Warning: this article contains spoilers for Peacemaker episode eight.
Peacemaker season one drew to a close earlier today and there was a ton for fans to digest with surprise twists, character arcs moving to completion, and massive cameos. The ending was perfect at wrapping the story being told while leaving some threads in place for season two.
The show concluded with Christopher Smith sitting down alongside Eagley with Goff floating around as all seems well, until his father appears next to him, despite having appeared to have met his end earlier in the season.
This concluding scene is a fantastic representation of Peacemaker’s journey during the show but, according to director James Gunn in an interview with Deadline, this wasn’t always the plan.
“I went through different endings then just what I was going to say in that moment. I think that Peacemaker is making the choice that is — it’s a step forward for himself and his own vitality, his own spirituality. Maybe it’s not the right thing to do for the world, and so, yes, that complexity is something that I thought of as being part of the ending of the show. Until that time, I thought different things. I thought that there was a chance that it would end with Peacemaker joining the butterflies, you know?
But I think by the time I got to the ending, I went through the journey with them, getting connected to these characters, I didn’t see him doing that. I think that he feels in that moment, it’s a choice between the lives of these people he’s come to love and this choice to stick with his old way of doing things.
That was very early in the writing process. By the time I had already kind of knew where I was going, by the time I started writing, actually physically writing, I wrote down tons and tons of ideas for a couple months beforehand, but once I started writing the script, I knew where it was going to end.”
James Gunn via Deadline
The show’s finale, which fans have so far adored, comes just a few days after the show’s second season was officially announced. For now, you can relive all the action from season one right now on HBO Max where Peacemaker can be streamed in its entirety.