James Gunn explains why certain ‘Peacemaker’ cameos didn’t happen

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Peacemaker finale.

The season finale of Peacemaker addressed one of fans’ big criticisms about The Suicide Squad in the best way possible. When Starro the Conqueror attacked Corto Maltese in the movie’s third act, folks wondered why the heck the Justice League never showed up.

Well, the spinoff show ends with another kaiju-sized alien on the loose, but this time the elephant in the room was tackled directly in one hilarious, mind-blowing scene.

After John Cena’s Christopher Smith and his team had saved the day, the Justice League belatedly arrived, only to be berated by the anti-hero for their tardiness. Four of the Leaguers are shown, but while Superman and Wonder Woman are played by stand-ins, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller reprised their roles as Aquaman and the Flash. The duo’s foul-mouthed cameos blew the DC fandom’s minds, but why was it just these two who showed up, and not the full lineup?

While speaking to Variety, creator James Gunn was asked if Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot were ever considered for inclusion in the finale. The writer/director admitted they never were, as the original intention was just to have Momoa, a personal friend of Gunn’s, involved before Miller joined in the fun too.

“I don’t really think so. I really thought it was going to be just Jason. And Ezra was more like the extra thing because I found that he was interested in doing it.”

While four of the all-star superheroes are included, Batman and Cyborg are no-shows. Variety questioned Gunn over Bruce Wayne and Victor Stone’s absences, and he was unable to elaborate on why this decision was made, though he indicated it was tied into Warner’s plans for the future of the DCEU.

“I don’t know what I can – there are reasons for it. But I’m actually uncertain whether I can say what those reasons are. It might have to do with future stuff.”

We can maybe work out the reasons Gunn wouldn’t elaborate on. The Flash is set to rewrite the DCEU as we know it, with the expectation that Michael Keaton will become the franchise’s main Batman instead of Ben Affleck, Getting into all that in Peacemaker would be too much, so the character was simply ignored. Likewise, due to Ray Fisher’s split with the studio, Cyborg is unlikely to return anytime soon, so he’s presumably being rested indefinitely.

While it’s a shame the whole Justice League didn’t appear, Aquaman and Flash’s cameos in the Peacemaker finale were more than enough to satisfy fans, and leave us eager for the show’s just-announced second season.