FRESH off the success of Superman, James Gunn returns to familiar ground with a sharp and surprisingly introspective second season of Peacemaker. What began in 2022 as a crude, chaotic spin-off has now evolved into a character study that asks tough questions of its lead while still delivering the outrageous humour and unhinged violence fans expect.
Old crew new chaos
John Cena once again anchors the series as Chris Smith, the helmeted antihero with the unaddressed trauma and a big heart. Jennifer Holland reprises her role as the no-nonsense Agent Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee brings neurotic charm as John Economos, Danielle Brooks as Smith’s best friend Leota Adebayo, and Freddie Stroma returns as Peacemaker’s other best friend, the delightfully unhinged Vigilante.
The new season also bulks up its roster. Frank Grillo steps in as General Rick Flagg Sr, reprising the role from Superman and the animated Creature Commandos. Tim Meadows adds offbeat humour as Agent Fleury, a crude Argus officer cursed with “bird blindness”. Sol Rodriguez steps into the role of Sasha Bordeaux, an Argus agent, who in the comics operated as Bruce Wayne’s bodyguard. Michael Rooker, a Gunn regular, appears as Red St Wild, a hunter who becomes the nemesis of Eagly, Smith’s pet eagle.
Plot
If the first season was about saving the world, this season comes across as more of a character study for Smith as the stakes are more personal this time around. The season opens with Smith at rock bottom, haunted by guilt and rejection. His world turns upside down when he crosses into a parallel universe where life is perfect: his family is intact, he is adored by the public and his love is finally reciprocated.
The central conflict is whether he should abandon his best friends for this seemingly perfect fantasy. Standing in his way is General Rick Flagg Sr, now head of Argus. Officially, he wants Smith contained for meddling with interdimensional tech following the events of Superman, but privately his mission is revenge for his son, Rick Flagg Jr, killed by Smith in 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
Meanwhile, the supporting cast get their own arcs. Harcourt struggles with being blacklisted by the government from securing a job. Economos finds his loyalty pulled between friendship and duty. Adebayo strikes out with her own security agency. Vigilante dives into animal trivia, although he is hilariously terrible at it.
Cena finds heart beneath helmet
The standout of this season is Cena, who delivers his most layered performance yet. He fully inhabits the self-deprecating and wounded Peacemaker, bringing real emotion to his longing and trauma. It is a nuanced and surprisingly vulnerable take on the character that cements his place among the best wrestler-turned-actors, standing shoulder to shoulder with Dave Bautista and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Retcons
One of the boldest choices this season makes is how it rewrites canon. Fans questioned how Gunn would reconcile Peacemaker’s Snyder-era Justice League cameo with his new DC Universe. His solution: a sly retcon in the opening season recap.
Spoilers: in the original ending of the first season, the silhouettes of Henry Cavill’s Superman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman appeared alongside Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash.
In this season, that scene is retconned with the Justice Gang. Debuting in this year’s Superman, the team is led by Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi as Mr Terrific. David Corenswet’s Superman and Milly Alcock’s Supergirl are teased in shadow. It is a cheeky acknowledgement of the shift without derailing the story.
Redemption, retcons and rock music
At its core, the show remains classic Gunn: outrageous gore, foul jokes and a pounding soundtrack wrapped around surprising tenderness. Chris Smith is another of Gunn’s “lovable losers”, shaped by abuse, defined by contradictions and expressed through his music taste. He is violent yet vulnerable, loyal yet self-destructive, a man scarred by his neo-Nazi father but still yearning for love.
While Superman positioned the new DC Universe (DCU) as family-friendly, Peacemaker proudly takes the opposite route. It is loud, violent and unapologetically adult, yet beneath the chaos lies a story about identity, love and the struggle between fantasy and reality. Gunn once again proves that no matter how flawed his heroes are, there is always heart beneath the madness. With its surprising cameos and bold twists, this season stands out as one to remember and marks a strong addition for Gunn’s vision of the DCU.
