However, Gunn’s Lord functions much more like his original comic book counterpart. First introduced in 1987’s Justice League #1, written by J. M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen and penciled by Kevin Maguire, Maxwell Lord was the opportunistic businessman who assembled his own Justice League after the long-running team had disbanded in disgrace. Thanks to his maneuvering and business acumen (and, it must be said, light mind-control powers introduced later in the run), Lord put together an unconventional team that featured longtime mainstays like Batman and Martian Manhunter, but mostly oddballs such as Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, and Fire and Ice.

The DeMatteis/Giffen/Maguire League (known colloquially as Justice League International [JLI], due to the title of the book during its most formative issues) has long been a fan-favorite thanks to its humorous and character-driven approach to mainline superheroics. The JLI would battle huge baddies like the alien conqueror Despero or the mind-controlling Gray Man, but they would also get involved in failed get-rich-quick schemes or devote an entire issue to the crass Guy Gardner going on a date with the demure Ice.

In other words, JLI is exactly the type of book that informs James Gunn’s approach to the DC Universe, in which C- and D-list heroes spend more time bickering than they do saving the day.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League

However, the Peacemaker season 2 trailer is the first time we’ve really seen how Gunn plans to integrate the JLI into his version of the cinematic DC Universe. As demonstrated in this clip, Lord is recruiting new members into his team, ultimately serving as the deciding factor. Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl are once again wearing matching outfits, costumes that look quite different than their comic book versions, suggesting that they are all part of the same team.

Given the black and white motif worn even by Guy Gardner, a Green Lantern who usually has more of an emerald look, many have speculated that the team would be a variation of the Terrifics, a group led by Mister Terrific. Some have also speculated that the team would work at the behest of Simon Stagg, another millionaire in the DC Universe, whose building is prominently displayed in the Superman teaser.

While both of these elements may still be integrated into the Superman line-up, the Peacemaker trailer makes it clear that the main team will be a variation of the JLI, complete with Max Lord at the head. And, as demonstrated by the barbs that Lord and co. unwittingly toss at Peacemaker, they’ll be the same unserious group that we initially saw in the comics.