Peacemaker’s DCU Future Gets New Status Update Following Shocking Cliffhanger
EXCLUSIVE: John Cena is waiting for the call for his Peacemakerreturn.
After his debut in The Suicide Squad, Cena’s antihero character survived the DC Universe soft reboot, leading a solo show on HBO Max, while also making a cameo appearance in Gunn’s Superman film. While the studio co-boss has stated there were no plans for a third season, Peacemaker season 2’s ending left the character on a cliffhanger, in which Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. and his A.R.G.U.S. operatives kidnapped him and threw him into the multiverse door leading to Salvation.
Bold Reimagining · Alternate DC Universe Test Your DC Comics Absolute Universe Knowledge
♆️SupermanReimagined
🦇BatmanNo billions
⚔️Wonder WomanReforged
⚡FlashSpeed
🌐UniverseAbsolute
01
DC’s Absolute Universe is a new line of comics launched in late 2024 that reimagines iconic DC heroes in a world without the legacy advantages they traditionally have. Which DC event/storyline set up the creation of the Absolute Universe?
✓ Correct! The Absolute Universe was born from Darkseid rewriting reality in the current DC continuity. This cosmic act of villainy created a parallel world where DC’s greatest heroes exist without the advantages and support systems they traditionally rely on.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is Darkseid’s rewriting of the DC Multiverse. While Dark Crisis, Infinite Frontier, and Flashpoint Beyond are all significant DC events, it was Darkseid’s manipulation of reality that gave birth to the Absolute Universe.
02
In Absolute Superman, Kal-El’s origin is dramatically different from the main universe. Instead of being raised by the Kents in Smallville, how does Absolute Superman grow up?
✓ Correct! In the Absolute Universe, Kal-El lands not with the Kents but in an immigrant community, growing up without wealth or privilege. This reimagining strips away Superman’s traditional support system while keeping his core values of hope and justice intact.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is that he’s raised in an immigrant community with no wealth or privilege. The Absolute line is built on the concept of heroes without their traditional advantages, and Superman’s new upbringing reflects this perfectly.
03
Absolute Batman reimagines Bruce Wayne without his billionaire status. In this version, Bruce Wayne has a very different civilian occupation. What is Absolute Batman’s day job?
✓ Correct! In the Absolute Universe, Bruce Wayne works as an engineer and construction worker. Without the Wayne fortune or Wayne Enterprises, this Bruce builds his gear and gadgets with his own hands and working-class ingenuity, making him a truly self-made Batman.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is engineer / construction worker. Absolute Batman strips Bruce Wayne of his billionaire status entirely. This Bruce is a massive, imposing figure who uses his engineering skills and physical labor background to craft his own Batman arsenal.
04
Absolute Batman’s costume and physique are dramatically different from the traditional Batman. This version of Bruce Wayne is much larger and more imposing. Who is the writer of Absolute Batman?
✓ Correct! Scott Snyder, who previously wrote the acclaimed New 52 Batman run, is the writer of Absolute Batman. His bold reimagining of Bruce Wayne as a working-class hero without billions has been one of the breakout hits of the Absolute Universe line.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is Scott Snyder. Known for his legendary Batman run featuring the Court of Owls and other iconic storylines, Snyder returned to the Dark Knight with Absolute Batman, completely reinventing Bruce Wayne for this new universe.
05
Absolute Wonder Woman reimagines Diana in a significantly different setting. In this version, the character’s mythology and origin pull from different cultural influences. Who is the writer of Absolute Wonder Woman?
✓ Correct! Kelly Thompson writes Absolute Wonder Woman, bringing a fresh take on Diana’s mythology and origin. This version reimagines Wonder Woman’s world with different cultural influences while maintaining the warrior spirit at the core of the character.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is Kelly Thompson. While all four writers are acclaimed in the comics industry, it’s Thompson who helms Absolute Wonder Woman, crafting a bold new vision for Diana in the Absolute Universe.
06
The Absolute Universe was created as a result of Darkseid altering reality. A key difference is that in this universe, heroes don’t have the traditional advantages and support systems. What concept describes this — that these heroes exist without their usual “safety nets”?
✓ Correct! “Heroes without legacy” is the core concept of the Absolute Universe. These versions of DC’s iconic characters exist without the inherited advantages, mentors, wealth, and support networks that traditionally define them — forcing them to become heroes purely on their own terms.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is “Heroes without legacy.” The Absolute Universe is built on the idea that Darkseid stripped these heroes of their legacies — Batman has no fortune, Superman has no Kents, Wonder Woman has no Themyscira as we know it.
07
Absolute Flash reimagines Wally West in the Absolute Universe. In this version, the Flash’s connection to the Speed Force is portrayed differently. Who is the writer of Absolute Flash?
✓ Correct! Jeff Lemire, known for his deeply human storytelling in titles like Sweet Tooth and Animal Man, writes Absolute Flash. His take on Wally West reimagines the speedster’s relationship with the Speed Force in the context of the Absolute Universe’s stripped-down heroic landscape.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is Jeff Lemire. While Williamson, Waid, and Adams have all written excellent Flash stories in the main continuity, it’s Lemire who brings his unique storytelling vision to Absolute Flash.
08
Absolute Superman is written and drawn by a critically acclaimed creator who handles both the writing and art duties on the series. Who is this creator?
✓ Correct! Absolute Superman is written by Jason Aaron with art by Rafa Sandoval. Together they’ve crafted a powerful reimagining of Kal-El, placing him in an immigrant community without the Kent family’s support, creating one of the most compelling new takes on the character in years.
✗ That answer didn’t make it through the Absolute reboot! The answer is Jason Aaron (writer) with Rafa Sandoval (art). While Jim Lee, Grant Morrison, and Jorge Jiménez are all legendary DC creators, it’s the Aaron and Sandoval team that brings Absolute Superman to life.
Analysis Complete Your Absolute Knowledge
/ 8
Are you an Absolute expert — or still in the main continuity?
Now, in an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan on the Coyote vs. ACME red carpet, Cena offered the first new status update on Peacemaker’s future in the DCU in some time. Asked if he knows when he’ll be donning the character’s iconic helmet again, the Emmy nominee said that only Gunn knows when the hero will return, even acknowledging that it “could be never,” but indicating that the franchise boss has a plan for the future.
Cena’s latest update on Peacemaker’s potential future comes just two months after the last time he was asked whether he’d be back in the DCU. They also largely align with his previous statements addressing his return, in which he indicated that Gunn was still the one to ask about what the future holds for the character, and that anything he could give would be speculation, particularly in what the time jump between season 2 and the upcoming Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow will entail.
Though Cena has remained generally mum, Gunn has offered the occasional tease as to Peacemaker’s DCU future. Most notably, he confirmed that the introduction of the Salvation project in the season 2 finale would become a key plot point in the franchise going forward, including in Man of Tomorrow. Given Grillo has already been confirmed to appear in the new film, there is very much a chance that he, like Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, will have already taken to finding ways to get other metahumans into the alternate universe prison.
Considering Gunn and Cena clearly have a strong working relationship, with the latter also starring in Gunn’s Coyote vs. ACME, the chances seem all but certain that the former will have some kind of return in store for Peacemaker in the DCU’s future. Given Cena was notably absent from Supergirland, thus far, HBO’s Lanterns, while only appearing as a dead body in a vision in Creature Commandos season 1, there’s no telling where he may show up next if it’s not Man of Tomorrow.
