Peacemaker season 2 episode 6's big cameo is the perfect set up for Man of Tomorrow

Chris Smith looking a little stunned in Peacemaker season 2 episode 6
Peacemaker's latest episode contains the DCU TV show's biggest cameo yet (Image credit: Jessica Miglio/HBO Max)

  • Peacemaker season 2 episode 6 includes the show's biggest cameo to date
  • The character was last seen in this year's Superman movie
  • Their appearance drops a big clue about what could happen in Man of Tomorrow

Peacemaker season 2 episode 6 just dropped the show's biggest character cameo yet – and their appearance seems to have sown the seeds for Man of Tomorrow's plot.

This season's latest chapter, titled 'Ignorance is Chris', includes another individual we first saw in James Gunn's Superman movie. And, given their presence in the HBO Max TV Original, it's all but confirmed that Peacemaker will act as the connective tissue between the DC Universe's (DCU) first film and its 2027 sequel.

Full spoilers immediately follow for Peacemaker season 2 episode 6 and Superman. Turn back now if you haven't seen either of them (or both) yet.

Wait, what is Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor doing in Peacemaker season 2 episode 6?

Lex Luthor wearing an orange prison jumpsuit in Peacemaker season 2 episode 6

Fancy seeing you here, Lex! (Image credit: HBO Max/DC Studios)

You read that right – Lex Luthor, aka the primary antagonist of Superman, one of 2025's best new movies, has made his DCU TV show debut.

For some viewers, this won't come as a shock, especially after what Rick Flag Sr says about 10 minutes into 'Ignorance is Chris'. After a terse conversation with ARGUS agent Langston Fleury, Flag Sr, who is ARGUS' acting director, calls his secretary Jessica to ask her to prep his helicopter because he wants to visit a specific inmate at Belle Reve prison.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that this mystery individual has to be Lex. After all, he was imprisoned at Belle Reve – for 265 years, no less – following events that transpired in Superman. Nonetheless, it's still a crowd-pleasing moment to see Luthor, played once more by Nicholas Hoult, sit down for a telephone-based conversation with Flag Sr via one of Belle Reve's visitation rooms.

Lex Luthor looking around while speaking to Rick Flag Sr via a prison telephone in Peacemaker season 2 episode 6

Nothing good can come of Luthor and Flag Sr working together (Image credit: HBO Max/DC Studios)

It's no great surprise that Flag Sr has come to bargain with Luthor, either. Given Luthor's expertise with cross-dimensional portals and ARGUS' struggles to track down Peacemaker's interdimensional device, Flag Sr and company need all of the help they can get.

Luckily for them, Luthor is willing to be of assistance – at a price, of course. As the pair engage in a tete-a-tete, Flag Sr says that, in exchange for helping ARGUS, he'll get Luthor transferred to a non-Metahuman prison. Intrigued, Luthor reveals he has a scanner that'll be able to detect the location of Chris Smith's portal-creating device, but he wants his freedom in return.

Understandably, Flag Sr says no. Instead, he dangles another carrot in front of Luthor by saying the US government is willing to give him "an opportunity for redemption". His interest piqued, Luthor says "I'm listening" before the episode moves on to other matters.

What is Van Kull? And how does Peacemaker season 2 episode 6 set up Man of Tomorrow?

Rick Flag Sr looking a bit stressed in a prison visitation room in Peacemaker season 2 episode 6

Flag Sr agrees to transfer Luthor to Van Kull if the latter helps ARGUS (Image credit: HBO Max/DC Studios)

Let's deal with the first question, erm, first, because it leads into the second.

For the uninitiated: Van Kull is a maximum security prison based in Metropolis. That's the same city that Superman primarily operates out of, and where his civilian alter-ego Clark Kent lives and works as a reporter for The Daily Bugle.

Van Kull is name-dropped as the jail that Flag Sr agrees to transfer Luthor to for aiding ARGUS. Indeed, before one of the best HBO Max shows' latest entry ends, Flag Sr tells his ARGUS lieutenant Sash Bordeaux that this is where Luthor will be moved to as long as his multidimensional portal scanner works.

A Jim Lee illustration of Lex Luthor in his powersuit with Superman leaning against him

Luthor and Superman will need to form an uneasy alliance in Man of Tomorrow (Image credit: Jim Lee/James Gunn/Instagram)

As for how this begins to establish the story that'll play out in Man Of Tomorrow, the prospect of Luthor being transferred to a Metropolis-based prison means he and his Kryptonian archnemesis will be in the same city once Man of Tomorrow's story begins.

We already know that Gunn's next DCU Chapter One project will see the pair become frenemies as they attempt to combat a significant threat posed by a yet-to-be-announced foe. Indeed, Gunn confirmed as much in mid-September, saying Man of Tomorrow "is a story about Superman and Lex working together". That came a week after Gunn revealed the title of his Superman sequel, which immediately had fans theorizing that it would see the duo form an uneasy alliance.

Right now, Flag Sr's insinuation that Luthor will get a shot of redemption if he helps ARGUS has nothing to do with Man of Tomorrow's villain. There's no indication that another world-threatening individual is on the way, so it's likely Flag Sr is simply implying that Luthor can start weedling his way back into the US government's good books if he complies. That "redemption" comment will take on a whole new meaning, though, when he'll team up with Supes.

Even armed with the information, it sounds like we're not prepared for just how significant this meeting with Flag Sr and Luthor is. Speaking on the newest episode of the Official Peacemaker Podcast, Gunn described it as a "really important moment for not only Peacemaker, but the entire DCU". I guess we'll learn more about how crucial it is in Peacemaker season 2's final two episodes. In the meantime, get the lowdown on everything we know so far about Man of Tomorrow.

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Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.


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