PEACEMAKER: James Gunn Explains Why He Isn't Worried About Upsetting Racists With Earth-X Reveal - SPOILERS

PEACEMAKER: James Gunn Explains Why He Isn't Worried About Upsetting Racists With Earth-X Reveal - SPOILERS

DC Studios boss James Gunn has talked more about the reaction to last week's Peacemaker episode, and explains why he isn't losing any sleep over complaints from racists about the show's portrayal of Nazis.

By JoshWilding - Oct 04, 2025 06:10 AM EST
Filed Under: Peacemaker
Source: GQ

In Peacemaker's sixth episode, we learned that the alternate reality discovered by Chris Smith is Earth-X, a world where the Nazis won World War II and conquered America.

Thursday's seventh chapter confirmed that anyone who isn't white is locked up in camps. James Gunn didn't dive too deeply into that, but a few different lines of dialogue painted a horrifying picture of what a world where racists are the majority could look like. 

Some people have since taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with how Peacemaker season 2 portrayed Nazis (yes, really). Politics in superhero stories is often a dicey subject, but in an interview with GQ, the DC Studios co-CEO made it clear why he isn't sweating the backlash.

"The show delights me. I really do whatever I want with Peacemaker—and I mean, in one respect, I do whatever I want with anything, because I am able to make my own choices and I'm my own boss," Gunn told the site. "But with Peacemaker, we really let it go. We take chances. We go to places where I think other people are afraid to go."

"We got a lot of pushback from various sources within the structure, on this episode in particular, and we're like, 'Let's not be bashful about this. Let's just do the story that we want to do and I don't want to have to pull punches with it.'"

The filmmaker added, "And it's interesting because there hasn't been that sort of... I have a few racists that have called me polarizing, but I'm okay with being polarizing and letting racists fall to the wayside. People have loved this episode the most, so it's exciting."

While the stage has been set for Captain Triumph to one day seek out revenge on Chris Smith, it doesn't appear as if Gunn intends to continue exploring Earth-X beyond what we've already seen. However, next week's episode will return to the QUC, hopefully revealing more of its secrets and what, if anything, that means for Man of Tomorrow

As for Peacemaker's portrayal of Nazis, it's hard to take anyone seriously who would complain about them being portrayed in an unflattering light.

You can watch a new promo for Peacemaker season 2 in the Instagram post 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."

Seven episodes of Peacemaker season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max.

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Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 10/4/2025, 7:00 AM
User Comment Image

It's ok for a show to not be for some people
Matchesz
Matchesz - 10/4/2025, 7:04 AM
Going to be 10 years of Gunn virtue signaling to cover for his pedo tweets
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 10/4/2025, 7:21 AM
So people are upset that Nazis are being portrayed in a bad light?

Let me get this straight people are taking to social media angry that James Gunn decided to portray Nazis as bad guys. There is no other reason they are upset about this?

I call bullshit. I'm willing to bet people are upset with this because the right leaning people in the country keep being portrayed as Nazis by a medium that's pretty much all left leaning.
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 10/4/2025, 7:37 AM
@DarthOmega - Exactly right. He knows exactly what he's doing. He hates half the audience. Even Adebayos line about that world not being so different from ours shows where his mindset is at. This guy is a [frick]ing nutjob. He wants to kill half the population.

Boycott Gunn now
dragon316
dragon316 - 10/4/2025, 7:41 AM
@DarthOmega - democrats, republicans, left right who cares all same no matter stupid label people give them.,
no one was upset by Indiana jones always fighting nazis
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 10/4/2025, 8:05 AM
@dragon316 - Everyone hates Nazis. Nobody thinks Nazis are good people. When Indiana fought them we cheered. I remember the movie The Rocketeer when I was a kid. The mob and the feds both joined together to fight the Nazis and everyone cheered why? Because [frick] Nazis that's why.

