Okay, let's just take a second to breathe. I just finished the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, "Full Nelson," and I am genuinely vibrating. If you’re like me, you probably went into this expecting a massive, bloody shootout—classic James Gunn style—but what we got instead was a total emotional gut-punch that I honestly wasn't prepared for.
Instead of just ending with a bang, it ended with a heartbeat. It blew the doors off the DCU while staying so painfully personal that it felt less like a "season finale" and more like a shared trauma we’re all going through together. This wasn't just superhero TV; it was a character study wrapped in a multiversal nightmare.
My Personal Rating: 7.5/10 (Only because my heart can’t take a 10 right now).
The Heart: It Was Always About the Dance
Can we talk about Chris and Harcourt? Before all the multiversal madness started, that flashback to the Big Belly Burger and the boat cruise wrecked me. Seeing them just... be. Seeing Chris, in all his goofy hair-metal glory, help Harcourt find a moment of joy when she felt like she had nothing left? That’s the show I fell in love with.
Harcourt has spent her whole life being a weapon for Argus, her self-worth entirely tied to a job that eventually blacklisted her. She was adrift, and Chris—clumsy, loud, "douchey" Chris—was the only one who saw her not as an agent, but as a person who needed to scream along to some Nelson lyrics.
When they danced, it wasn't just a scene; it was a mirror to the opening credits we’ve watched a dozen times. It was two broken people trying to fit their jagged edges together. Seeing Harcourt pull away because she was scared—man, I felt that in my soul. We’ve all been there, right? Being so damaged that when something good happens, you try to kill it before it can hurt you.
The payoff later, where the "11th Street Kids" save Chris not by fighting a monster, but by staging an emotional intervention? That quiet admission from Harcourt that the boat cruise meant everything? It proves that Chris isn't a "curse" like he believes. He’s the glue that held this family of outcasts together. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
The Q.U.C.: A Horror Movie in Small Bites
Then things got weird. The Quantum Unfolding Chamber (QUC) felt like James Gunn just letting his intrusive thoughts win, and I loved every second of it. It highlighted just how insignificant humanity is in the grand scheme of the multiverse.
Door 22 (Candyland): Those flesh-eating imps? Terrifying. It looked like a twisted version of a children's board game, but these predators were smart enough to target the hazmat breathing tubes. It was a stark reminder: in this new DCU, if something looks sweet, it’s probably trying to eat you.
The Giant Skull Spiders: This was pure cosmic horror. The silence, the scale—it made me realize how small our "heroes" really are. These weren't just monsters; they were part of an ecosystem that doesn't even register humans as a threat.
Colonial-Era Zombie World: A massive shoutout to the DCeased fans. Seeing undead redcoats felt like a glimpse into a timeline where everything went wrong centuries ago. It adds so much history to the multiverse lore.
The Black Hole: Seeing that link to the Superman movie gave me chills. It’s all connected, guys. Lex Luthor is definitely eyeing these portals as a resource or a way to get his failed Ultraman experiment back.
"Planet Salvation" is a Total Nightmare
Let’s get into the "Salvation" plan. Rick Flagg Sr. naming a prison planet "Salvation" is the most cold-blooded thing I’ve seen in a while. For us comic nerds, the second he said that name, a red light went off. Salvation Run.
This isn't just a jail; it’s a powder keg. By proposing to dump all the world's "uncontrollables" on one planet, Flagg Sr. thinks he's cleaning up Earth. In reality, he's building a gladiatorial arena for the most dangerous beings in existence. If this follows the comics, we’re talking about Darkseid’s training grounds. They aren't just exiling "threats"; they’re potentially hand-delivering an army to the biggest baddie in the DCU. It turns Argus from a shady agency into a full-on villainous entity.
That Ending... I’m Devastated
The betrayal. Seeing Chris finally find a family, co-founding Checkmate with Sasha Bordeaux, and getting a glimpse of a happy life—only for Flagg Sr. to snatch it away.
Rick Flagg Sr. isn't a villain in his own mind; he's a soldier who craves order. To him, Chris represents the chaos that killed his son. Sending him through the QUC wasn't just justice; it was a calculated disposal.
That final shot of Chris, tiny and alone on a hostile alien landscape, while those creatures scream in the distance? It’s poetic, but it’s so cruel. He started the season trying to run from his past, and he ends it literally exiled from his home. He’s a survivor, sure, but he’s a solitary survivor now. The silence of that closing shot was louder than any explosion.
What Now? (My Brain is Spinning)
Superman: Man of Tomorrow: I’m betting Superman and the "Justice Gang" are next on the list for deportation. If the government sees Superman as "unsanctioned," Salvation is where they'll try to put him. Can you imagine Clark and Lex having to survive together on a planet filled with their worst enemies?
The Coming of Darkseid: The Salvation Run connection is too specific to ignore. This feels like the slow-burn setup for the first massive DCU cosmic event. Is the "Salvation" project actually being manipulated by Desaad or Apokolips?
The Rise of Checkmate: Harcourt, Adebayo, and Sasha are now the ultimate underdogs. Their first mission is obviously to rescue Chris, but they’ll have to do it while being hunted by the very government they used to serve. It's the "11th Street Kids" against the system, and I am here for it.
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Details We Missed
Gunn is the king of Easter eggs. Did you notice Door #4 was locked in the QUC? That’s almost certainly a nod to Earth-4, the original home of the Charlton characters like Blue Beetle and the original Peacemaker. Even the Big Belly Burger establishing year (1966) marks the year Peacemaker first debuted in the comics.
But the most touching detail? Harcourt’s desk. That tiny rabbit with the red cape. It’s a nod to Bugs Bunny (WB) and Gunn’s own film Brightburn. It feels like a meta-commentary on Gunn’s own journey—fired from one giant (Marvel), found a new home at another (DC), and turned a group of misfits into his greatest success.
Final Thoughts
James Gunn really did it again. He took a guy who was a one-note joke in The Suicide Squad and made him the most sympathetic character in the DCU. This finale was a masterclass in how to build a universe without losing the soul of the characters.
I’m left feeling a mix of hype and genuine sadness for Chris. He’s spent his whole life looking for a place to belong, and just when he found it, he was cast out. What did you guys think? Are we looking at a Darkseid invasion next? And more importantly, who’s starting the petition to get Chris off that planet right now?
Peace out (ironically), A Fellow Fan
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