With James Gunn subverting fan expectations by excluding David Denman’s Captain Triumph in the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, the DC Studios co-CEO has explained his decision behind not making Chris Smith’s brother the primary villain of the sequel season. In a recent interview, the Guardians of the Galaxy director opened up about his stance regarding the character of Keith Smith, while also shedding light on his future in the DCU.
James Gunn explains why Captain Triumph wasn’t Peacemaker Season 2’s villain
While speaking with Deadline, Gunn noted that although the events of Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 7 have transformed Keith Smith, aka Captain Triumph, into a full-fledged villain, he has yet to sort out definitive plans for the titular anti-hero’s brother.
“I think we’ve born a super villain, but I do think of the sort of…stories about Salvation, which is the thing that’s more planned out than the Keith of it all,” the acclaimed filmmaker noted.
Despite not having charted out a fleshed-out storyline for Captain Triumph yet, Gunn confirmed that the character does have a place in future DCU projects. “I have plans for Keith, I just haven’t figured out exactly how it’s all going to work out, so I have to make sure I can do it,” he said before adding, “It’s hard with the interdimensional hopping stuff to make these things come together in the way I’d like. I have what I would like to happen with Keith, but I’m not sure.”
Played by David Denman, Captain Triumph made his Peacemaker debut in the very first episode of Season 2. After John Cena’s Chris Smith accidentally ventures into a Nazi-dominated Earth-X, he learns that his brother is actually alive in this dimension. However, he ends up killing his Earth-X counterpart, which ultimately puts him on Keith’s radar. In the penultimate episode of Season 2, Peacemaker and his gang engage in a fierce battle against Keith and end up severely injuring him. However, the vengeful villain somehow survives his wounds, potentially setting up a future showdown against his interdimensional brother.
