HBO MaxA universe ruled by Nazis running parallel to our own would be a huge revelation for any story, and the latest season of Peacemaker tries to give that twist the gravity it warrants. Series creator James Gunn worked hard to preserve that surprise for the latter half of Season 2, leaving three episodes to explore the similarities and differences in this other Earth. In interviews and on the Peacemaker podcast, Gunn is calling this “Earth-2,” though longtime DC fans will probably think of his dimension as “Earth X.” Eiher way, when Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker (John Cena), escapes to this dimension to live an easier life, his friends from his native universe give chase to convince him to return home. Their arrival gives Peacemaker some fun reveals — like the pleasure of two different versions of Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) — but also revelations that may be a bit too complex or uncomfortable to unpack in such a short window. Peacemaker and the gang don’t spend much time on Earth-2 before returning to their own world in Episode 7, so we don’t learn what’s happened to characters like Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) or Judo Master (Nhut Lee) in Nazi Land. Given that the general reaction to Ads walking down the street was a panicked “One got out!” and a fervent chase, it obviously can’t be good. As this is a show about Peacemaker at the end of the day, Episode 7 is mostly focused on how all of this affects him. According to Gunn, however, we originally would have gotten even more insight into this world, courtesy of a fallen character from Peacemaker Season 1. And had that happened, this Peacemaker story might have been a little bit more interesting.Spoilers ahead for Peacemaker Season 2.Peacemaker’s focus on Peacemaker keeps the show from going deep into its Nazi twist. | DC StudiosPeacemaker treats us to parallel versions of a handful of characters, from the bumbling Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) to the skirt-wearing Harcourt (Jennifer Holland). There was even a time when Gunn would have brought back a fan favorite from Season 1, Clemson Murn. Played by Guardians of the Galaxy alum Chukwudi Iwuji, Murn served as the head of Project Butterfly, a task force dedicated to fighting the bug-like, body-snatching aliens. Our heroes later learned that Murn had been possessed by a Butterfly named Ik Nobe Llok. Ik claimed that he took over the body of the worst person he could find in an effort to make good and fight against his people, who were trying to take over the world.Gunn nearly brought Murn back for Peacemaker Season 2: he would have been a true “hero” on Earth-2, not unlike that universe’s version of Vigilante. “Whereas Murn on our planet was the worst guy in the world before he became a butterfly, Murn on their planet was this sort of kick-ass Harriet Tubman,” Gunn revealed on the latest episode of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast. “Like a total action hero.”Murn would have been a “kick-ass Harriet Tubman” on Earth-2, allowing Peacemaker to give this story the weight it deserved. | HBO MaxIn fairness, this pitch sounds a bit more compelling than what we got. Peacemaker’s Earth-2 plot really could have used a dissenter like Murn. We don’t get much context about what happened in the world, how freedom fighters like the Sons of Liberty are fighting back, or how minorities live. Anything we learn is offered piecemeal from the show’s white characters: not just Vigilante, but Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), Christopher’s father. He mentions that he’s fighting the systems of this world as best he can, but his best clearly isn’t good enough. Vigilante, by contrast, is doing a bit more to fight the powers that be, supplying arms to the Sons of Liberty — but Peacemaker still needs a more radical perspective. It would have been nice to know that someone else was out there implementing real change, someone directly impacted by the world’s vague regime.It’s a big missed opportunity for Peacemaker, but Gunn says that the door is still open to explore that world and the true heroes in it. “There’s still the future,” he said. “There’s still an Earth-2. We didn’t blow it up. This still exists.”We’ll have to wait and see whether Peacemaker and the gang sever the connection between their Earth and Earth-2 in the season finale, but any bridge they burn probably won’t be officially destroyed. Gunn still seems eager to explore aspects of Earth-2 — and rightly so, as Peacemaker barely scratched the surface. We might not have seen the last of that parallel world, or of Murn; it’s just a matter of where or when Gunn will continue that thread.Peacemaker Season 2 is now streaming on HBO Max.