'Peacemaker' Just Revealed Its Alternate Dimension's Dark Secret — and a Cool Cameo

Peacemaker this week revealed — for some, confirmed — the unique nature of its alternate dimension, and it is so very dark.

In that it's so very... white.

PREVIOUSLY ON EARTH-2....

Prior to this episode, our Chris Smith (played by John Cena) had paid a few visits to what series creator James Gunn has heretofore called "Earth-2." In his first trip or two, Chris barely set foot outside his father Auggie-2's (Robert Patrick) grand manse, but in Episode 3 — when Chris arranged a rendezvous with his (dead) doppelgänger's ex, Harcourt-2 (Jennifer Holland) — viewers spent a significant amount of time both at that universe's ARGUS HQ and in Evergreen's central square.

It was coming out of Episode 3 that some viewers began to note, on social media, that no people of color could be spotted on Earth-2 – either working at ARGUS or in the background of the park scenes.

Some also clocked that at Earth-2's ARGUS, we never got a full look at the national flag; rather, its field of blue (where the 50 stars usually reside) was always out of view.

WHO DID NAZI THIS COMING?

This week's antepenultimate Season 2 episode, titled "Ignorance Is Chris" and written/directed by Gunn, connected the dots.

Our Emilia, Leota (Danielle Brooks), Economos (Steve Agee) and Adrian/Vigilante (Freddy Stroma) rather easily activated the alien tech that opens the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, allowing them to find and access the door to the other universe. A giddy Adrian was resolved to meet his other self, who it turns out is exactly like him — save for the none-too-small fact that Peacemaker is his archenemy. (Adrian-2 belongs to the Sons of Liberty group that Chris clashed with a few weeks back.)

Harcourt wound up at ARGUS, where her earlier run-in with the confiscated cocaine in Adrian's secret room got her flagged by security. Chris – arriving at ARGUS after having just left Harcourt-2 at her place – spotted the real deal and confronted her in the holding room. Harcourt grilled Chris about wanting to retreat to this alternate world, and he argued that it offers him so much more: a dad who is alive and doesn't hate him, the grown brother he killed as a kid, and a relationship with the other Emilia. Chris professed his love for the OG Harcourt, but she once again refused to reciprocate.

Moments later in the squad room, Harcourt-2 arrived and sicced security on her doppelganger, just as Harcourt remarked to Chris that she has seen no people of color in this world and Chris realized that the national flag doesn't have stars on its field of blue, but a Nazi swastika.

BLACK AND BLUE

The harsh reality of this alternate reality hit Leota hardest, as she left Economos at the Smith house to take an innocent stroll around the neighborhood. Passing drivers looked very alarmed to see her out and about, and Chris' brother Keith himself stopped his truck in its tracks to lean on the horn and alert the community that "a Black!" got out. Neighbors came racing out of their homes to corner the unwelcome POC, leaving Ads to scream in horror and start running down the road....

DÉJÀ VU FOR ARROWVERSE FANS

The CW's Arrowverse first brought this DC comics concept to live-action life almost eight years ago, when "Crisis on Earth-X" played out across Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.

In that crossover event, the wedding of The Flash's Barry and Iris was interrupted by interlopers from Earth-X, a parallel universe where the Axis powers claimed victory in World War II and the Nazi regime has since ruled. The invasive Earth-X contingent was led by Dark Arrow and Overgirl, the Führer-loyal counterparts of Earth-1's Oliver Queen/Arrow and Kara Danvers/Supergirl.

Given that "Crisis on Earth-X" also folded in Black Canary, Killer Frost, White Canary, Mister Terrific, Captain Cold, Heatwave and many other heroes/sidekicks, it is regarded by many as the best Arrowverse crossover event of eight. In fact, Forbes at the time hailed it as "a better Justice League movie than the actual Justice League movie, and in many ways... better or at least equal to the best MCU crossover events."

Did Axis powers similarly win WWII in Peacemaker's alternate dimension? Or did a "new" Nazi party much more recently rise to power in the United States? We shall see.

LEX APPEAL

Elsewhere in this week's episode: a desperate Rick Flag Sr. turned to a supervillain for help in tracking down Peacemaker.

Arriving at Belle Reve, Flag sought an audience with no less than Lex Luthor, played again by Superman's Nicholas Hoult. After sharing a bit of expository banter that filled in some blanks for anyone who didn't see Superman, Flag offered Lex a deal — relocation to a metahuman-free prison in trade for a scanner that would locate Peacemaker's interdimensional portal....

What did you think of Peacemaker's Earth-2/-X reveal, and Lex's surprise appearance? And with just two episodes left this season, how will the 11th Street Kids reunite in time to save Adebayo from whatever fate awaits her?