In Peacemaker's sixth episode, we learned that the alternate reality discovered by Chris Smith is Earth-X, a world where the Nazis won World War II and conquered America.
Thursday's seventh chapter confirmed that anyone who isn't white is locked up in camps. James Gunn didn't dive too deeply into that, but a few different lines of dialogue painted a horrifying picture of what a world where racists are the majority could look like.
Some people have since taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with how Peacemaker season 2 portrayed Nazis (yes, really). Politics in superhero stories is often a dicey subject, but in an interview with GQ, the DC Studios co-CEO made it clear why he isn't sweating the backlash.
"The show delights me. I really do whatever I want with Peacemaker—and I mean, in one respect, I do whatever I want with anything, because I am able to make my own choices and I'm my own boss," Gunn told the site. "But with Peacemaker, we really let it go. We take chances. We go to places where I think other people are afraid to go."
"We got a lot of pushback from various sources within the structure, on this episode in particular, and we're like, 'Let's not be bashful about this. Let's just do the story that we want to do and I don't want to have to pull punches with it.'"
The filmmaker added, "And it's interesting because there hasn't been that sort of... I have a few racists that have called me polarizing, but I'm okay with being polarizing and letting racists fall to the wayside. People have loved this episode the most, so it's exciting."
While the stage has been set for Captain Triumph to one day seek out revenge on Chris Smith, it doesn't appear as if Gunn intends to continue exploring Earth-X beyond what we've already seen. However, next week's episode will return to the QUC, hopefully revealing more of its secrets and what, if anything, that means for Man of Tomorrow.
As for Peacemaker's portrayal of Nazis, it's hard to take anyone seriously who would complain about them being portrayed in an unflattering light.
You can watch a new promo for Peacemaker season 2 in the Instagram post below.
Peacemaker season 2 follows Chris Smith, the vigilante superhero, as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evildoer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost. He discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.
Season 2 stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodríguez, David Denman, Brey Noelle, and Tim Meadows.
James Gunn wrote all eight episodes of Peacemaker and directed three, including the first episode. Gunn, Peter Safran, and Cena serve as executive producers. Greg Mottola, Peter Sollett, and Alethea Jones also direct.
In our review of Peacemaker season 2's first five episodes, we wrote, "Peacemaker season 2 feels like a wholly superfluous addition to the new DCU, and lacks the stakes and emotion that made season 1 so special. Fortunately, it’s buoyed by some fun surprises for fans and another exceptional turn from John Cena."
Seven episodes of Peacemaker season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max.