Peacemaker season 2’s big alternate universe twist was somehow hiding in John Cena’s opening credits dance moves all along

There had long been fan theories and internet sleuths banging the drum that something was up with Peacemaker season 2’s alternate universe. Of course, we now know that is the case, but Earth-X’s big secret was actually hiding in plain sight all along – during the opening credits.

Spoilers for Peacemaker season 2, episode 6 follow.

Despite seemingly being an idyllic landing spot for Christopher Smith (complete with his dad and still-alive brother), the alternate universe in Peacemaker season 2 exists in a timeline where the Nazis won World War 2 and there is a suspicious lack of non-white people on the streets.

The swastika on the American flag and Adebayo being chased by a large group of white people certainly hammered that point home, but John Cena’s dance moves actually gave the game away weeks back.

The opening credits, so often a microcosm of each season, complete with subtle changes for new episodes, feature Cena’s Peacemaker making a swastika shape with his arms in the first 10 seconds. As you can see below, it’s not really open for interpretation, either – and is a neat way to quietly drop a spoiler in plain sight.

Gunn previously admitted to GamesRadar+ that the second season’s opening credits were the only thing he was “nervous” about, largely due to the first season’s sequence becoming such a viral hit.

“It was the only thing I was really nervous about. People say, ‘How are you going to one-up the first season?’ You can’t one-up the first season because, truth is, people didn’t know a dance scene was coming,” Gunn said. “So they watched that first episode of Peacemaker, and all of a sudden there’s a dance sequence and people are like, ‘What is going on? This is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen.’ You can never recapture that. I have to recapture that within the episodes themselves.”

Peacemaker season 2 is now airing. For more, join us as we dive into Peacemaker season 2, episode 6’s big DCU cameo, then discover what else is on the horizon with our guides to DCU Chapter One and upcoming DC movies and shows.

I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.