The following contains spoilers forPeacemakerEpisode 8 “Cow Or Never.”ThePeacemakerseason finalearrives with “Cow Or Never.” As the name of the episode implies, it’s a race by the remaining members of the Project Butterfly team to stop the butterflies from teleporting their “cow” to a new location on Earth. Full of almost-deaths, big action sequences, and plenty of pathos, the episode closes out the season nicely.
It doesn’t bring with it a ton of Easter eggs for comic book fans, but it does reference plenty of previous moments in the DC Extended Universe. There are a lot of callbacks to earlier moments in the series itself and in the wider movie universe. The episode even has some surprising cameos and an admission that one comic book character does exist in the DCEU that the audience might not have known about before.
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Green Arrow Exists In The DCEU
Eight episodes into the series, the audience is no longer surprised that Peacemaker has a comment to make about literally any superhero name that pops up. What is surprising, however, is to hear him and the team make reference to Green Arrow.
So far, Green Arrow hasn’t appeared in the DCEU. CW’sArrowseries might be a larger part of the multiverse, but the character isn’t a part of the movie universe. Speculation amongst fans has wondered if the character might make his debutin Black Canary’s upcoming HBO Max movie.
Peacemaker Uses His Blow Dart And His Shield
While Peacemaker primarily uses guns throughout the series, he does carry other weapons on him as this episode demonstrates. He alluded to them earlier in the series, and now, he finally gets to use his blowgun. The weapon is a holdover from the comics that is rarely used.
He also carries a shield into battle during the big confrontation at the end. The audience has comparedPeacemaker to a more extreme version of Marvel’s Captain America, and the shield only adds to the comparison.
Economos Dyes His Beard
John Economos is the onlymember of Project Butterflythat hasn’t actually been seen by the butterflies before, so naturally, he’s the one picked to pretend to be one of them when the team tries to plant one of Peacemaker’s helmets amongst them. Just as he’s getting ready to leave, the Butterflies question why his beard looks the way he does, prompting a speech about just why he dyes it.
It’s the first time in the series that Economos admits that he dyes his beard, despite Peacemaker calling him out on it since the very first episode. It’s clear that it’s bothered him every time Peacemaker does it, and now, the audience gets a reason why.
The Opening Song
Peacemaker has featured a lot of iconic hair metal and rock music over the course of the first season. The show’s opening credits to “Do You Wanna Taste It” have been a bright spot for fans. The song doesn’t just appear in the opening for the finale.
It’s also used during the climactic battle sequence as Harcourt and Vigilante fire on the butterflies. While Peacemaker goes into the barn, the other two are cut down by the fight, and the familiar song is in contrast to the seemingly hopeless part of the battle, though Adebayo does manage to turn things around for them.
Adebayo’s Entrance Into The Cow
There’s plenty of humor in Adebayo using a helmet that’s in testing to become a human torpedo to save Peacemaker. The scene of her still wearing it to kill the “cow,” however might be familiar to some fans.
It’s not unlikemembers of the Suicide Squadending up inside Starro in the most recent movie. Economos even mumbles, “no more kaiju,” to himself when he sees the creature, also referencing the last mission he was on the computer for asThe Suicide Squadwent rogue to save a small country.
The Justice League Appears
After Peacemaker and his team have beat the Butterflies, members of the Justice League show up. Adebayo had tried to request her mother send them in earlier in the episode, but the audience likely thought it was another throwaway line to acknowledge that they exist in the same universe.
Of course, not every member of the team is there. Superman, Wonder Woman (though shown in shadow as their movie actors were not present), Aquaman, and the Flash cameo. Missing are Batman and Cyborg. Presumably, that’s because Ben Affleck is reportedly done playing Batman and becauseRay Fisher is still at odds with some of the Warner Bros. producing teamover treatment on the set ofJustice League. Cyborg remains the only Justice League team member that Peacemaker never makes disparaging remarks about in the show.
Task Force X Is Publicly Revealed
When Adebayo decides to do what she thinks is right, not only does she get Peacemaker cleared of blame for the alien attacks, but she also reveals the existence of Task Force X during a press conference. She even admits to being Amanda Waller’s daughter and to the Task Force operating out of Belle Reve.
The press conference gets areaction shot from Amanda Waller herselfin another cameo from Viola Davis. That will certainly raise questions for the audience as to just what the DCEU will do with the Suicide Squad next.
PeacemakerSeason 1 is currently streaming on HBO Max.The series has been renewed for Season 2.
