- Peacemaker season 2’s premiere drops plenty of hints about Batman
- This season’s first episode contains multiple references to The Dark Knight
- Other DCU projects confirmed The Caped Crusader already operates in this universe
Peacemaker season 2 has finally made its long-awaited debut – and the popular HBO Max show’s latest installment wastes no time letting us know that Batman already exists in the DC Universe (DCU).
Admittedly, previous DCU projects have done that. Creature Commandos episode 6 revealed the DCU’s Batman for the first time – albeit in silhouette form – while James Gunn’s Superman movie contained a blink and you’ll miss it reference to Gotham City via a road sign.
Nevertheless, the first episode of Peacemaker‘s sophomore season really drives home that Bruce Wayne has been operating as his vigilante alter-ego for some time – and six specific Easter eggs that prove it.
Full spoilers immediately follow for Peacemaker 2‘s inaugural chapter.
The first of those happen 12 minutes into this season’s opener, titled ‘The Ties That Grind’.
As Leota Adebayo and Chris Smith pull up to the place where the latter’s Justice Gang interview is being held, said venue bears the name Krank Toys.
A business founded and run by Griffin Krank, and later taken over by his son Cosmo after his father’s death, the Gotham City-based enterprise and the Krank family weren’t created for DC Comics. Indeed, they were specifically made for 2004 animated series The Batman (NB: not to be confused with its 2022 Matt Reeves-directed movie namesake). In that show, the Kranks made futuristic but dangerous toys and, after Bruce Wayne used his considerable clout to shut it down, Griffin adopted the supervillain pseudonym Toymaker to enact revenge on Wayne.
The DCU TV Original’s next Batman Easter egg appears moments later. As Smith approaches the building’s entrance, one of its bodyguards opens the door and a visibly upset woman, who’s dressed in a white rabbit costume, walks past Smith.
A criminal known as the White Rabbit – real name Jaina Hudson – exists in the comics. And, given Hudson’s alias appears in episode 1’s end credits sequence, it’s clear this individual in ‘The Ties That Grind’ is the Gotham-based socialite who moonlights as a crook. So, it’s another fun call-back to a member of the Caped Crusader’s stacked rogues gallery.
15 minutes pass before the DCU Chapter One TV series drops its next Batman reference in the form of ARGUS agent Sasha Bordeaux, played here by Sol Rodríguez.
Created by Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough, and debuting in ‘Detective Comics #751’ in December 2000, Bordeaux has big ties to The Dark Knight. I won’t spoil anything about her comic book history here in case any of it has been adapted for her live-action take in the DCU. However, speaking to me ahead of the show’s return, Rodríguez told me she’s “really love” it if Bordeaux appears in the DCU’s Batman film, which is currently titled The Brave and the Bold. We’ll see if her wish is granted post-season 2.
Easter egg number four appears – or, rather, is heard – during the news report Rick Flag Sr is watching before Bordeaux enters his office to inform him of the “glitch” they’ve been keeping tabs on at Smith’s home (i.e. Smith using the Quantum Unfolding Chamber to access another dimension).
In said news bulletin, the anchor says there have been three breakouts at Belle Rive Penitentiary and Arkham over the past two months. The latter is, unsurprisingly, a reference to Arkham Asylum, the psychiatric hospital that supervillains captured by Batman are sent to.
The penultimate Easter egg can be glimpsed in the trophy room of the Smith household that exists in the alternate universe we’ll see throughout season 2.
As the DCU’s Chris Smith inspects some framed newspaper clippings of his family’s heroic exploits in this parallel dimension, one such article reveals they thwarted something know as the Rainbow Creature. A powerful Abominable Snowman-type character, this monster first appeared in ‘Batman Vol. 1 #134’ in September 1960. Created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff, it hails from South America and has access to various superpowers, including pyrokinesis and the ability to vaporize objects, by way of its multi-colored fur.
The final reference in one of the best HBO Max shows’ second season isn’t specific to Batman. Given his ties to the hero it’s related to, though, it still counts.
So, what is it? When the DCU’s Smith stumbles outside and meets his brother Keith, who’s alive and all grown up in this alternate reality, the latter says to the former “I thought you were in Bludhaven”. That’s the Gotham-adjacent city protected by Nightwing, aka Dick Grayson. He’s one of many individuals to assume the superhero identity of Robin, i.e. Batman’s sidekick, in DC Comics.
For more on Peacemaker‘s latest season, read my Peacemaker season 2 release schedule guide to find out when new episodes will be released. Then, check out my Peacemaker season 2 review, which contains clues about what might happen in episodes 2 through 5.
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