{"id":214524,"date":"2025-10-10T15:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/214524\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T15:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:00:09","slug":"james-gunn-on-salvation-checkmate-deadpool-cameo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/214524\/","title":{"rendered":"James Gunn on Salvation, Checkmate, Deadpool Cameo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points in \u201cFull Nelson,\u201d the Season 2 finale of \u201cPeacemaker<\/a>,\u201d now streaming on HBO Max.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen \u201cSuperman\u201d premiered in July, it served as the first big screen introduction of the new DC Universe, as overseen by DC Studios<\/a> co-chiefs James Gunn<\/a> and Peter Safran. But it turns out that Season 2 of Gunn\u2019s HBO Max series \u201cPeacemaker,\u201d which concluded on Thursday, provides an even more crucial launching pad for the overarching story Gunn aims to tell within the DCU, with the introduction of two major new elements to the franchise from the DC Comics: The covert agency Checkmate, and the metahuman prison planet Salvation.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Gunn explained in a virtual press conference on Tuesday (which Variety moderated), Salvation will play a central role in Gunn\u2019s 2028 \u201cSuperman\u201d sequel<\/a>, \u201cMan of Tomorrow<\/a>.\u201d But both concepts will be narrative threads that will run through the entire DCU, including DC Studios\u2019 next HBO Max series, \u201cLanterns.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt may not seem like it at first, but it is all very connected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn fact, Gunn has known he wanted to use Checkmate and Salvation for DC projects since before he and Safran were tapped to lead DC.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat was always pretty instrumental in the overarching story that I\u2019m telling in the DCU,\u201d he said. \u201cI had mapped out what I thought the general story was, and two important aspects to that were Checkmate and especially Salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tSo what is Checkmate and how is it introduced into the DCU?\u00a0\t<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the \u201cPeacemaker\u201d season finale, which Gunn wrote and directed, the 11th Street Kids rally to rescue their friend and titular superhero, aka Chris Smith (John Cena) \u2014 not from some nefarious evildoer, but from himself. As a consequence of his misadventures in the Nazi-drenched alternate universe Earth-X<\/a> in the previous episodes \u2014\u00a0in which he watched his father die in front of him, again, and nearly watched his brother die in front of him, again \u2014 Chris is convinced that he is, in his words, \u201cthe angel of fucking death.\u201d He\u2019s abandoned his home, cut himself off from his friends, and is wallowing in misery at a cheap motel.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Adrian (Freddie Stroma), Economos (Steve Agee) and Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) finally find him, however, they remind Chris that when he\u2019s true to himself, he\u2019s inspired all of them to be true to themselves \u2014 and it\u2019s pretty much the only time any of them have felt they\u2019ve done good in the world. So, led by Adebayo, they resolve to abandon the authorities that have led them astray, and build something together that can actually make people\u2019s lives better, using the massive pallets of \u201cblood money\u201d Adrian\u2019s stockpiled from fighting crime as Vigilante.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: Nhut Le, Tim Meadows, Freddie Stroma, Danielle Brooks, John Cena, and Jennifer Holland on \u201cPeacemaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJessica Miglio\/HBO Max<\/p>\n

\n\tSo they found Checkmate, an independent, private crime-fighting agency that also includes Judomaster (Nhut Le) and disillusioned A.R.G.U.S. agents Fleury (Tim Meadows) and Bordeaux (Sol Rodriguez). Checkmate has a storied history in the DC Comics, first appearing in 1988 and populated mostly with DC\u2019s anti-heroes; Peacemaker and Vigilante were early members, and Bordeaux has also been a prominent operative. (Other DC luminaries in Checkmate include Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Huntress and Mister Terrific.)<\/p>\n

\n\tGunn said that he\u2019d been a big fan of Checkmate in the comics and he \u201calways wanted to build Checkmate into\u201d the DCU. \u201cIt\u2019s the real culmination of the 11th Street Kids and their desire to be good,\u201d he said. Checkmate will remain \u201cseparate from the other institutions in the DCU,\u201d he said. \u201cI think they\u2019re going to be really, really good at what they do. When we see them next, their circumstances will be a little bit different than the startup that they\u2019re at now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat about Salvation?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere in the \u201cPeacemaker\u201d season finale, A.R.G.U.S. chief Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) has deployed the agency to use Chris\u2019 trans-dimensional portal to locate an alternate universe as close to the conditions of Earth as possible. After many failed attempts \u2014\u00a0and the loss of several lives via a flesh-eating-zombie universe and a demented-candyland-populated-with-carnivorous-imps universe\u00a0\u2014 Harcourt and Bordeaux finally seem to find what they\u2019re looking for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t(When asked whether there was any alternative universe he wanted to visit but couldn\u2019t, Gunn started laughing. \u201cI wanted them to open the door and see Deadpool<\/a> in a room,\u201d he said, still giggling. \u201cI talked to Ryan Reynolds about it. But I would\u2019ve had to go through some pretty, pretty big hoops to do that. He wanted to do it!\u201d He winced. \u201cOh, that\u2019s all anybody\u2019s gonna talk about now, is fucking Deadpool in the other room. I should\u2019ve never said it!\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter the A.R.G.U.S. team find the ideal planet, they learn the true purpose behind their efforts: Flag wants to use the planet, which he names \u201cSalvation,\u201d as a prison for metahumans that are uncontainable on Earth \u2014 an idea that first appeared in DC Comics in the 2007\u20132008 limited series \u201cSalvation Run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI like the concept of creating this prison that was absolutely inescapable, but was also a little rash,\u201d Gunn said. \u201cBecause they think it\u2019s not dangerous from their initial tests. But in the comics and in this world, obviously there\u2019s hints of it being dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: Sol Rodriguez, Jennifer Holland, Anissa Matlock on \u201cPeacemaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJessica Miglio\/HBO Max<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile \u201cSalvation Run\u201d included a cavalcade of DC villainy pitted against each other \u2014 driven by a rivalry between Lex Luthor and the Joker \u2014 Gunn warned fans not to expect the DCU version of Salvation to hew closely to the comics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt really is about the concept,\u201d he said. \u201cThe part that really spoke to me was the beginning of it, where Rick Flag Jr. and Amanda Waller [said], \u2018Fuck it. Metahumans are a pain in the ass. They keep escaping. Let\u2019s just get rid of them permanently.\u2019 And of course, there are a bunch of repercussions about sending a bunch of bad guys to another dimension. In this case, kind of, you know, the sole person there right now is a good guy who has to survive on his own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAh yes \u2014 the \u201cPeacemaker\u201d season finale ends on a huge cliffhanger, when Chris is kidnapped by Flag Sr., and tossed into Salvation as payback for Chris killing his son, Rick Flag Jr.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat does this mean for Season 3 of \u201cPeacemaker\u201d?\u00a0\t<\/p>\n

