Fortnite’s latest controversy doesn’t come from a new gun, a gameplay tweak, or a crossover gone wrong, but from a dance. Epic Games has abruptly disabled the Peaceful Hips emote, which was inspired by John Cena’s character Peacemaker in James Gunn’s TV series, after the newest episode of the show delivered a jarring narrative twist. The decision has left fans split, with some arguing it’s an overreaction and others suggesting Epic had little choice if it wanted to avoid the emote being co-opted in problematic ways.
Warning: spoilers ahead for Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 6. In the shocking reveal, audiences learned that the series’ so-called “Earth-2” is actually Earth-X – a dystopian, Nazi-controlled alternate world where the American flag is reimagined with a swastika. 
The revelation retroactively reframes many quirky details in the season, including the show’s intentionally awkward opening credits dance sequence, performed by Cena and the cast. Fans now argue that the arm motions in the dance were deliberately choreographed to echo a swastika’s shape. The same motions appeared in Fortnite as the Peaceful Hips emote.
Until the episode aired, few suspected any deeper meaning behind the dance, and Epic Games itself appears to have been caught off guard. Over the weekend, the company released a statement on its Fortnite Status 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.” That measured but cautious language suggests Epic may have been blindsided by the show’s lore twist and is now scrambling to ensure Fortnite isn’t perceived as platforming Nazi imagery, intentional or not.
The move has stirred heated debate across the fanbase. Some see Epic’s quick action as a responsible safeguard: if the dance really was intended as coded foreshadowing of a swastika, then keeping it in-game could open the door to trolls misusing it as a form of harassment. Others, however, consider the move an overblown response to what they feel is a stretch of interpretation. “It’s just the silly intro dance,” many argue, dismissing the idea that a few bent-arm motions should suddenly be treated as fascist propaganda.
It isn’t the first time Fortnite has walked a fine line with cultural references. The Rue skin, often compared by fans to a Nazi uniform, hasn’t been resold for years but remains in players’ collections. More recently, Epic drew criticism for including an emote tied to rapper Kai Cenat that featured music by Ye (formerly Kanye West), despite his documented history of antisemitic remarks. Compared to those controversies, Epic’s swiftness here may indicate heightened sensitivity – or fear of misinterpretation escalating in unpredictable ways.
The irony is that Gunn’s series is itself satirizing extremism and exploring how symbols can be manipulated. Peacemaker, a character torn between violent impulses and desperate longing for acceptance, embodies America’s contradictions. The awkward dance was originally presented as absurdist comedy, a way of poking fun at Cena’s over-the-top character. Now, in hindsight, its layered meaning feels darker and more deliberate. Some fans even suggest Epic’s removal has amplified the association, unofficially cementing it in the public’s mind as the “Nazi Dance Emote.”
For now, the future of Fortnite’s collaborations with DC remains uncertain. Epic has not clarified whether this incident will sour ongoing partnerships, but the dust-up raises questions about how much vetting is truly possible when cross-media projects intertwine. Meanwhile, players are left debating whether they just lost a fun goofy dance or narrowly avoided Fortnite becoming a meme for all the wrong reasons.
2 comments
Seems like WB shoulda warned Epic if it was always meant as some nazi reference lol
Wat the actual f is wrong with ppl, dance looks like a cactus not a swastika 🤣