The conclusion of Peacemaker the second season leaves a huge cliffhanger that could have significant consequences for the direction of the DCU. Although it's still unclear if the series will return for a third season, the showrunner has confirmed that the events will directly lead into the upcoming Superman film. Given this, one specific element from the Peacemaker finale might be crucial to unraveling the secretive villain of the Superman film.
Curious? Let's dive in.
Full spoilers ahead for the end of Peacemaker season 2.
The Show's Second Season Finale Explained
In the last episode of Peacemaker season 2, the agency, led by Rick Flag, explores the interdimensional portal that Peacemaker surrendered in the previous episode. At first it's unknown what they're looking for, before they find it: a habitable planet where Flag can exile all of Earth's superpowered beings. He calls this planet Salvation, with intentions to use it as a giant, inescapable jail.
At the very end of the episode, the team kidnaps Peacemaker and pushes him through the portal into the planet. Flag reveals that Peacemaker will be his test subject to ensure the planet is truly habitable and the portal vanishes behind him, stranding Chris all alone on an foreign world in another dimension. Then, we hear a roar of roars that kind of sound like a bunch of unseen creatures about to attack Chris. The episode ends.
So what does it signify? To understand it, it's worth looking into DC comics history, in particular, the story of the comic series.
Salvation Run and the Series
Published in the late 2000s during the crossover event, the series was a seven-issue comic inspired by an idea from George R.R. Martin. It was written by the writer and Lilah Sturges, with illustrations by Sean Chen, Walden Wong, another artist, and the team.
The core idea of the series was that the task force (under Amanda Waller) apprehended a group of villains and banished them to a distant planet called Salvation. The roster of captive villains included Lex Luthor, the clown prince, the mutant, the brute, Deadshot, Gorilla Grodd, Hugo Strange, the shapeshifter, Mister Freeze, Poison Ivy, Hyena, and many others. The leader also threw in some gray-area figures, like the thief, for good measure.
The plan was to let the villains fight it out and die, but there was a surprise. It was revealed that Salvation was actually a "training planet" for the New Gods of Apokolips, also known as, the nightmarish planet ruled by the tyrant. To make matters worse, it was under the authority of one of Darkseid's most disturbing followers: DeSaad.
DeSaad and the Superman Film
In the comics, DeSaad has a distinct purpose: he's the lord's torture guy. DeSaad is also a genius who enjoys inventing new ways to inflict suffering on his victims, and is virtually immortal. In some iterations, he's super strong, too, and has other powers like mind-reading and the ability to manipulate others' emotions. In other words, he's terrifying.
Assuming the director is riffing on the comic story (which appears probable based on the prison planet's name in Peacemaker), then it makes sense that he could be setting up DeSaad as the universe's next primary antagonist. This would certainly be a scary enough threat to get the hero and the genius working together on the same side against a common enemy — especially if Luthor feels bad for devising the idea of a multiversal prison in the first place.
To be clear, we're taking some big speculative leaps here, but based on the conclusion of Peacemaker the second season, the torturer just rose significantly in the list for Man of Tomorrow's primary antagonist. Additionally, he could act as an prelude for Darkseid himself once the filmmaker eventually making his own Justice League film.
Thankfully, we don't need to wait too much longer to find out for sure. Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to start filming in the spring of 2026.
