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‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Just Dropped Another Surprising ‘Superman’ Connection

September 6, 2025

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 3.

Peacemaker Season 2 has wasted no time, not only throwing the audience back into the world of the 11th Street Kids, but also including subtle references and Easter eggs in the background that are building out the world of James Gunn‘s DCU. Whether it’s the inclusion of Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez), the Batman villain White Rabbit, or the quantum unfolding storage area being a major factor in the narrative of this season, Gunn is proving how the DCU can tell singular stories while still keeping things connected that move the narrative of the overall universe forward.

In Season 2, Episode 3, “Another Rick Up My Sleeve,” Christopher Smith, a.k.a. Peacemaker (John Cena), has finally explored the alternate dimension, stepping in to take the place of the doppelgänger he killed in Season 2, Episode 1, “The Ties That Grind.” Not only does he have an on-off, real relationship with Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) in this dimension, but his brother Keith (David Denman) is alive, his dad Auggie (Robert Patrick) isn’t racist, and he is considered a hero with the three of them being a successful, crime-fighting trio. While reconnecting with Harcourt 2, Chris faces off with the Sons of Liberty as they try to bomb a government facility, a group that usually opposes Superman in the comics.

Who Are the Sons of Liberty in DC Comics?

Image via DC Comics

The Sons of Liberty first debuted in Superman #53 in 1991, written and drawn by Jerry Ordway, and were a shadow organization that sought to overthrow the American government. The group infiltrated members of the government as well and were a small-time adversary for Superman, mostly on the Smallville level of things. The Sons of Liberty are often depicted very similarly to how they’re introduced in Peacemaker, a heavily armed militia that uses terrorist-like tactics to try and get America back on track by any means necessary — even, at one point, attempting to suicide-bomb the White House.

The Sons of Liberty are often associated with Agent Liberty, a.k.a. Benjamin Lockwood, who debuted in Superman #60, also in 1991, and was created by Dan Jurgens. Much like Peacemaker, Agent Liberty does not have any superpowers, just powered armor that allows him to fly. He was a disillusioned CIA operative who felt wronged by his government, so he took matters into his own hands by joining forces with the Sons of Liberty. After the group went too far, Agent Liberty turned on them, taking out a few of their leaders and leaking all their secrets to Clark Kent so he could expose the group via his position at the Daily Planet. Agent Liberty would eventually go on to join the Justice League, hinting at the possibility of Chris joining the DCU’s own Justice Gang after Season 2.

‘Peacemaker’s Sons of Liberty May Have Helped Reveal the Ugly Truth of Season 2’s Alternate Dimension

Since Peacemaker singlehandedly defeated this universe’s version of the Sons, they would obviously be no match for David Corenswet‘s iteration of the Man of Steel, but they are the perfect adversaries to showcase that Peacemaker can be a hero (even though he took out the Sons of Liberty in a very brutal fashion). The group is not only from another dimension, but also represents the path Chris could have taken if his choices were different. This version of the Sons is also very similar to the group of white supremacists that Chris’ dad, Auggie, formed in Season 1. Even though the Sons of Liberty are usually framed as the villains in the comics, there are certain details from this other dimension that might point to something being very wrong with this alternate universe.

Some eagle-eyed fans have already picked up on the fact that the characters in what Peacemaker has dubbed the “best dimension ever” are distinctly white. All the people who inhabit the town of Evergreen and all the agents at ARGUS are a stark comparison to the cast seen in the main universe, with characters like Bordeaux, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Langston Fleury (Tim Meadows), and even Judomaster (Nhut Le) examples of more diversity. This alternate dimension could be similar to Earth-X in the comics, a reality where Germany won World War II and took control of the world, creating a Nazi-controlled fascist universe. A major turning point in the war was Germany having Overman on their side, a version of Superman who was raised by Hitler and formed the JLAxis, which included other fascist versions of DC heroes like Hawkgirl and Green Lantern. If Peacemaker Season 2 leans hard into the Earth-X lore from the comics, it could lead to some wild alternate dimension cameos from Corenswet, Isabela Merced, and Nathan Fillion, respectively, in the latter half of this season.

This realization would flip the script on the goals this version of the Sons of Liberty has. They clearly stated they would continue to take down government buildings if their demands weren’t met, but those demands hadn’t been declared just yet. It is very clear the Sons are an anti-government group, but it could very well be that this version of the government is run by Nazis. Having Chris realize his perfect life was built by white supremacists would surely have him questioning the decision to abandon his home reality for this one. Even though Peacemaker has taken out this small group associated with the Sons of Liberty, it’s safe to assume it isn’t the last time the group will make an impact in Season 2.

Peacemaker is available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes air every Thursday.