\n\tGunn indicated that as of now, he isn\u2019t planning on bringing \u201cPeacemaker\u201d back for another season. \u201cThis is about the other stories in which this [cliffhanger] will play out,\u201d he said. He was quick to add that he hasn\u2019t ruled out a Season 3. \u201cNever say never. But right now, this is about the future of the DCU.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGunn was mum on whether that means Cena will be reprising Peacemaker in \u201cMan of Tomorrow,\u201d or even earlier in 2026\u2019s \u201cSupergirl.\u201d But it was clear that audiences should expect to see much more of the character. For one, he\u2019s key to Gunn\u2019s plan to use the DCU to create \u201cdiamond properties out of the smaller characters\u201d in the DC Comics canon to stand alongside Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut even more crucially, Peacemaker is \u201creally important to me,\u201d Gunn said. So much so that Gunn was moved to tears while talking about how the Season 2 opening credits song, \u201cOh Lord\u201d by Foxy Shazam, related to the character.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI really love the character,\u201d he said. \u201cI could say about me, but I don\u2019t really think it is. Chris is just incredibly human.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJohn Cena in \u201cPeacemaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJessica Miglio\/HBO Max<\/p>\n

\n\tGunn first conceived of Peacemaker as \u201cdouchey Captain America\u201d for his 2021 film \u201cThe Suicide Squad.\u201d \u201cHe started out as a character who was the kind of guy that everybody calls morally reprehensible online every day,\u201d he said. \u201cI would have met Peacemaker at a party and gone, \u2018Who is that fucking asshole over there?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd yet, Gunn has used \u201cPeacemaker\u201d to explore the same ideas about empathy and understanding that were at the forefront of \u201cSuperman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe live in this world where everybody thinks that the way to deal with people that think differently than you is to treat them like demons,\u201d Gunn said. \u201cWhat a fucking stupid idea. You want to change the world? You want the world to be a better place? You don\u2019t do it by telling somebody they\u2019re evil. It\u2019s just not the way you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tSo will \u201cMan of Tomorrow\u201d audiences need to watch Season 2 of \u201cPeacemaker\u201d to understand what\u2019s happening?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAs far as Gunn is concerned, no. \u201cI\u2019m not expecting people to go into \u2018Man of Tomorrow\u2019 and know what Salvation is,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ll find out anything you need to know about metahumans disappearing through that movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat said, Gunn knows first hand from his time within the MCU with the \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy\u201d films that building out a cinematic universe is a tricky endeavor.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a very, very, very delicate balance when writing these things,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be able to tell the story in a way where people that already know the information are not going to be bored, and where people who don\u2019t know the information will get the information in an easy and simple way, but also not to be burdened down by too much shit. There needs to be an elegance to the storytelling. Too many mumbo jumbo things, to me, is always a thing that I [avoid]. \u2018Oh, this magic stone does this and it\u2019s that\u2019 \u2014 there\u2019s no emotional aspect to that. A prison in another dimension is easy for me to understand \u2014 and say in one sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cPeacemaker\u201d concluded (for now), Gunn will cede the spotlight to several upcoming DC projects in which he\u2019s not the leading creative force, including\u00a0\u201cLanterns,\u201d \u201cSupergirl,\u201d \u201cClayface,\u201d \u201cThe Batman 2.\u201d But he made clear that he will continue to write and direct the DC projects that sit at the heart of the larger story within the DCU and involve Salvation, Superman, Lex Luthor and Rick Flag Sr.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s the plan right now, at least,\u201d he said. \u201cI may get so fucking tired that I can\u2019t do it\u00a0\u2014 because I\u2019m pretty tired, but we\u2019ll see!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points in \u201cFull Nelson,\u201d the Season 2 finale of \u201cPeacemaker,\u201d now…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[1038,87560,88,208,82661,27301],"class_list":["post-214524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-dc-studios","tag-deadpool","tag-entertainment","tag-james-gunn","tag-man-of-tomorrow","tag-peacemaker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}