This article contains spoilers for the Peacemaker season finale.
A newly unveiled Peacemaker behind-the-scenes image confirms exactly what fans had suspected about an iconic character’s absence from the hit HBO Max show’s season finale.
The John Cena vehicle reached the end of its first run this week, concluding things with a bang thanks to an internet-breaking scene that featured some of the biggest characters at the DCEU’s disposal.
As pretty much everyone knows by now, the Justice League turned up, with Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller reprising their roles as Aquaman and The Flash, while Superman and Wonder Woman performed by stand-ins.
As mind-blowing as it was, though, DC fans have been scratching their heads as to why Batman and Cyborg were no-shows. Now, it’s been revealed that Bruce Wayne and Victor Stone were originally part of the scene before being cut in post-production.
Stunt performer Matt Turner has shared a shot of himself in a Ben Affleck-like Batman costume on his Instagram account. In the caption, Turner confirms he worked on the Peacemaker finale, and is as mystified as the rest of us why he was left on the cutting room floor.
“After that epic [Peacemaker] finale I can finally post this,” Turner said. “Sadly I(& Cyborg) were cut from the final edit. Why? Only [James Gunn] and [Warner Bros.] know that. While it’s disappointing to be scrubbed out, this was still a blast, and a dream come true to wear the suit!!! Big thanks to everyone involved!!”
James Gunn has somewhat addressed Batman and Cyborg’s absence in an interview, and while he refrained from confirming or denying anything, the writer/director hinted that their removal was a studio decision that’s linked to the future of the DCEU.
We can speculate that they wanted to take Batman out due Affleck effectively being retired at this point, outside of his role in The Flash. Meanwhile, Ray Fisher’s public feud with WB may have ensured they’re dropping Cyborg from the franchise, too.
Peacemaker season one is streaming in full on HBO Max now.