The gaming world is buzzing after Fortnite swiftly disabled its “Peaceful Hips” emote, a popular collaboration tied to James Gunn and John Cena’s DCU Peacemaker TV series. This drastic step comes on the heels of a shocking twist revealed in the show’s most recent episode.
Warning! Spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 6 follow.
Fans were left absolutely floored when Peacemaker’s latest episode unveiled that the show’s supposed “Earth-2” setting was actually “Earth-X”—a chilling, fascist Nazi world where even the U.S. flag bears a swastika.
Following this revelation, many fans quickly pointed out how the show might have subtly hinted at this twist all season. John Cena’s character dance in the opening credits features arm movements that, in retrospect, strikingly resemble a swastika—the very same moves featured in Fortnite’s “Peaceful Hips” emote.
However, this unsettling connection wasn’t apparent before the episode aired. A statement released by Fortnite developer Epic Games over the weekend suggests that even they were caught off guard, discovering the emote’s potential hidden meaning right alongside their players.
DC Peacemaker ‘Peaceful Hips’ Emote will be disabled
“As we inquire into our partner’s creative intentions in this collab emote. Assuming it’s not coming back, we’ll issue refunds in the next few days. Sorry folks.”
Epic Games later clarified on its official Fortnite Status social media account: “We’re disabling the Peaceful Hips Emote in Fortnite as we inquire into our partner’s creative intentions in this collab emote. Assuming it’s not coming back, we’ll issue refunds in the next few days. Sorry folks.”
The statement from Epic Games doesn’t bode well for the emote’s return. What’s even more surprising is the implication that the developer, despite working closely with DC Studios on the collaboration, seemingly learned about the dance’s true nature at the same time as the audience, and is now urgently seeking an explanation.
This unexpected development has led to widespread concern among fans about the future of DC’s popular collaborations within Fortnite and whether the two entertainment giants will continue their partnership. IGN has reached out to Epic Games for further comment.
The community’s reaction to the emote’s removal has been diverse. Some players understand the move, recognizing the potential for the “Nazi emote,” as it’s been controversially dubbed, to be used for griefing or causing offense. Others, however, question why Epic Games chose to act in this specific instance while seemingly overlooking similar past controversies.
For example, Fortnite recently drew criticism for adding the “Tylil Dance,” an emote featuring music by rapper Kai Cenat and Kanye West (who now goes by Ye). West has a history of making anti-semitic comments and publicly identified as “a Nazi” in 2022.
Another instance involves the “Rue” in-game skin, which many players have likened to a Nazi uniform. While the skin remains in the game, Epic Games has refrained from reselling it for over five years, making it one of Fortnite’s rarest cosmetics.
For more details on Peacemaker’s impactful latest episode, we recently spoke with James Gunn about the show and another major surprise: a cameo appearance by Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can find him on social media @tomphillipseg.bsky.social