In last Thursday's episode of Peacemaker, we learned Earth-X isn't quite as perfect as it seems. In fact, it's downright horrific, as the final few minutes of "Ignorance Is Chris" confirmed that it's a world where the Nazis won World War II.
Eagle-eyed fans have noticed that the show's opening credits hint at through John Cena's dance moves (season 1's catchy opening similarly teased the Butterflies). However, it's proven to be a problem for Fortnite and the "Peaceful Hips Emote" that was added to the game earlier this month.
"We're disabling the Peaceful Hips Emote in Fortnite as we inquire into our partner's creative intentions in this collab emote," Epic Games wrote on social media. "Assuming it's not coming back, we'll issue refunds in the next few days. Sorry folks."
As you might expect, Fortnite doesn't want players running around flashing a swastika pose every 5 minutes, and it's hard not to wonder how this fell through the cracks.
Epic Games likely won't be happy with DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery for not giving them a heads-up. James Gunn, who has yet to comment on the announcement, withheld the final three episodes of Peacemaker season 2 from everyone to maintain the surprise, so that could explain how this happened.
"It comes from Christopher Smith’s personal journey of running away and his inability to accept the place in which he is," Gunn recently told The Hollywood Reporter of the Earth-X reveal. "When you think of it not in terms of the political — but in terms of the personal and how that represents our own specific journeys and lives — we try to run away from where we are and who we are and what’s in our lives."
"The inability to accept where we are is the root of all our issues. Christopher Smith does this in a physical way, going from one dimension to another that’s as different from his own life as can possibly be imagined. His father is a loving father, his brother is alive and the girl he’s in love with is fawning over him and thirsty."
"So he has everything he thinks is different from what he has [in his own world] because he’s not willing to accept the challenges of his own life," the filmmaker continued. "Of course, that is a sort of monkey’s paw, and it ends up being way worse than where he started. So I see it from a personal journey perspective, and then it just so happens to coincide with political stuff in our own world."
Check out Fortnite's announcement, along with a GIF of the controversial Peacemaker emote, in the X posts below.
Peacemaker season 2 follows Chris Smith, the vigilante superhero, as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evildoer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost. He discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.
Season 2 stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodríguez, David Denman, Brey Noelle, and Tim Meadows.
James Gunn wrote all eight episodes of Peacemaker and directed three, including the first episode. Gunn, Peter Safran, and Cena serve as executive producers. Greg Mottola, Peter Sollett, and Alethea Jones also direct.
In our review of Peacemaker season 2's first five episodes, we wrote, "Peacemaker season 2 feels like a wholly superfluous addition to the new DCU, and lacks the stakes and emotion that made season 1 so special. Fortunately, it’s buoyed by some fun surprises for fans and another exceptional turn from John Cena."
Six episodes of Peacemaker season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max.