Peacemaker is a bigger hero than Aquaman, actually
HBO Max
In the podcast, Gunn discusses the first episode of “Peacemaker” season 1 with stars Steve Agee, who plays John Economos, and Jennifer Holland, who plays Emilia Harcourt. While going through the script for the episode, Gunn explains that there are only two things in it that are no longer canon to the DCU, and both involve Aquaman. In a scene from early on in the episode, Christopher Smith (John Cena), better known as Peacemaker, wakes up in a hospital and starts speaking with a member of the custodial staff. When asked if he’s a superhero like Aquaman, Peacemaker gets belligerent, saying “F*** Aquaman” and telling the custodian that the marine-based superhero “f***s fish.” That joke was a bit controversial, and some fans balked when it was taken to extremes in the season 1 finale, but apparently now it’s not canon at all.
“It’s unlikely that Aquaman is a famous hero in the DCU as ‘Superman’ and ‘Peacemaker’ season 2 is happening,” Gunn explains in the podcast. That means that while we will probably see Aquaman at some point in the DCU’s future, he’s not a major player at this current point in the timeline. Given Gunn’s approach to building the universe, like using the Justice Gang as opposed to the Justice League, maybe Arthur Curry hasn’t really done much superheroing yet and we’re going to get an origin story for him. So, if Aquaman isn’t a famous hero yet, Peacemaker technically is a bigger hero than Aquaman. Now there’s a mind-twister. But what does this mean about the whole fish philandering thing?
So no, Aquaman doesn’t get freaky with fish
HBO Max
Gunn goes on to say that if someone “wants to do the ‘DCU cut'” of the first episode of “Peacemaker” season 1, “you can cut out Aquaman f***ing fish,” but that otherwise the episode is completely canon as far as he can remember. Since Peacemaker appeared in “Superman” and we know that Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) will appear in “Peacemaker” season 2, it’s kind of nice to know Gunn’s cleaning up the potential nitpicks from the first season before dropping the toilet seat-helmeted character fully in the DCU.
While the sex-with-fish jokes can absolutely go too far (and the 16-minute cut from the finale that apparently exists is way too much), one of the best things it did was showcase Aquaman actor Jason Momoa’s willingness to be in on the joke. He’s honestly pitch-perfect as a very irritated Aquaman, and knowing he wasn’t going to get to do much more in the DCU felt like a bit of a waste. Thankfully, Momoa will be a part of the DCU as a very different character (namely, the intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo), and one has to wonder if perhaps his willingness to get a little silly helped him make the jump from the DCEU to the DCU when other actors definitely didn’t.
We’ll have to wait and see what else is still canon in “Peacemaker” when the second season premiere drops on HBO Max on August 21, 2025.
