The suggestion that Darkseid might have been the DCU\u2019s \u201cbig bad\u201d emerged after the ending of Peacemaker Season 2.<\/p>\n
Warning! Spoilers for the end of Peacemaker Season 2 follow:<\/p>\n
Season 2 ends with Peacemaker trapped on Salvation, a planet in another dimension that acts as a prison for metahumans. In the DC comics, Planet Salvation has acted as a Parademon training ground, watched over by Darkseid himself. But this isn\u2019t what Gunn is going for here. In fact, Darkseid isn\u2019t the enemy Gunn\u2019s DCU is building towards either. And there are various reasons for this, he said, including the fact Darkseid made an appearance in Zack Snyder\u2019s DCEU, and also the character\u2019s similarity to Marvel\u2019s Thanos, who was the main villain up to Avengers: Endgame.<\/p>\n
Peacemaker Season 2 Finale Images<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, there’s Kirby’s whole world which he created which is totally fascinating,\u201d Gunn began when asked what he thought of Darkseid as a character. \u201cSo, that’s a huge part of it. It’s the New Gods in general that is to me so interesting, which we’re dealing with with Mister Miracle. And I have the screenplay that I haven’t read yet on my shelf right now. So there’s that aspect of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then there are aspects of Darkseid in Thanos, who are obviously very similar. They look very similar. And because of that \u2014 to give you probably more of an answer than you expected \u2014 using Darkseid as the big bad right now is not necessarily the thing. For a lot of reasons, because Zack did it so cool in his way, and because of Thanos in Marvel.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, we can rule out Planet Salvation heading towards Darkseid and the Final Crisis storyline from the comics. That prompts another question: if Darkseid isn’t the DCU’s “big bad,” who is?<\/p>\n
It’ll probably be some time before we find out. But it does look like Man of Tomorrow<\/a>, the 2027 follow-up to Gunn\u2019s Superman, will see Brainiac enter the fray<\/a>. Indeed, Superman and bitter rival Lex Luthor look set to put their differences aside (temporarily) to fend Brainiac off.<\/p>\n That reference to Mister Miracle, by the way, is the adult animated series based on DC\u2019s 12-issue comic book series from Tom King and Mitch Gerads. It\u2019s the second adult animated series from Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios following Creature Commandos Season 1. Season 2 is currently in production for HBO Max. Other recent series greenlights from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation include Starfire!, My Adventures with Green Lantern, and DC Super Powers.<\/p>\n DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show Earlier this month, during a roundtable Q&A with press ahead of the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, Gunn was asked if he was planning a Peacemaker Season 3. The answer was loud and clear<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, this is about the wider DCU and other stories in which this [the ending of Season 2] will play out right now,\u201d Gunn replied. \u201cSo that doesn’t mean that there won’t be. I don’t want to\u2026 never say never. But right now, no. This is about the future of the DCU.\u201d<\/p>\n So if there\u2019s no Peacemaker Season 3, what\u2019s Gunn\u2019s plan for Peacemaker himself? Gunn revealed that the conclusion of Season 2 sets up Peacemaker, played by John Cena, to take on a broader role in the DCU moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s really important to me,\u201d Gunn said of the character. \u201cPeacemaker is an important character. And I said from the beginning when we took on this job, it’s about really propping up and maintaining and repositioning the big diamond properties that DC has, the Batmans and Wonder Womans and Supermans, and then creating diamond properties out of the smaller characters like Peacemaker.\u201d<\/p>\n Will Peacemaker himself appear in 2026 DCU film Supergirl or 2027\u2019s Man of Tomorrow<\/a>? \u201cWell we\u2019ll have to see,\u201d Gunn teased. \u201cThat’s a secret!\u201d<\/p>\n The DCU is set to continue in 2026 with the aforementioned Supergirl and a Clayface movie, alongside a Lanterns TV show. 2027 will see Man of Tomorrow. Matt Reeves\u2019 The Batman 2<\/a>, which is part of the separate ‘Batman Epic Crime Saga,’ is due out October 1, 2027.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a>James Gunn has ruled out Darkseid as the DCU’s “big bad.” Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images.<\/p>\n