The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe have set the standard for interconnected storytelling with major crossovers from the franchises' biggest heroes. Heavily involved in both franchises is director/producer James Gunn, who will soon have three Guardians of the Galaxy movies under his belt in the MCU. On the Warner Bros. side, Gunn has also led the way on The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker in the last few months.
Peacemaker recently ended its first season on HBO Max with a shocking appearance by the Justice League, who showed up for a few seconds just after Peacemaker and his team stopped the butterfly invasion. Body doubles were used for both Superman and Wonder Woman, but fans got an actual interaction between Jason Momoa's Aquaman and Ezra Miller's Flash in this unexpected scene.
Having these stars and characters join the Peacemaker narrative was a major moment for the DCEU, especially in terms of connecting the streaming world with Warner Bros' blockbuster movies. One Peacemaker star recently explored just how crazy it was to make this happen as the show's first season came to an end.
That Justice League Moment from HBO Max
ComicBook spoke with Peacemaker stars Steve Agee and Jennifer Holland, who reflected on the Justice League cameo in the final moments of Episode 8.
Calling himself a fan of Zack Snyder's Justice League, Agee looked back at the moment as something "so crazy to shoot" during filming. Agee geeked out about seeing all those actors and characters standing there, calling it "awesome" while teasing how hard it was to keep the moment a secret:
“It was exciting. I am a big Justice League fan. I like those characters. I like the look of the characters. I like the dramatic feel for those movies. I was a fan of [Zack] Snyder’s Justice League. It was so crazy to shoot it. I mean, that’s all real. They were standing there. We had Superman on a wire. There was a person hanging there. That wasn’t digitally put in there. We had people, same sizes and the same suits. And seeing them silhouetted like that was really amazing for me, as a fan of those movies, to see that. It was awesome. It was so awesome. It was really hard not to talk about it and tell my friends.”
Holland also expressed her love for the moment, comparing it to seeing "Nick Fury show up at the end of [Iron Man]" in reference to what the MCU has done over the years. Having been a fan of those moments before she joined the world of superhero movies, Holland expressed how cool it was to see this happen in one of her own projects:
“I love it. I love when the different shows and movies can cross over. I think it’s fun for fans. I know that, before I was in any of these superhero projects and I was just a fan, it was always fun to see Nick Fury show up at the end of the movie you were watching. You’re like, ‘Oh, cool!’ So I thought that it was going to be really fun.”
Holland noted these cameos helped to put characters like hers into the same kind of spotlight as the Justice League, showing that "there’s room for all of us in this world:”
“You just don’t know how people are going to react to it. But I just hoped that people would see, ‘Oh, cool. There’s a place for all of us in this world.’ We’re a different tone, and we’re a different type of team. Maybe we’re not as superhero as some of the superheroes are, but we’re in the same world, and there’s room for all of us in this world.”
MCU and DCEU Continue to Make Headlines
Gunn and Agee are no strangers to the MCU's propensity for bringing thrilling moments with crossovers, with Agee having been in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Gunn having credits on five MCU movies thus far. That expertise translated well into his first DCEU TV show, especially pertaining to bringing a Justice League-level cameo in its closing moments.
The MCU kicked this trend off all the way back in 2008 when Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury showed up in Tony Stark's house to talk to him about the Avenger initiative in Iron Man. Over the last 14 years, those cameos and character inclusions have only grown more exciting each time, from Thanos in The Avengers to Harry Styles' Eros in Eternals.
Now that Peacemaker has its second season confirmed to be in development, fans will be looking to see what kind of major cameos and stories come to fruition once those eight episodes debut. Regardless, Gunn has his MCU and DCEU experiences to lean on as John Cena continued his run as the widely popular anti-hero.
All eight episodes of Peacemaker are available to stream on HBO Max. Gunn's next MCU movie will come with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will debut in theaters on May 5, 2023.
