- Peacemaker season 2 episode 6 is out now on HBO Max and other streaming platforms
- It finally reveals the big twist at the center of this season’s story
- Fans have been vindicated over a major theory they had about Earth-2
Peacemaker season 2 episode 6 is out now – and it finally revealed a major twist at the center of this season’s plot.
After a few episodes of spinning its narrative wheels, the HBO Max show’s latest chapter, titled ‘Ignorance is Chris’, lifts the lid on what exactly Earth-2, aka the alternate reality Chris Smith keeps visiting, really is. And, it confirms a major fan theory that something wasn’t right at this parallel world.
I cannot stress this enough: full spoilers immediately follow for Peacemaker season 2 episode 6. Turn back now if you haven’t seen it yet.
Earth-X explained: what is the parallel universe in Peacemaker season 2?
For weeks, fans have been convinced that Earth-2 is the DC Universe’s (DCU) take on Earth-X (more on this later). Indeed, it’s a fan theory that’s circulated online since Peacemaker season 2 episode 3 dropped.
As it turns out, viewers who prescribed to this theory have been proven right. In the final minutes of ‘Ignorance is Chris’, the DCU’s Emilia Harcourt, who’s travelled to Earth-2 with the rest of the 11th Street Kids to convince Chris Smith to return to Earth-1 with them, asks Chris if he’s noticed anything unusual about Earth-2.
Confused, he asks “like what?”, to which Harcourt replies that she hasn’t seen a single person of color in the brief time she’s been in this dimension. This is something Harcourt initially picks up on when she’s driven to ARGUS by Chris’ brother Keith, who assumes she’s the Earth-2 version of Harcourt.
Anyway, as the pair prepare to leave Earth-2’s version of ARGUS, Chris spots what appears to be a miniature United States of America flag on an employee’s desk. Picking it up and unfurling it, he’s taken aback to see that the flag’s iconic white stars aren’t present on said flag and, in their place, is a white swastika.
As this scenario is playing out at ARGUS, another Peacemaker character also learns Earth-2 is full of white supremacists.
Leota Adebayo, the only non-white member of the 11th Street Kids, decides to go for a walk while she and John Economos wait for Chris, Harcourt and Vigilante to return from their various escapades. Waving at a resident driving past her, Adebayo is confused that the woman stares at her in horror.
Moments later, the aforementioned woman pulls over, runs to a neighbor, and starts furiously pointing at Adebayo. At the same time, Keith drives past in his truck and slams on the brakes as he also spots Adebayo. Diving out of his vehicle, he screams “one got out! A Black [woman]!”.
Understandably, Adebayo’s bewilderment suddenly turns to fear as an angry group of white people run out of their homes and towards her. Screaming “what the f***!?”, Adebayo begins running down the street, the baying mob in hot pursuit.
The fascist Earth-2 isn’t a novel idea that DC Studios co-chief James Gunn – he’s the creator, head writer and occasional director of the DCU Chapter One TV show – came up with, either. As I mentioned earlier, Earth-2 is essentially a live-action iteration of Earth-X.
For those unfamiliar with this alternate reality: in DC Comics, Earth-X is a parallel world where Nazi Germany won World War II. First appearing in ‘Justice League of America #107’ in October 1973, it revealed that World War II lasted for almost 30 years before the Third Reich assumed near-total control of planet Earth.
Without getting into the complexities of DC Comics history, part of Earth-X merged with Earth-One, Earth-Two, Earth-Four and Earth-S during the culmination of the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ storyline that ran from May 1985 to April 1986. Much like Marvel’s two ‘Secret Wars’ comic series, that led to various universes being joined together to form one composite reality, which allowed DC Comics to reboot their literary franchise.
Of course, this begs the question: will we see a similar event play out in one of the best HBO Max shows’ sophomore season? After all, the DCU has already begun dabbling with the multiverse through Peacemaker and Gunn’s Superman movie.
That said, I think it’s more likely that our heroes will escape and permanently seal away this parallel world, or destroy it completely using the interdimensional portal device that’s in the 11th Street Kids’ possession. With only two more chapters to go, it won’t be long until we find out which option they’ll choose.
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