John Cena’s Peacemaker Season 2 has officially ended, and fans are losing their minds over that wild conclusion. The finale not only changed Chris Smith/Peacemaker’s fate but also shook up everything we know about the DC Universe. Basically, it sets up what comes next for Superman in James Gunn’s upcoming movie, Man of Tomorrow.
In the final moments, we see A.R.G.U.S., now led by Rick Flag (Frank Grillo), explore a mysterious multiversal doorway given to them by Peacemaker in the previous episode. Inside, they discover a habitable planet, which Flag names Salvation, which he then decides to use as a prison for all of Earth’s metahumans, by turning it into a one-way jail.
Up till here, things were fine. But then the show got dark when ARGUS kidnapped Peacemaker and forced him through the doorway to test if Salvation is safe. They shut the portal behind him, leaving Chris trapped on an alien planet all alone. The final scene then teased danger as strange roars began echoing in the distance.
Now, this isn’t just another superhero cliffhanger. It’s a direct setup for what could become one of the biggest crossovers in Gunn’s new DC Universe, linking Peacemaker’s chaos straight to Superman’s next chapter. Let’s explore how.
The table contains details about DC’s Peacemaker:
How George R.R. Martin Inspired Salvation Run?
Before figuring out how Peacemaker Season 2 connects with James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, let’s learn what exactly Salvation is and what its importance and origin story are in the DC Comics. After all, the planet Salvation in Peacemaker Season 2 isn’t just a random name. It actually comes from a real DC Comics storyline called Salvation Run.
This comic came out in 2007–2008 and was inspired by an idea from Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. The story was written by Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges, and it showed what happens when the government decides to dump all the world’s supervillains on another planet so they can never come back.
In the comic, Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad captures some of the most dangerous villains in the DC Universe, like the Joker, Lex Luthor, Bane, Poison Ivy, and Gorilla Grodd. And instead of locking them up on Earth, they are sent through a portal to a distant planet called Salvation, so that the world doesn’t have to deal with them.
But here’s the twist: the planet Salvation wasn’t empty. It was actually being used by the New Gods of Apokolips, who serve the terrifying cosmic villain Darkseid. So instead of freedom, the villains ended up on a deadly planet filled with traps, monsters, and alien tech. What was supposed to be their prison turned into a survival nightmare.
Now, where did George R.R. Martin get the idea for this DC Comics story? Well, according to his website, Salvation Run was based on an idea he and his friend John Jos. Miller pitched years earlier, called Exiles in Paradise. Their idea came from the history of how Britain sent prisoners to Australia, from where there was no escape.
The origins of this go back a decade. At the time DC was publishing a line of books called ELSEWORLDS… The idea that John and I pitched him, way back then, can be summed up in one word: Australia. What if the world finally got sick of all these super-villains and decided to get rid of them once and for all by transporting them to a distant planet, with no way home?
When Britain sent convicts to Australia, they were transported “for the term of your natural life,” and that was the premise of our story too. There was no escape. The planet was in another galaxy, millions of light-years away, accessible only by Boom Tube. We wanted to tell a story that would span decades.
George R.R. Martin and John Jos. Miller imagined what would happen if the world did the same with supervillains; if they sent them far away and let them build their own society. Some villains would die, but others might change and find redemption. That’s the emotional and moral story that inspired DC’s version of Salvation.
Peacemaker Season 2 Salvation Run Sets Up Superman’s Ultimate DC Nemesis
So, now that we know about Salvation Run, the origin of the mystery planet, and the threats posed by Darkseid, it seems that the ending of Peacemaker Season 2 was just a way of establishing the story of Salvation Run in James Gunn’s DCU. And you know what that means? Gunn is probably setting the stage for the arrival of DC’s biggest villain, Darkseid.
When Rick Flag named the new planet “Salvation” and sent Peacemaker there as a test subject, it became a huge hint that James Gunn might be borrowing ideas from the comic. If that’s true, then Salvation isn’t just another alien world. It’s the stage for something much bigger: the rise of the greatest evil in the DC Universe.
In DC Comics, Darkseid is the ruler of a planet called Apokolips. He’s not just a powerful villain; he’s basically a god who wants to conquer all worlds and control life itself. His ultimate goal is to find the Anti-Life Equation, a formula that can remove free will from every living being. And this could be a major threat, thus requiring Superman to step in.
If Gunn’s DC Universe is truly building toward Darkseid, that means Peacemaker’s storyline is planting the seeds for the next major crossover event. And that’s basically how Superman could get involved. If Earth learns that Salvation isn’t just a prison but a dangerous planet connected to Apokolips, Superman would have to step in.
He’s one of the few heroes strong enough to face Darkseid. The twist could even bring Lex Luthor back into the picture, maybe as someone who regrets helping create the pocket dimension prison idea and ends up teaming with Superman to stop Darkseid’s invasion. It would be an unexpected but epic alliance that Gunn had previously confirmed (via Howard Stern Show).
It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.
So this is how we believe Peacemaker Season 2’s cliffhanger could lead directly into Man of Tomorrow and set up a huge storyline for the DC Universe. Darkseid’s arrival would be the perfect “endgame” moment for James Gunn’s new world, a threat so massive that it unites every hero and even some villains.
Share your opinions on the Salvation Run theory connecting Man of Tomorrow.
Peacemaker is currently streaming in the US on HBO Max.
