It's been almost a week since the Peacemaker Season 2 finale hit HBO Max, and the response from fans remains mixed. There were some big developments, like the introduction of Checkmate and Salvation, but cameos were few and far between, and it was more emotional than action-packed.
Some loved that, while others walked away underwhelmed. One of the biggest moments came with Rick Flag Sr.'s villainous turn; he stood by as countless A.R.G.U.S. agents died in the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, and unlawfully sent Chris Smith to Salvation to avenge his son's death in The Suicide Squad.
Taking to Threads, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn shared some additional insights into Flag's new status quo in the DCU. "Despite everything, I don't hate Flag," he said. "I think he's manipulative and stupid and vengeful and very callous about discovery, but I still like him."
"He doesn't hate all metahumans at all," the Superman director continued. "He sees some as dangerous like folks walking around with a neutron bomb attached to their arms."
Many fans have questioned what seemed like a sudden shift in personality, but Gunn acknowledged that having his back broken by Clayface in Creature Commandos likely gave the A.R.G.U.S. Director a different outlook. "Having a metahuman almost kill you might make you more wary of metahumans," he said.
Asked to clarify what makes a metahuman a metahuman in the DCU, Gunn shared, "I don't consider anyone metahumans. But I think ARGUS might consider Blue Beetle a metahuman, but not [Batman and Green Arrow]."
He later added that Flag doesn't hate metahumans, but is concerned about them dictating world politics, "as started by Superman and the Justice Gang - especially Hawkgirl." The character is "mostly afraid of how difficult it is to contain metahuman criminals," and while he wants to protect Americans, he "goes about it in a callous fashion" with Salvation's creation and his alliance with Lex Luthor.
Despite that, Gunn reminded fans that, while the finale left Peacemaker in a "pretty bleak" place, they shouldn't "count out" the anti-hero.
Checkmate's role in the DCU is a mystery for the most part, though Gunn has said in numerous interviews that the organisation is a crucial part of this franchise's future heading into Man of Tomorrow.
In fact, it sounds like we can expect Checkmate to work alongside a certain superhero team. "A.R.G.U.S. are a governmental intelligence agency in charge of everything to do with metahumans," Gunn explained. "Checkmate are just forming but they're a privately funded organization created for the benefit of society outside of the government or corporations or metahuman organizations like the Justice Gang."
Checkmate is typically a villainous organisation on the page, with Amanda Waller and Maxwell Lord using it for their own nefarious means. In the DCU, it looks set to balance the scales somewhat as A.R.G.U.S. heads down an increasingly dark path with Flag calling the shots.
It's unclear when or where Peacemaker's story will continue, or how Salvation will factor into Gunn's Superman follow-up. Many fans believe the alternate reality could be a new spin on Dinosaur Island, and if so, that sets the stage for The Centre to be the big bad of "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters."
All episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max.