The Season 2 Cliffhanger Cleverly Sets Up the Man of Steel's Upcoming Big Antagonist

This conclusion of the series season 2 ends on a massive unresolved moment that could have significant consequences for the direction of the DCU. While it's still unknown if the series will return for a third season, the creator has confirmed that the storyline will closely lead into the upcoming Superman film. Considering this, one specific element from the Peacemaker finale might be crucial to understanding the secretive villain of the Superman movie.

Curious? We can explore further.

Complete spoilers below for the end of Peacemaker the second season.

Peacemaker Season 2 Finale Explained

In the last episode of the series the second season, ARGUS, under Rick Flag, investigates the interdimensional portal that Chris Smith handed over in the previous episode. It's unclear what they're looking for, until they discover it: a habitable planet where Flag can banish all of Earth's superpowered beings. He calls this planet the new prison, with plans to use it as a massive, inescapable jail.

In the final moments of the episode, ARGUS kidnaps Chris and shoves him through the portal into Salvation. Rick reveals that Peacemaker will be his test subject to ensure Salvation is actually livable and the doorway disappears behind him, trapping Chris all alone on an alien planet in a different reality. After that, we hear a roar of roars that kind of sound like a bunch of offscreen creatures about to devour Chris. The episode ends.

So what does it signify? To understand it, it's worth examining DC comics history, in particular, the story of the comic series.

Salvation Run and Peacemaker

Published in 2007-2008 during DC's crossover event, Salvation Run was a limited series based on an concept from George R.R. Martin. It was authored by the writer and Lilah Sturges, with illustrations by the artist, Walden Wong, Joe Bennett, and the team.

The core idea of the comic was that the Suicide Squad (led by its commander) apprehended a group of supervillains and exiled them to a remote world called Salvation. The roster of captive villains featured the genius, the Joker, Killer Croc, the brute, Deadshot, the ape, Hugo Strange, Clayface, the cryogenic, the botanist, Hyena, and dozens more. Waller also added some gray-area figures, like Catwoman, for good measure.

The plan was to let the antagonists battle and perish, but there was a twist. Turns out that Salvation was in fact a "training planet" for the deities of the hellworld, also known as, the nightmarish realm governed by the tyrant. To make matters worse, Salvation was under the control of one of the ruler's most disturbing subordinates: the torturer.

DeSaad and the Man of Tomorrow

In the comics, he has a distinct purpose: he's the lord's torture guy. DeSaad is also a genius who loves inventing new ways to torture his victims, and is virtually ageless. In some iterations, he's super strong, too, and has abilities like telepathy and the power to manipulate others' feelings. In other words, he's terrifying.

If the showrunner is adapting the Salvation Run story (which appears probable based on the prison planet's name in Peacemaker), then it seems logical that he could be introducing DeSaad as the DCU's upcoming big bad. This would definitely be a daunting enough threat to get the hero and Lex Luthor working together on the same team against a greater threat — especially if Luthor feels bad for coming up with the notion of a interdimensional jail in the first place.

Admittedly, we're making educated guesses here, but based on the ending of Peacemaker the second season, DeSaad just rose significantly in the rankings for the Superman film's main antagonist. And as an added bonus, he could serve as an prelude for the ruler himself once the filmmaker gets around to making his own Justice League film.

Fortunately, we won't have to wait too much longer to learn for sure. Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to start filming in April of 2026.