James Gunn gave some answers about that big Peacemaker finale cameo

[Note: This article contains spoilers for the first-season finale of HBO Max’s Peacemaker.]

James Gunn’s Peacemaker wrapped up its first season on HBO Max this week, ending a story that emphasized many of Gunn’s pet obsessions: The redemption of total losers, elaborately choreographed dance routines, things crawling into people’s mouths, etc.

It also ended with one hell of a cameo, one juicy enough that we’re going to put one more spoiler warning here, just to make sure nobody catches it by accident.

Here, have a picture of Eagly:

James Gunn talked about the big Peacemaker cameo—in which the Justice League (either in silhouette, or in the form of Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller actually filming scenes for the show) finally shows up to the Butterfly crisis, only to get told off by our hero for getting there late—in an interview this week with Variety.

And, given the various reactions that scene has gotten online—ranging from laughter, to anger that Gunn was “disrespecting” Zack Snyder’s vision of the Justice League by having Aquaman tell Flash to “Fuck off” for joking about him having sex with fish, to people wondering why Batman and Cyborg didn’t show up even in the limited way that Wonder Woman and Superman did—it’s interesting to hear Gunn’s take on it.

Including the fact that he did the whole “ask forgiveness, not permission” thing on the concept as a whole:

You know, I didn’t have a conversation. I just wrote it and gave them the scripts. I don’t think they really realized what they had agreed to until they saw what I had shot, which was the Justice League there. And then I think the full weight of it and, you know, what does this mean for the DCU and all of that became huge pieces of conversation up to the very highest levels of Warners. And to their credit, they let me get away with it.

Noting that the show “didn’t have the budget for them to show up on time,” Gunn also reveals that Marvel, of all studios, actually did the filming for Miller’s cameo—which was taped during filming on Gunn’s upcoming Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. (Gunn’s pretty much the only filmmaker to jump between the two camps with some success; he also filmed Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji’s Guardians screen-test with Warner Media’s help and blessing.)

As to the questions surrounding Batman and Cyborg, Gunn had to be more circumspect—not surprising, given Ben Affleck’s departure from the role, and Ray Fisher’s high-profile declarations that he’ll never work with Warner high-up Walter Hamada ever again over the studio’s treatment of his allegations of abuse during the filming of Justice League.

Here’s Gunn, not answering the question:

You know, I don’t know what I can — there are reasons for it, but I’m actually uncertain whether I can say what those reasons are. It might have to do with future stuff.

Speaking of: Peacemaker has been formally renewed for a second season, something that Gunn said he and star John Cena had been holding off on announcing “because we wanted to make sure this is something we really love doing that we really wanted.” As to where the show might go, he hasn’t decided yet. “ So I know where Peacemaker starts and where he ends, but I’m playing with other ideas around that and how that’s gonna play out.”