The latest episode of James Gunn’s season 1 Peacemaker podcast has revealed some rather interesting news about the potential return of Chukwudi Iwuji, who played the no-nonsense mercenary Clemson Murn in the first season.
The DC Universe is shaking up in a lot of different ways under the creative control of DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. What’s canon and what isn’t is still being cleared up, but the short answer seems to be that anything Gunn made (The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker) is part of the new canon — minus a few inconsistencies.
With inconsistencies comes confusion. For example, Peacemaker’s first season included a cameo from the core Justice League members who notably aren’t canon to the DCU. That includes Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman, a character who, effectively, has been erased from the current DCU canon. (Mamoa has been recast as Lobo and is set to appear in the upcoming Supergirl movie.
As for Iwuji’s Clemson Murn, a question was brought forth by Jennifer Holland, who plays Emilia Harcourt in Peacemaker. Is Iwuji’s Clemson Murn considered canon to the DCU universe? According to Gunn, the answer is a resounding yes. But there’s a catch.
“I think Clemson Murn is canon,” Gunn said. “Maybe his face might not be canon if we want to cast [Chukwudi Iwuji] as something else in the DCU. But also, Chuk could end up being some other character maybe that isn’t so humanoid.”
In the first season, Murn’s body was possessed by an alien butterfly known as Ik Nobe Llok. Unfortunately, he met a rather grisly end, eventually being killed by Queen Eek Stack Ik Ik. So we’ve always known that Iwuji wouldn’t be returning alongside his fellow co-stars for the second season.
That said, Gunn’s clarification that Murn’s face may not be canon, and that Iwuji could come back as someone else entirely, opens up a realm of different possibilities — both for Iwuji as an actor and Clemson Murn as a character.
The statement also means that other actors, either from Peacemaker or The Suicide Squad, could potentially find themselves as brand-new characters in the DCU. It might be hard to imagine, say, Margot Robbie, as anyone but Harley Quinn, but with Gunn’s latest quote? It’s entirely possible she and other actors, like Idris Elba, could make a return to the DCU in the future.
