James Gunn Reveals PEACEMAKER Season 2 Almost Ended Without That Shocking Final Scene

Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale of Peacemaker. You’ve been warned.

James Gunn has confirmed that Peacemaker Season 2 almost ended on a very different note, without the gut-punch Salvation twist that completely redefined where things are headed for the DC Universe.

On the final episode of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, Gunn shared that his original ending was much lighter. The story would’ve wrapped up with the 11th Street Kids, including Eagly, Fleury, Judomaster, and Sasha Bordeaux, walking out of their new agency as victors. The DCU’s newest covert team had earned their win, and everything looked bright.

Gunn said:

"The first draft ended there. I gave it to [DC Studios co-CEO] Peter Safran and I said, 'I had another thing I wrote that I put on the ending' and he's like, 'What?'"

That “other thing” turned out to be the game-changing final scene that now has fans reeling. After that moment of triumph, John Cena’s Chris Smith is suddenly captured by Rick Flag Sr. and ARGUS.

Seeking vengeance for his son, Rick Flag Jr., Flag sends Chris to a mysterious dimension known as Salvation, a world designed to isolate metahumans from Earth.

As the dimensional doorway closes behind him, Chris finds himself completely alone. Or at least, that’s what he thinks, until a distant, ominous growl echoes across the desolate landscape.

"We knew Salvation was a part of our future, I didn't know I was going to put it here – we knew it was part of the DCU plan. I told him what it was and [Peter] goes, 'Oh, you've gotta put that in there.'"

That last-minute change set the stage for the next phase of Gunn’s interconnected DC Universe. Gunn has already described Peacemaker Season 2 as a “prequel” to the upcoming Man of Tomorrow film arriving in 2027, and he teased on the podcast that Salvation marks “the beginning” of a much larger DCU storyline.

Fans expecting closure, instead, got a twist that opens the door to whole new worlds. But, a lot of fans were not happy about it.