The finale of HBO Max’s Peacemaker hit us harder than his torpedo helmet, and it’s already upsetting that there aren’t immediately new episodes to watch! But thankfully, the show has been renewed for a second season, which means 1. We get more Peacemaker! And 2. We get to hypothesize what might be in store for season 2.Â
Amanda Waller might be out for blood
There are plenty of story possibilities left open from the finale of season 1. Adebayo reconciled with her wife but also gave a press conference in which she outed the super secret and highly unethical Task Force X and named her mother, Amanda Waller, as the mastermind behind it all.
This leaves Waller in a very precarious position—and most likely extremely angry at her daughter. Knowing that Waller is extremely cold and calculating, it would not be surprising if season 2 saw Waller coming after Adebayo, daughter or not. Will Waller attempt to kill her child? Or even take out Adebayo’s wife as punishment? Or will she try to turn her wife against her? Waller will almost certainly come after Peacemaker, as well, and the rest of the rebellious crew. But will she try to turn him back into the fold, arrest him, or kill him? Whatever happens, Waller is not going to take this lying down.
Economos at Belle Reve
We know that Economos has returned to a desk at Belle Reve Prison, which seems to imply that he is back working for Waller and Task Force X. But is he back to being a company man or will he be passing along inside information to Peacemaker, Adebayo, and Harcourt? How will Waller treat him? Probably not very nicely! (The understatement of the year.) It will potentially be quite a cat-and-mouse game of Waller and Economos trying to glean information from each other—or, knowing both characters, Waller torturing or extorting information from Economos about his friends and Economos doing some not-very-slick eavesdropping!
Judomaster might avenge the Butterflies
Another character out for vengeance might be Judomaster. Season 1 ends with him standing in a field of bodies looking at the carnage and destruction left behind by Peacemaker and his crew. He is visibly upset as he munches on his Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Will he seek out Peacemaker and try to end him for decimating the Butterflies and killing their cow? Or will he end up asking to join forces because he has been left without a cause? Or will he seek out Waller in a teamup against Peacemaker? Whatever happens, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Judomaster.Â
Romance between Peacemaker and Harcourt?
At the end of the season 1 finale we see Harcourt recovering from her injuries, with Peacemaker by her side. The nurse tells her that Peacemaker has been at the hospital every day waiting for her to wake up. Touched by this revelation, she makes a move to hold his hand. Is there a spark of romance brewing? Peacemaker has been carrying a torch for Harcourt (or at least a lot of lust) all season, but is Harcourt perhaps finally beginning to soften towards him or see him in a new light? I can’t imagine that any romance between them would end in anything but tragedy or at least a lot of fighting, but it’s possible that those crazy kids might try to make a go of it!
Vigilante being … Vigilante
Vigilante is very possessive of his friendship and “BFF” status with Peacemaker, so it’s entirely possible that he will not necessarily like Peacemaker forming new close relationships! Especially if he learns that Peacemaker considers Adebayo his number one best friend after Eagly … instead of Vigilante. Vigilante might also be jealous of Peacemaker’s blossoming romance (or a very tender friendship, at the very least) with Harcourt. This might cause Vigilante to try to sabotage, or outright attack, Adebayo and Harcourt! It might also, if he is feeling particularly hurt, cause him to turn on Peacemaker and attempt to take him out! He might even attempt to join forces with Waller to do it!
From the comics
Part of the fun of Gunn’s version of Peacemaker is that Peacemaker as a character has very light lore and backstory for a DC comic, which means that Gunn can really run wild! However, there are some comic canon bits of story that he might pull from for future seasons. Including …
Peacemaker’s ghosts
In the season finale, we see that Peacemaker is seeing visions of his dead dad (who he was forced to kill in the previous episode). His dad continues to haunt and taunt him even back at his trailer. In the comics, Peacemaker sees the ghosts of everyone he has ever killed inside his helmet, so it’s possible that seeing his dead dad, (along with his flashbacks to his dead brother and the death of Rick Flag), is just the tip of the iceberg!Â
Peacemaker’s pacifist roots
In the comic, Peacemaker was originally a true pacifist, and his mission was to destroy all man-made weapons. Could the guilt Peacemaker feels over the deaths of his brother, Flag, and his dad drive him to actually give up violence? What might a truly peaceful Peacemaker look like? I doubt it would last very long, but it would be entertaining to see!
The Janus Directive and Checkmate
Checkmate was the original black-ops espionage group that Waller splintered Task Force X off of. If Waller has to face the music after her daughter goes rogue and publicly outs them, it’s possible that Waller will have to return to Checkmate in order to do so. It’s also possible that this might trigger Waller’s Janus Directive—the war between various espionage groups and superhuman teams. This could bring in characters like Captain Atom, Kobra, and other members of the Suicide Squad like Vixen!Â
Eclipso
DC’s Stargirl has introduced a major supervillain: Eclipso! Eclipso is the physical incarnation of “The Wrath of God” and the angel of vengeance turned into an evil god-like being capable of possessing people! In the comics, Waller assembles the Shadow Fighters in order to stop him, which includes Peacemaker. However, in the comics, Peacemaker dies trying to crash a helicopter into Eclipso’s forces. Which leads to another possibility …
Peacemaker and Vigilante in purgatory
Perhaps the strangest of options (but also the most fun to imagine), is the storyline that involves Peacemaker and Vigilante’s souls in purgatory, trying to help Hal Jordan. At one point in the comics, Hal Jordan loses his mind and becomes the evil supervillain Parallax, and after he is destroyed, he is sent to Purgatory. However, The Spectre (the being that filled in for Eclipso as “the Wrath of God ” and who also turns evil!) needs a new vessel to contain him, and it is decided that Hal Jordan is the only one who can do it. The souls of Peacemaker and Vigilante are part of a team that are tasked with finding and helping Hal Jordan in Purgatory. It is ultimately Vigilante who convinces Jordan to return and use this as atonement for his crimes. Honestly, I really want this one to happen the most, because imagining Gunn’s version of the afterlife, and his version of Peacemaker and Vigilante in it, sounds hilarious and bonkers.
DC multiverse: multiple Peacemakers?
Superhero comics love a good multiverse to add a little spice and a lot of chaos, and DC is no exception! That means that it’s entirely possible we could see other Peacemakers (like Mitchell Black) from other Earths (like the Pax Americana team from Earth 4)! What would our Peacemaker do when confronted with other versions of himself or other men trying to claim his mantle? It would be fun to find out!
(featured image: HBO Max)
