James Gunn's DC Reboot Just Killed Off a Major Superhero

One major superhero got killed off in the early stages of James Gunn's new DC reboot. Gunn is three releases deep into his Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate, which already includes a number of notable deaths to major characters from DC canon. This trend continues in his most recent project, bringing an emotional and tragic end for a character who had already been killed off once before.

Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 7.

Season 2, Episode 7 of DC Studios' Peacemaker showed Robert Patrick's alternate-universe version of Auggie Smith (also known as the Blue Dragon) being killed off. As one of over half a dozen characters returning from the former DC Extended Universe, Patrick's Auggie Smith was an intensely antagonistic figure throughout Peacemaker's first season. However, Season 2 gave him a change of heart.

In Season 2, Episode 7, Auggie and Keith Smith take John Economos prisoner in their mansion after catching Economos sneaking around. Eventually, Christopher Smith and Emilia Harcourt get back to the house, as Keith and Auggie begin interrogating them about their own world.

Keith got angry with Earth Prime's Chris for lying and killing his brother, and Auggie tried to stay reasonable while proving to the group that he was different from his doppelganger. While Auggie was known as an evil and racist monster in the show's original universe, Earth-X's version was a hero, wanting nothing more than to do good in a world that had done so many people wrong.

Explaining that he had actually run into his doppelganger years before, Auggie made it clear to his alternate-dimension son that he was a force for good in this world, in which the world was overrun by Nazis after World War II.

Out of the blue, Vigilante jumped through the window and charged at Auggie with a knife, stabbing him repeatedly in the neck before he bled out.

Dying on the floor, Chris jumped in to try to rescue his alternate-dimension father, but to no avail. Reaching his lowest point yet in the series, Cena's Peacemaker started blaming himself for all the problems in both universes, feeling he was the root of everything bad that happened to him.

Peacemaker Season 2 is the third release under DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran in the new DC Universe. Picking up with John Cena's Chris Smith after the end of Season 1, he works to find his new identity in the world while dealing with alternate dimensions and new enemies. The final episode of Peacemaker Season 2 will debut on HBO Max at 9 p.m. on Thursday, October 9.

What Will Happen in Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 8?

After Auggie Smith's tragic death in Episode 7, all hell is about to break loose in both universes during Episode 8. Particularly after Keith Smith seemed to survive after the attack, he looks hellbent on getting revenge for his father's death, while Peacemaker and his team escape to their universe and try to stay safe.

With powerful new forces (such as the Sons of Liberty) in play on Earth-X, Team Peacemaker had to recalibrate and regroup to get Christopher Smith back home where he belongs. However, Vigilante's murder of Auggie Smith will only make things more difficult, especially with Keith likely to come after the other version of his brother to kill him.

In addition to these moments, James Gunn teased that the end of Peacemaker Season 2 will set the stage for other major events that will take place during projects being released later in the DCU timeline.

While the last episode's plot is still under wraps, fans can expect chaos from start to finish as Peacemaker and his friends hope to protect themselves and the world.