"James Gunn just revived the DCEU": Fans erupt as Peacemaker finale honors Zack Snyder's Justice League

On February 17, DC's Peacemaker dropped its final episode on HBO Max, propelling the DCEU forward in an extremely interesting direction. The ending hinted at the cinematic universe's future and established the timeline of the six-part series.

In the season one finale, titled "Cow or Never," Christopher Smith (John Cena) is accompanied by his team of ARGUS agents and Vigilante on a mission to eliminate the butterflies' food source. During an all-out battle against the butterflies, the team barely makes it out of the farm.

Disclaimer: The following part of the article will include massive spoilers for episode 8 of the show.

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DCEU fans left divided after James Gunn's Peacemaker brought back part of the Justice League in a cameo

In the climax of the episode, a few members of the Justice League appeared on-screen as Peacemaker and his team were exiting the farm. While the previous episodes contained several hilarious references to other DC superheroes, the appearance of the Justice League's superheroes hyped-up many viewers.

While some fans praised the series' creator James Gunn, others were strictly against the humorous attempt within the show. The Justice League's appearance, along with the jokes about them and other superhero characters, also sparked much debate amongst fans.

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What did Justice League's cameo in Peacemaker establish about the future of the DCEU?

Timeline of the show

The Flash's cameo in the show's finale (Image via HBO Max)

The Peacemaker series likely took place after Justice League (2017) or Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), which is proved by the Flash's suit, which was still the same as that of the previous movies.

As the speedster is expected to receive a new suit in the upcoming Flash movie, it is confirmed that the HBO Max series occurred before the rumored timeline reset was brought forth by the upcoming Flashpoint movie.

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Lack of Cyborg and Batman

Amongst the silhouettes' of the Justice League members that appeared at the end of the season finale, only Ezra Miller's Flash and Jason Momoa's Aquaman had speaking roles. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck's Batman and Ray Fisher's Cyborg were missing from the roster.

Ben Affleck and Ray Fisher's reasons for not returning to the DC series are clearly known. Affleck has hinted that his appearance in the Flash movie will be his last in the DCEU. Meanwhile, Fisher has outright made several controversial allegations about his experience with the studio and Joss Whedon during the production of Justice League.

Furthermore, Wonder Woman and Superman were only partially visible. This insinuated that the actors might not have been available for the shoot, or perhaps WB did not have the budget to bring them back.

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Peacemaker hints at the DCEU reboot in the Flash

The silhouette of Superman resembling Henry Cavill's version (Image via HBO Max)

The surprise cameo of some of the JL members in Peacemaker may have also indicated the studio's opinion about the rebooted characters in the universe. Several rumors recently stated that Andy Muschietti's The Flash would reset the timeline with its Flashpoint event, where Keaton's version in the DCEU would replace Affleck's Batman. Meanwhile, Fisher's Cyborg may also be recast or erased out of the continuity entirely.

However, since a Superman silhouette resembling Henry Cavill was showcased in the Peacemaker finale, it could mean that WB is still hopeful of bringing the actor back to the role. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, who also appears in the scene as a mere shadowy silhouette, is expected to continue with the role for multiple movies to come.

Following the premiere of the final episode, James Gunn took to his Twitter to confirm that Warner Bros. has greenlit a second season of the show.