When HBO Max dropped the sixth episode of Peacemaker’s second season, titled “Ignorance Is Chris,” on September 25, 2025, fans were bracing themselves for the usual blend of irreverent superhero antics and hard-hitting emotional beats. But what they got was a jolt—a twist that not only redefined the show’s alternate universe arc but also cast a sharp light on uncomfortable truths about history, race, and the ease with which dangerous ideologies can slip under the radar.
In this episode, Christopher Smith (John Cena)—the brash, well-meaning antihero known as Peacemaker—has abandoned his own troubled world for an alternate Earth. On this new Earth, he’s surrounded by the family he lost: his brother Keith (David Denman), alive and thriving as Captain Triumph, and his father Auggie (Robert Patrick), no longer the white supremacist White Dragon but instead a loving, supportive parent. The Smiths are a team of beloved superheroes, cheered by the public and seemingly living in a utopia. It’s a world where Chris never accidentally killed his brother as a child, and where his great love, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), is emotionally healthy and reciprocates his feelings. For a man haunted by guilt and loss, it’s a second chance that feels too good to be true.
But as viewers—and Chris’s friends—soon discover, the cracks in this shiny veneer run deep. According to Variety, the episode’s writer and director James Gunn carefully seeded clues that something was off: the all-white crowds, the subtle oddities (like Def Leppard spelling its name correctly and Cheerios rebranded as Cheeri-ohs), and the absence of people of color. Yet, like Chris himself, many viewers didn’t notice—at least, not until the show forced the truth into the open.
The revelation comes when Chris’s teammates, the so-called 11th Street Kids—Harcourt, Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), and Economos (Steve Agee)—cross into the alternate universe to convince him to come home. While Harcourt and Keith head to A.R.G.U.S. headquarters, Harcourt observes the eerie lack of diversity. Meanwhile, Adebayo, left to explore the neighborhood, is met with shock and disgust from the residents. The tension explodes when Keith drives by, screeches to a halt, and shouts, “One got out! A Black!”—prompting a mob of Nazi Americans to chase Adebayo through the streets. At the same time, Chris notices the American flags at A.R.G.U.S. are adorned not with stars, but with swastikas. The truth is inescapable: this “utopia” is a Nazi paradise, a world where Nazi Germany won World War II, and people of color have been rounded up and imprisoned.
James Gunn, in an interview with Variety, explained how he hid the Nazi twist in plain sight. “No one noticed at all,” Gunn said, adding, “And that was people of color, too, by the way. It wasn’t just, you know, the whites.” He recounted how, despite private test screenings, the true nature of Earth X (the show’s name for the alternate universe) was missed by most until the episode’s midpoint. “Peacemaker is not a bad guy. He’s not a racist, but he does have this sort of narcissistic tendency to judge moments based on how he’s being treated and judged,” Gunn reflected. The show’s point, he said, is that it’s frighteningly easy to overlook injustice when you’re not the one being targeted.
The episode’s production was closely tied to real-world events. Gunn revealed that one pivotal scene—where the team is accidentally doused with cocaine—was filmed the morning after the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Another sequence was shot on Halloween of the same year. While Gunn insisted that he doesn’t write with the intention of making political statements, he acknowledged that current events inevitably seep into his storytelling. “Obviously, Adebayo’s situation at the end of the episode, from one perspective, is the most important thing. But at the end of the day, the show is about the 11th Street Kids and their relationships with each other and what they get from each other and how they change each other,” Gunn said.
Gunn’s handling of the Nazi alternate universe is notable for its subtlety. Unlike shows that telegraph their villains, Peacemaker’s Earth X initially feels inviting—even idyllic—if you’re not looking too closely. The show suggests that the comfort of privilege can make it all too easy to ignore or rationalize systemic evil. As The Atlantic noted, “The fact that the series’ hero didn’t notice that he was living in a Nazi paradise—that despite repudiating his father’s beliefs, he could still feel most at home in an all-white world—is something the show will have to take head-on going forward.”
The episode also plants seeds for the broader DC Universe. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) makes an appearance, setting up connections to the upcoming 2027 film Superman: Man of Tomorrow. However, Gunn made clear that Superman himself (David Corenswet) won’t be appearing in Peacemaker. “I needed Lex in the show to serve a specific purpose. And actually, what Lex and Rick Flag are up to affects very much what happens in an aspect of ‘Man of Tomorrow.’ So all of that is connected,” Gunn told Variety. He outlined how the overall DCU story was mapped out in advance, tying together shows and films in a carefully orchestrated narrative.
As for the future of Earth X, Gunn downplayed its ongoing role in the DCU, describing it as “not a major part of the storytelling.” Instead, its purpose is to challenge Peacemaker and, by extension, the audience. “If we were raised in Nazi world and accepted that as being OK, how would you think?” Gunn asked, hinting that upcoming episodes would further explore the moral ambiguities of life under fascism.
Peacemaker’s bold narrative choices stand in stark contrast to recent moves by other entertainment giants. Just days before the episode aired, Apple indefinitely postponed the release of The Savant, a TV series starring Jessica Chastain as a researcher infiltrating right-wing extremist groups. Apple’s only public explanation was a vague reference to “careful consideration,” leaving many to speculate that the company was wary of controversy, particularly in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the uproar over any suggestions linking him or his followers to white nationalism. As The Atlantic observed, “Merely asserting the existence of violent white nationalism is a potato too hot for a $3.8 trillion corporation to handle.”
In contrast, Warner Bros. and HBO Max have shown a willingness to tackle these themes head-on. Peacemaker’s depiction of a Nazi utopia is not just a sci-fi conceit; it’s a mirror held up to the present, forcing viewers to confront uncomfortable questions about complicity, privilege, and the seductive power of nostalgia. As Gunn put it, “If my stupid TV show has anything to do with people being like, ‘Oh, maybe I should be more aware of my prejudices,’ great. But that isn’t what I write the show for. I write the show for the emotional angle, just like I wrote ‘Superman’ to be about kindness.”
In a media landscape where some companies shy away from controversy, Peacemaker’s latest episode stands as a testament to the power of storytelling that doesn’t flinch from the darkness lurking beneath the surface. Sometimes, the most unsettling truths are the ones hiding in plain sight.
