According to James Gunn, the latest episode of Peacemaker Season 2 just revealed its titular hero's 'arch-enemy.' John Cena's chrome-domed supe has gone up against some pretty formidable foes in his time on screen, taking on the terrifying Starro, and last season even thwarted plans of an alien invasion during his involvement with Project Butterfly. But he has yet to find that one big bad with whom he will go back and forth for years to come—until now.
In his discussion of Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 7, series creator and DC Studios head James Gunn teased that fans may have just met Peacemaker's arch-enemy in the Earth X version of his brother, Kieth (aka the armored hero Captain Triumph).
Speaking on Peacemaker: The Official Podcast about David Denman's Captain Triumph, Gunn described the entire season as his "origin story," lamenting that he is "a weird super-villain to have as [Peacemaker's] arch-enemy:"
"I think that in one way, the whole season is Captain Triumph's origin as a super-villain. The white supremacist, piece of sh*t super-villain. And we see at the end that look in his eyes....And like what a weird super-villain to have as your arch-enemy. Your brother from another dimension who hates you because you killed yourself."
This is the first confirmation that, in the DCU, Captain Triumph is seen by Gunn as Peacemaker's arch-enemy, and potentially hints at a future for the character beyond the show's ongoing second season.
The end of Peacemaker Season 2's penultimate episode saw Denman's Earth X hero attacked by the rest of the 11th Street Kids, leaving him bleeding out in his father's trophy room, while Peacemaker and the crew made their daring escape back to their normal reality.
Fans, however, got one last look at Captain Triumph as he was carted off by medical professionals, showing that he is, in fact, still alive and may be craving revenge.
Peacemaker Season 2 continues with its season finale dropping on HBO Max on Thursday, October 9 at 9 p.m. ET. The new season of the hit DC streaming series follows John Cena's Christopher Smith as he uncovers a 'too good to be true' reality where all of his wishes have come true.
Cena leads the James Gunn-developer show once again, with names like Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Tim Meadows, and Danielle Brooks rounding out this super-powered ensemble.
Will Captain Triumph and Peacemaker Ever Square Off in the DCU?
It is notable how James Gunn and the Peacemaker team framed Captain Tripumph's final few scenes in Season 2's seventh episode.
After being attacked by Eagley and the 11th Street Kids, it would not have been all that surprising if David Denman's character was never seen or heard from again, especially as Peacemaker and his friends closed the dimensional portal behind them in leaving Earth X's xenophobic reality.
But that does not look like it will be the case, as evident by the last shot of him being wheeled away by the ambulance, very much alive, as well as Gunn's recent arch-enemy comments.
This suggests that Captain Triumph will return in some capacity at some point in the future.
Seeing as the door to Earth X has been closed (at least for now), the season finale seems like it would not be the right place for the character to come back. So, that only leaves a potential Peacemaker Season 3 or another DCU project entirely.
Gunn has been noncommittal about a third season of his hit streaming series to this point, but if it were to happen, Captain Triumph will almost surely factor in somehow as he goes on some sort of multiversal revenge tour.