Now imagine you're an average American. Hard working, law abiding people that wouldn't harm a fly. You turn on your TV or device.

The morning shows a panel full of left leaning people all call you racists fascists and Nazis.

The midday shows, a panel full of left leaning people all call you racists fascists and Nazis.

The "news" outlets, and I mean basically every single one. All left leaning (except for FOX) All calling half the country racists fascists and Nazis

The late night shows. Left leaning host calling half the country fascists, racists and Nazis.

The same with the movies, the same with social media, the same with liberal universities. All have the same world view, all demonizing half the country 24/7. Some lunatic listens to the propaganda, climbs a rooftop and kills one of you. They celebrate, threaten and mock the widow, blame the murder on you, and then play the victim.

User Comment Image

It never ends. It's also from a classic playbook

?si=JWUB1RHXjJPrWZ0D
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 10/4/2025, 8:11 AM
@WalletsClosed - I have no interest in the character. I'm not impressed by his style. I'm sick of people twisting reality to fit their narratives. I'm sick of it all. They know damn well people aren't upset about the portrayal of Nazis. They are upset that they keep being called Nazis. James Gunn is dishonest and this article is dishonest.

Not surprising in the least.
Yellow
Yellow - 10/4/2025, 8:11 AM
@DarthOmega - I'm not american so I honestly couldn't care less.

If you are not a nazi you shouldn't be upset and that's it.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 10/4/2025, 8:16 AM
@Yellow - What a lazy take.

You're not a criminal so you shouldn't mind if someone calls you that.

You're not a rapist, so you shouldn't mind if someone calls you that.

You're not a pedophile, so you shouldn't mind if someone calls you that.

Now imagine it's pretty much all of the media, entertainment and academia because they all have the same ideology and they are demonizing half the country. We shouldn't care right. It's cool. Don't sweat it. Just let them demonize you. Let them dehumanize you. It's all okay as long as you know who you are?

Nah. It doesn't work like that. Especially when one of you are bleeding out in front of your little girl. And those same lunatics celebrate and try to justify your murder.
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 10/4/2025, 8:18 AM
@Yellow - Except, if you could actually read he just said he's not upset that they're attacking Nazis. He's upset because people that aren't Nazis are currently called Nazis and Gunn is taking advantage of that
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 10/4/2025, 8:18 AM
@DarthOmega - Perfectly debunked his terrible argument. The gaslighting is insane
Slotherin
Slotherin - 10/4/2025, 8:20 AM
@DarthOmega - when the right leaning are okay with a would be fascist rounding people up and putting them in internment, it welcomes Nazi parallel
Songoty
Songoty - 10/4/2025, 8:25 AM
@Yellow - I'm not American either, but when Gunn tries to associate Jesus with Nazis, like he did in this episode, I think there's a problem. Gunn sounds like a teenager with a grudge ever since he was fired from Disney.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 10/4/2025, 8:26 AM
@WalletsClosed - User Comment Image
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 10/4/2025, 8:26 AM
@DarthOmega - yes, everyone hates nazis, the problem is when people like gunn make vague analogies to nazis and people they just dont agree with. Thats called bullshit.

Its also bullshit that we all know Gunn wouldnt have to balls to try this with another group of supremacists, such as Islam.
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 10/4/2025, 7:39 AM
More virtue signaling from a pedophile. This guy consistently made hundreds of tweets about diddling kids, dying cancer patients, and more and we're supposed to adapt his morality? Sure... This guy is the worst thing to happen to CBM's. I will forever hate Marvel and Disney for hiring him for Guardians.

Reboot the MCU and DCU
cham2119
cham2119 - 10/4/2025, 8:11 AM
Just popping back in to remind you all that regurgitating bullshit you hear on podcasts doesn’t make you clever, it just proves your parents raised idiots
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 10/4/2025, 8:22 AM
Is there an alternate earth where Islam has conquered the world and everyone who is Muslim is locked up in camps?

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