James Gunn on the Future of the DCU and the “Peacemaker” Finale

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has a stellar track record when it comes to fusing music with superhero universes, from producing the mixtapes for the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise to making the obscure Iggy Pop/Teddybears nugget “Punkrocker” one of the summer’s top songs via Superman. This was also true of Peacemaker’s recently finished second season, which featured the incredible Foxy Shazam theme song (“Oh Lord”) and the show’s finale performances by Foxy and the long-haired rock group Nelson (playing the extremely deep cut “To Get Back to You”). Gunn joined Rolling Stone on a Zoom to discuss the music of the season as well as some more general DCU subjects. (There will be some spoilers.) Read our recent interview with Matthew Nelson and Gunn to find out what they thought about the appearance of his band. ).

How did this happen? Why Nelson? Why this song?

I first chose the song. As you are aware, I work from a huge list when I am creating songs for Peacemaker; at this time, there are thousands of songs that I believe fit the Peacemaker genre. Sometimes I write scenes that use music because I was inspired by it, but most of the time I think, “This is a good place for a piece of music.”. After asking myself, “What should I listen to?” I consult my list. It just seemed like the right time for it at this particular moment. Additionally, I think Nelson’s 2010 album Lightning Strikes Twice is a fantastic album. I mean, no one is aware of it. However, the entire album is a really good example of melodic rock. The song is amazing as well.

favored by Rolling Stone.

The destiny of that song is about to be altered by you.

Of course, absolutely. It is simply an absolutely amazing song, much like the Foxy Shazam song.

You already had that in your pocket?

No. Yes, I was familiar with the song. It was among my all-time favorite Foxy Shazam tunes. Additionally, the band is something I genuinely adore. To try to figure it out, though, I listened to a lot of different songs because I had no idea what I was going to do. Will I use [Wig Wam’s] “Do You Wanna Taste It” again, or will I use something else? It had the exact effect I had hoped for, with everyone initially complaining that they preferred the older song. I prefer the previous introduction. As we approach the eighth episode, the most frequent feedback I receive on threads is, “Wow, I didn’t like it as much at first, but now I like it even more.”. And the song has a lot of emotion. It also works incredibly well in this scene.

editor’s selections.

Was the idea that you would have them sing the song on the show your only thought?

No, but I had a constant thought that I would use the song at the end of the performance. Similar to this, there was always the idea that, you know, “Do You Wanna Taste It” could mean different things, but at the end of episode eight, it’s really about Harcourt’s blood in his mouth. The coming together of these broken souls in [new team] Checkmate is the subject of this song. I always intended to use this song in that way.

However, Foxy Shazam was added at the last minute to the show. Eric Nally, the singer of Foxy Shazam, and I became friends. In any case, I thought, “You know what, we’re going to shoot Nelson.”. At the end of the show, Harcourt and Peacemaker fully came together, sort of like a boyfriend and girlfriend, which is why the song is playing. What if we only saw a few shots of them and their reveal at this concert?

Are you considering how to incorporate songs into other future DCU projects in an interesting way, or are you letting the individual creators handle that?

There is a mix. I really dislike the cliched music that is occasionally used. As long as I live, I don’t think I’ll ever hear “Ballroom Blitz” again. I can’t stand to hear “Ballroom Blitz” in a movie again, even though I adore the band. When something like that occurs, which happens quite frequently in these various projects, they say, “Oh, James will enjoy this because it’s music from the Seventies.”. I’m thinking, “Dot, I don’t like music from the Seventies.”. That was the Guardians’ fit. After all, I do enjoy music from the 1970s. Any kind of music appeals to me.

Relevant Content.

This journey actually began before Peacemaker, which is why I’ve turned into a sleaze-metal guy. But my true taste is punk-rock. All day long, I’ve been listening to my 2025 playlist, which includes a lot of hip-hop and other contemporary alternative music in addition to [Irish punk band] Sprints and [Canadian punk band] Pup. There is this incredible hip-hop artist named Russell. Many interesting things are available.

Do you think that way about songs in the upcoming projects, such as the Supergirl film and the HBO Max series Lanterns?

Both of those items contain songs. However, whether or not there are songs in something doesn’t matter to me. Listen, I consider Superman to be a score film, so I use songs like that. The only song that is oddly likely the biggest hit song I’ve heard from a non-Wig Wam show is this one. Maybe “Come and Get Your Love” from the original Guardians, you know. “Come and Get Your Love,” however, was well known. It was similar to discovering a song again from a different angle.

Regarding Peacemaker’s savage detour from what appeared to be a happy ending — first of all, what’s wrong with you?

Listen, we’re not done yet.

Should people anticipate that thread to grow significantly in the future?

Yes.

Given that you stated that Man of Tomorrow is a sequel to Superman, should people anticipate that John Cena’s and Peacemaker’s fates will be covered in that film?

Absolutely not. However, viewers can anticipate that future DCU stories will feature the way the military, Rick Flagg, and everyone else are cooperating to create what is likely an illegal prison for metahumans on another dimension. And it’s a part of the stories, not just a tertiary, “Oh, this is Arkham.”. Clearly, there is a growing conflict between the government and metahumans. And a component of it is this.

Just to be clear, you have created a crucial aspect of the DCU moving forward concerning a government official abusing their position of authority by sending masked thugs to expel innocent people from the planet in the middle of the night.

[Sighs. Brian, it is completely fictitious. It’s impossible for this to occur on Earth, but that’s the great thing about comic books and other media: they allow you to explore things that would never, ever occur on Earth.

This thread, this war—will we see this in Supergirl and Lanterns, or is this your arc and not necessarily the bigger picture?

Absolutely not. Both of those are functional. Both of those stories are part of the overall tapestry, but they are also distinct from one another, as we knew they were a part of what we initially assembled. In particular, Supergirl is an adventure in space. It’s similar to Guardians. Lanterns are a unique phenomenon. With all these disparate pieces, we’re constructing a larger, more comprehensive world, and occasionally they all come together and intersect in a narrative fashion, and other times they just say, “Here’s another piece of the world.”.

Are there any other significant arcs for this stage?

Yes, indeed. When it comes to setup, lanterns are crucial.

In addition, many are wondering whether James Mangold’s recently revealed agreement means that the Swamp Thing film he was working on for you is no longer in the works.

No, no, it doesn’t. No.

So you’re still optimistic about that?

Yes, absolutely, I mean that. Sure. Yes, exactly. He’s been spoken to. He remains an investor. So, we’ll see. Certain tasks require a lot of time. We’ll see what occurs.

Stories that are trending.

At the end of this season, will you announce a Checkmate show with the new team, or will we have to guess how this will continue?

We’ll discover as time passes. That’s a mystery.