The finale of the DC HBO Max streaming series, Peacemaker, featured some high profile cameos following the episode’s big battle. As Peacemaker and his crew walked away from the ashes of the barn battle, four members of the Justice League arrived on the scene. While fans could immediately make out the silhouettes of Superman, the Flash, Aquaman and Wonder Woman, it seemed as though the cameos might be on the level of Shazam!. The surprise then took a turn when it became clear both Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller had actually filmed bits for the series. The cameo ended with a callback to one of the series’ raunchiest jokes, with Momoa and Miller both making good on the idea that Aquaman “sleeps with the fishes.”
The appearances of the Justice Leaguers sets Peacemaker firmly within the continuity of Zack Snyder’s Justice League rather than any of the several other continuities established in their various other series. Both heroes have solo films set to release this year and having them on set would certainly have drawn some attention. So how did they manage to keep the surprises a secret? In Miller’s case, it was done by never having him on set at all.
In an interview with Variety, director James Gunn explained that Miller filmed his Peacemaker cameo on the set up Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:
I think before we ever shot the show, we talked to Jason about it. We were like, “Listen, [Peacemaker] says you fuck fish all the time.” And we were a little afraid he would be upset, but he just laughed. He was cool. So he was pretty much on board from the beginning. And then Ezra I just found out through some common friends liked my movies a lot. And so I asked if he would come in and shoot this scene, and he kindly agreed to do that. Actually, Marvel shot [Ezra] for us, while we’re shooting “Guardians Vol. 3.”
Gunn went on to explain that the cameo was part of a nice quid pro quo scenario. As it turns out, Chukwudi Iwuji, who will play a major role in the Guardians’ sequel, shot his audition on the set of Peacemaker using the DC crew, so Marvel “owed DC” one. The series also left hanging the thread of Amanda Waller’s Task Force X being exposed to the world, so what consequences, if any, will befall Waller at the hands of the Justice League could be explored in the newly announced Season 2 or a potential Peacemaker-led sequel to Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
Source: Variety
