Peacemaker Season 2: What Is Canon in the DCU?

With Superman (2025) on the way and trailers for Peacemaker Season 2 already out, fans are asking a simple question with a complicated answer:
What is actually canon in James Gunn’s DC Universe (DCU)?

After all, Superman is clearly not the same Superman from Man of Steel, yet Peacemaker—a character from the old universe—appears in both.

Even more confusing, in Peacemaker Season 1, we saw a cameo from the Justice League… including Henry Cavill’s Superman. So, where do we draw the line?

DCEU vs DCU: A Quick Refresher

• DCEU (DC Extended Universe):
  Started with Man of Steel (2013) and ended with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). This was Zack Snyder’s vision, later expanded by other directors. Due to messy storytelling and poor critical reception, this universe was eventually scrapped.
  
• DCU (DC Universe):
  A full reboot led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. The new continuity starts with:
  
  1. Creature Commandos
     
  2. Superman (2025)
     
  3. Peacemaker Season 2

These three projects are officially canon in the new DCU.

So… Why Are Things Still Confusing?

Here’s where it gets messy:
In Creature Commandos and the Peacemaker Season 2 trailer, Rick Flag Sr. refers to his son, who was killed by Peacemaker. That death happened in The Suicide Squad—a movie from the DCEU.

So does that mean The Suicide Squad is canon?
And if it is, then doesn’t that mean Peacemaker Season 1 is canon too?
And if Peacemaker Season 1 is canon, so is the Justice League cameo…
Which includes Superman from Man of Steel…

So now there are two Supermen?

The Simple Explanation (According to James Gunn)

James Gunn has been very clear about this:

✅ Only Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2 are canon in the DCU.
❌ Everything else is not.

That includes The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1. These are not canon in the new DCU—even if some characters or events are referenced again.

How Can That Be?

Let’s break it down with an example:

• If Rick Flag Sr. says “Peacemaker killed my son,” only that specific detail is canon.
  
• It doesn’t mean the entire plot of The Suicide Squad is canon.
  
• Similarly, if someone says “Peacemaker killed his father,” only that detail is canon—not all of Peacemaker Season 1.

In other words:

James Gunn is cherry-picking which facts carry over—not the full stories.

The Peacemaker Season 2 Theory

Here’s the theory that makes it all make sense:

• Peacemaker Season 1 happened in the DCEU.
  
• Peacemaker Season 2 happens in the rebooted DCU.
  
• They are not connected. This is not a continuation.
  

The Peacemaker we follow in Season 2 has always been part of the DCU. He’s not the same version from Season 1, even though he looks, acts the same, and shares similar histories. Any crossover, like seeing an alternate version of himself in the trailer, is just a multiverse side plot—not DCEU-related.

Final Thoughts

Yes, it’s confusing. But here’s the bottom line:

Only the projects James Gunn has explicitly labeled canon are part of the DCU.
References to past events or characters don’t make the old stories canon.

So when Peacemaker Season 2 releases, enjoy it for what it is:
A fresh story in a brand-new universe.