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James Gunn Has a Secret Role in Peacemaker Season 2 (And You Probably Missed It)
The second season of Peacemaker premiered last evening, a critical launch that officially integrates the fan-favorite antihero into the new DC Universe continuity after a brief cameo in Superman. The episode shoulders the significant task of bridging the narrative gap between the show’s original run and the rebooted timeline, retconning key scenes from the Peacemaker‘s first season before thrusting Christopher Smith (John Cena) and the 11th Street Kids into a new, perilous journey. Beyond its narrative importance, the premiere also had to live up to the sky-high creative expectations set by its predecessor, a challenge it met immediately with a brand-new opening dance number. Peacemaker Season 2’s opening sequence features new choreography and a new song, but it also contains a secret role for the primary architect of the DCU, James Gunn.
As part of the release strategy for Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn hosted a live watch party on Threads, where he made comments on the episode’s scenes and answered fan questions in real time. Right as the new opening sequence began to play, Gunn revealed, “I did mocap for Eagly’s dancing.” The confirmation makes him an official DCU actor, as he was the one who physically captured the motion for Eagly’s dance performance in the new title sequence. The new opening sequence itself is a standout, set to the energetic track “Oh Lord” by Foxy Shazam and successfully recapturing the deadpan aesthetic of the original, while also introducing entirely new choreography.
Peacemaker Is DC Studios’ Third Victory in a Row
The enthusiastic critical reception for Peacemaker‘s second season marks the third consecutive success for the new DC Universe. The DCU began with the animated series Creature Commandos, which launched the story with a 95% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. The momentum continued with the theatrical blockbuster Superman, which successfully anchored the franchise with an 83% Certified Fresh rating. Now, Peacemaker has joined them with a near-perfect 97% approval, establishing a clear and consistent pattern of quality right from the start. This trifecta of acclaimed projects across animation, film, and live-action television proves that DC Studios’ story-first approach to building an interconnected world is thriving.
Peacemaker is also an important milestone for the DCU because it proves DC Studios’s embrace of tonal diversity, a core tenet that sets it apart from its competitors. While Superman established a hopeful, heroic, and broadly accessible core for the universe, Peacemaker stands in stark contrast as a profane, graphically violent, and unapologetically R-rated comedy aimed at a mature audience. The fact that these two vastly different projects can coexist and share characters within the same continuity showcases the flexibility and strength of the DCU’s creative blueprint. This strategy directly addresses the common problem of franchise fatigue by ensuring the universe is not a monolithic entity with a single house style. Instead, it is being built as a collection of distinct, creator-driven stories, each true to its own identity.
New episodes of Peacemaker premiere on HBO Max on Thursdays.
What do you think about James Gunn’s secret role as Eagly? Let us know in the comments!
The post James Gunn Has a Secret Role in Peacemaker Season 2 (And You Probably Missed It) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
