raccoons is now juggling DC continuity like a street performer with too many flaming batons. And honestly? He’s about as graceful as you’d expect someone trying to retrofit an entire superhero universe while pinching pennies.

James Gunn’s Peacemaker Continuity: When Budget Beats Canon

The Peacemaker Season 2 premiere dropped this week, and with it came Gunn’s latest attempt to explain why his new DC Universe doesn’t quite match up with what we saw in Season 1. Spoiler alert: it comes down to money. Because apparently, even comic book masterminds have to deal with studio accountants. Now, here’s where things get really messy for DC. 

Season 1 of Peacemaker ended with those iconic silhouettes – the Justice League, along with clear cameos of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman (both in shadow form). It was a nice moment that tied John Cena’s foul-mouthed vigilante into the broader DC world. But now we’re in Gunn’s brave new DCU era, where David Corenswet wears the cape and Isabela Merced flies around as Hawkgirl. So what’s a creator to do when his previous work suddenly doesn’t fit his new vision?

Why James Gunn’s DCU Risks Undermining Peacemaker’s Legacy with Sloppy Continuity

But now we’re in Gunn’s brave new DCU era, where David Corenswet wears the cape and Isabela Merced flies around as Hawkgirl. So what’s a creator to do when his previous work suddenly doesn’t fit his new vision? Gunn said to Game Radar, that he doesn’t plan to go back and reshoot Peacemaker season 1 to align it with the continuity of the DCU. Peacemaker Season 1 was genuinely good television – funny, surprisingly heartfelt, and perfectly self-contained. The DCEU cameos were a nice bonus, not a necessity.

But instead of just letting Season 1 exist as its own thing, there is this awkward half-measure where we’re supposed to pretend some things happened and ignore others. It’s the kind of sloppy storytelling that makes fans check out entirely. The real tragedy here is that Peacemaker deserves better. John Cena’s performance, the supporting cast, and yes, even that ridiculous opening dance sequence all work because they’re committed to being exactly what they are. But this wishy-washy approach to continuity undermines that confidence.

“No. Unfortunately, I would have to change too many small things throughout season one, and it would cost too much money. I’d rather allocate that money to a few more CGI shots in Supergirl. I think that we deal with it.” He told Deadline, adding, “At some point, I’d love to [George] Lucas the s*** out of it, but right now I don’t have the money.” At least he’s honest about his priorities, I guess?

When Canon Becomes More Like Guidelines

The Peacemaker Season 2 solution is about as elegant as a brick through a window. They’ve swapped out the DCEU characters for DCU ones in that final scene, creating new dialogue where Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern complains about Peacemaker spreading rumors that he’s a “puke freak.” Because nothing says serious superhero storytelling like discussing someone’s alleged vomit fetish.

This approach to continuity is giving me severe whiplash. One minute, we’re supposed to care about interconnected storytelling and shared universes, the next, we’re told to ignore the man behind the curtain because fixing things costs too much. It’s like Gunn is playing superhero Jenga, pulling out pieces and hoping the whole thing doesn’t come crashing down.

James Gunn’s DCU Problem: Uncertainty, Continuity Chaos, and Peacemaker’s Future

The George Lucas reference is particularly amusing given how Lucas faced years of criticism for constantly tinkering with his original trilogy. But hey, at least Lucas had the courage of his convictions (and deep pockets). Gunn apparently has neither. The bigger question is what this means for Peacemaker’s place in the DCU moving forward. Gunn has been frustratingly coy about the character’s future beyond Season 2, dropping hints that he “actually knows the answer” to that question but won’t share it with the class.

Given how casually he’s handling continuity concerns now, I’m not exactly holding my breath for some masterful long-term plan. It feels more like Gunn is making it up as he goes along, which worked great for Guardians of the Galaxy but might be less effective when you’re trying to build an entire cinematic universe. What’s frustrating about this whole situation is that it didn’t have to be this complicated.

Final Thoughts

Maybe Gunn’s DCU will be so compelling that nobody cares about these continuity hiccups. However, it currently feels like he’s asking fans to do a lot of heavy lifting to make his vision a reality. And honestly? For a guy who’s supposed to be the creative mastermind behind DC’s future, that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Then again, maybe Gunn can somehow make this work, considering his history with superhero films.