Peacemaker Season 2 Opens Cracks in a New Universe

Peacemaker Season 2 is a fun adventure, but the strain in building a new DC universe is beginning to show.

By Andrew Plato

James Gunn’s conquest of the DC franchise (now called the DCU, replacing the previous DCEU) is complete. He got a trial run with The Suicide Squad (2021) and then its HBO spinoff, Peacemaker (2022). Then Warner Brothers merged with Discovery, realized the lagging DCEU was a dark and gritty turd, and decided to reboot the whole enchilada with Gunn in the driver’s seat.

Betting a gazillion-dollar franchise on Gunn is a big risk, but Gunn’s track record is impressive. His MCU Guardians of the Galaxy movies are all great. Superman, from this past summer, was charming, campy, and colorful (see Screenopolis review).

However, the cracks are beginning to show in this new Gunn-iverse.

The first season of Peacemaker, which was still rooted in the old DCEU, was an absolute blast. John Cena’s Peacemaker (a.k.a. Chris Smith) was on a mission to redeem himself from his antics in The Suicide Squad. Stuffed with racist dads, dead-brother backstories, murderous friends, an obnoxious pet eagle, and disgusting aliens, the episodes were crude, gory, and zany, overflowing with dorky irreverence. Cena was an inspired choice for Peacemaker, and his “aw shucks” everyman bit clicked with the rest of the cast of goobers. The show also benefitted from one of the funniest and most creative opening sequences ever made.

Peacemaker Season 2 opens with a new dance number and an in-your-face retconned scene from Season 1. The old DECU Justice League (Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash) are gone, and in their place is the new DCU’s Justice Gang (Superman, Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and Supergirl.)

Retconned scene from Peacemaker Season 2 — *Out with the old DCEU, in with the new DCU.*

Okay, bold move Gunn, let’s see if it works out for him.

Season 2 dispenses with the gore, vulgarity, and humor to become a more intimate story of identity. Peacemaker wants to find love and acceptance as a real hero. Jennifer Holland’s Harcourt wants to overcome her demons and get her job back. Steve Agee’s Economos just wants to be accepted as one of the team. And Danielle Brooke’s Adebayo wants start a business, and escape the Nazis.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that in this season Peacemaker voyages to a different universe. In this alternate universe, Peacemaker’s dad is cool, his brother Keith is alive, he’s a beloved hero, and the Nazis won World War II. Peacemaker thinks he has found nirvana, until he finally notices all the fascism and racism.

Surprisingly, the reveal that Peacemaker has been in Naziland all this time is well-crafted. I did Nazi it coming. Fortunately, Harcourt, Economos, Adabyo, Vigilante, and Judomaster all come to the rescue and save Peacemaker, while knocking off not-racist dad and his brother Keith. When episode 7 ends, it feels like we are set up for an epic battle between Naziland and “our world,” which would have been exciting. However, Peacemaker shoves that aside to fulfill its contractual obligations to Warner Brother Discovery and the new DCU.

This is where the cracks start to emerge. For the first seven episodes, Gunn flexes his writing and directing prowess expertly. He unspools the story slowly, allowing ample time for the actors to indulge in their characters’ idiosyncrasies. While the tone and tempo are different from the first season, it is fun watching Peacemaker and the gang fumbling to find purpose.

Then in the finale, we get a musical montage, right out of a 1980s John Hughes movie, to tie off all the plot lines. In the final minutes, Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. grabs Peacemaker and maroons him in another universe — setting up something evil he has been cooking up with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). It feels like we are being rushed out the door so they can get to work on the next DCU franchise.

This clunky finale has earned plenty of scorn on the Internet. I liked the montage, but the vitriol from fans is understandable. The finale reveals what may be the greatest weakness of this new DCU: James Gunn himself.

Peacemaker Season 2 has James Gunn splashed on everything. Even the new theme music, Foxxy Shazam’s Oh Lord, is clearly one of Gunn’s favorite songs. Gunn’s presence in this new DCU is ubiquitous. He writes and directs everything, casts his friends and wife, and even choses the music. This is unsustainable.

Kevin Feige built the monstrous MCU by enlisting talent from anywhere and everywhere, holding it together with only high-level “executive producer” guidance. He let other voices build his empire. This is how great franchises are built, even if they peter out after a while.

Gunn’s strategy of putting himself into everything is great on a small scale. It has created some highly entertaining, thematically cohesive stories. However, audiences will tire of Gunn’s aesthetics and love of butt rock. While Peacemaker Season 2 was enjoyable, at least until the final episode, it made me wonder how long Gunn can keep this up.

As for the performances this season, John Cena is always a joy to watch. The surprising standout, however, is Jennifer Holland. She proved she is more than a nepo-hire (James Gunn is her spouse). Holland’s character pivots from a well-adjusted, supportive trad-wife fascist to a fucked-up lunatic who loves pummeling people in drunken bar-fights. These two identities collide with her complex feelings for Peacemaker in an expertly performed meltdown in episode 7.

This is not to diminish the other performances, which are all great. The most inspired casting choice this season was Tim Meadows as smooth-talking agent Langston Fluery, with the outlandishly hilarious affliction of being “bird blind.” Meadows, a massively underappreciated comedian, steals every scene. His riffing with Steve Agee’s Economos about his sexual conquests in episode 2 is brilliantly unhinged. You can tell these two guys ad-libbed most of their scenes and loved every second of it. Furthermore, naming this character “Fluery” seems like an intentional jab at the MCU’s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

*Tim Meadows and Steve Agee riff on their sexual exploits. (HBO Max)*

Peacemaker Season 2 is imperfect, but entertaining. If I could sit down with Gunn for a few moments, I would tell him to back off and let others speak with his voice. While I enjoy Gunn’s style, even a good thing can become tiresome. I guess we will see how this all works out when the new Supergirl movie drops in 2026, starring the charming Milly Alcock.