While Peacemaker is certainly a wildly entertaining show, it’s place within the DCEU is a little ambiguous. We know the show takes place after the events of The Suicide Squad meaning that it also takes place after the events of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), and both versions of Justice League. Shazam! is another DCEU film that is set in an unknown part of the timeline that could take place either before, after, or during The Suicide Squad.
In The Suicide Squad however, it is mentioned that Bloodsport put Superman in the ICU with kryptonite bullet. Yet, we see the same Superman having lunch with Freddy at the end of Shazam! It is currently not known how long Superman was in the ICU from his gunshot wound, but it should be assumed that it was a serious injury. We can also conclude that for Bloodsport to have seriously injured Superman that it happened after his resurrection in Justice League. An unseen Superman also appears in the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker, but we’re not sure if this is the same version played by Henry Cavill.
Also, in Peacemaker the names of a lot of DC heroes and villains are casually dropped even though they have not been shown or mentioned in any other DCEU film. We hear names such as the Mad Hatter, Green Arrow, Doll Man, Matter-Eater Lad, Kite Man, and Bat-Mite. While villains have been hinted at in the DCEU before, such as Alfred’s reference to Penguin in Justice League, they were always treated as such. Only references or Easter eggs that die-hard fans would recognize. In Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller even mentioned how rare metahumans were and now they just seem to be everywhere. Man of Steel was supposed to be earth’s first contact with aliens, but now we see Mongal on Taskforce X and Matter-Eater Lad, who is also an alien, apparently eating an entire Wendy’s restaurant.
The reason for this is due to Warner Bros. not knowing how to move forward with their cinematic universe. Hence we have rumors of the Flash potentially soft rebooting the universe in his upcoming film. This would allow Warner Bros. to move forward with a new continuity while keeping some of the same actors from the old universe. Peacemaker could potentially be set in this new rebooted universe which is why we have so many references to DC characters we have not seen. As well as Peacemaker claiming to have met or worked with so many of them. On the other hand, with Aquaman, Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman appearing in the Season 1 finale it is possible that this takes place before the multiverse shenanigans of The Flash as Barry is still wearing the same suit he wore in Justice League.
Peacemaker Season 1 is available on HBO Max and The Flash is currently scheduled to speed into theaters on November 4, 2022.
Are you enjoying Peacemaker? Are you excited for The Flash? Should Warner Bros. restore the Snyderverse? Leave your thoughts below!