Throughout Peacemaker's first season, the DC series included a plethora of jokes directed at the members of the Justice League. The John Cena-led spinoff didn't shy away from hilarious jokes about the likes of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Batman during a good chunk of its episodes, thus fueling discussion from fans online.
Warning: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Peacemaker's Season 1 finale.
From Aquaman fornicating with a fish to playfully mocking Batman's no-kill rule, Peacemaker went all-in to poke fun at DC's well-established heroes. Despite the Justice League jokes, many felt the series still featured a strong story and powerful character arcs for its star-studded ensemble, thus ultimately leading to the show being renewed for a second season on HBO Max.
The Justice League mockery eventually paid off due to a major moment from the finale when the actual superhero team appeared at the last minute. Now, after a record-breaking season-ender on HBO Max, it appears that a major cameo has been scrapped from the episode.
Batman Almost Appeared in Peacemaker's Finale
Actor/stunt double Matt Turner posted several new behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram wearing Ben Affleck's Batman costume to celebrate Peacemaker's Season 1 finale, indicating that the Dark Knight was supposed to appear during the Justice League's cameo in the episode.
Turner confirmed that his appearance as Batman alongside a Cyborg stunt double was "cut from the final edit" of the episode while also teasing that Peacemaker director James Gunn and Warner Bros. are the only ones who know the reason why:
"After that epic #peacemaker finale I can finally post this. Sadly I(& Cyborg) were cut from the final edit. Why? Only James Gunn & Warner Bros. know that. While it's disappointing to be scrubbed out, this was still a blast, and a dream come true to wear the suit!!! Big thanks to everyone involved!!"
The actor can be seen wearing Ben Affleck's Batman suit from Justice League, essentially confirming that the same version from Snyder's set of films is still canon during the events of the series:
The DCEU's Multiverse Plan for Batman
Matt Turner's social media post indicates that Batman's scrapped appearance was a last-minute decision, potentially tying into the studio's Multiverse plans for the character in The Flash. The Ezra Miller-led solo film is set to feature two versions of Batman, namely Ben Affleck's grizzled veteran from the main DCEU and Michael Keaton's Dark Knight from his own universe.
It's highly likely that The Flash's ending could erase Affleck's iteration from the mainline DCEU, meaning that Keaton's version could primarily take over. If this is the case, then seeing Affleck's Batman in Peacemaker's finale could lead to confusion, thus leading to the scrapped appearances.
Peacemaker executive producer/writer/director James Gunn admitted that "there are reasons" for the characters' absence, but he did point out that it's uncertain if he can reveal it. Gunn's comment also solidifies that the series is still set in the wider DCEU, meaning that the ramifications that will happen in The Flash could affect the events that will transpire during Peacemaker's second season.
As for Cyborg, it seems that plans for the character are still in flux, especially after Ray Fisher’s behind-the-scenes debacle with Warner Bros. At this stage, the plan behind Batman is still unclear, but eventually, all will be revealed during The Flash.
All episodes of Peacemaker Season 1 are now streaming on HBO Max.
