Review – John Cena and James Gunn Don’t Hold Back in ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

With the release of Creature Commandos and Superman, we are firmly in the new era of the DC Universe led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Next up is the sophomore season of Peacemaker, which takes place soon after the events of Superman and walks the fine line between past and present eras of DC.

What makes Peacemaker special is titular star John Cena, who plays the role of Christopher Smith/Peacemaker with an infectious zeal. Cena returns, along with the lovable cast of misfits that made season 1 such a delightful breath of fresh air.

HBO Max provided the first five episodes of the eight episode second season for review. Based on those five episodes, Peacemaker is back with super-sized doses of everything we saw in the first season – humor, debauchery, absurdity, emotional intensity and action.

Peacemaker season 2 releases August 21, 2025 on HBO Max. Spoilers below!

Review – Peacemaker Explores the Concept of More is More

With Peacemaker season 2, James Gunn and DC Studios is faced with their first true test of transitioning the past elements of DC Extended Universe (DCEU) into the present DCU. Although the events of the first season were largely self contained, the finale ended with a special appearance by Zack Snyder’s version of the Justice League, shrouded in shadows (only Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash made full appearances with spoken lines). That memorable final scene connected Peacemaker to the larger DCEU, which ultimately turned into a somewhat awkward situation as the DC world shifted dramatically between seasons.

James Gunn, who first created Peacemaker before taking over DC Studios, is fully in his wild and zany element with this second season. From the start, the season starts by retconning the appearance of the DCEU Justice League to an appearance by the Justice Gang. As seen in Superman, the Justice Gang consists of Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, Superman and even Supergirl. Like the previous iteration, all of the characters are shrouded in shadows, and this time, Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Mercced) are the two who are fully present.

It’s a bold decision to fully retcon the universe that Peacemaker is in, as opposed to having him simply jump to another universe, as many fans theorized from the trailers. It’s a more complex and risky decision, as Gunn and DC are counting on fans to accept the retcon. However, it’s likely a better creative decision in that fans will not have to abandon all of the supporting characters in the Peacemaker world. As beloved as John Cena is, a major part of what made Peacemaker such a success was the thoroughly enjoyable supporting cast and characters.

The gang is back for season 2, but don’t find themselves in the best situation. Peacemaker is determined to prove himself as a “real” superhero while also trying to pursue a romantic relationship with Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland). Harcourt has lost her job and her purpose after the events of the first season, and Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) is also looking for her next step. John Economos (Steve Agee) has a job, but is now working for Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), the new head of ARGUS. Probably the only character who isn’t in a decidedly worse situation is the Vigilante, Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma), who is still intent on establishing his bestest friendship with Christopher Smith.

The group as a whole is in a bad place to start the season, which might come as a surprise after such a massive, public victory in the season 1 finale, in front of the Justice League Gang. All that sets up the theme of the first five episodes of season 2, which our heroes are looking for a reboot. They sacrificed their stability by saving the world, and now they don’t know what to do next.

Smith first turns to the Justice Gang for validation. Surely, after saving the world, he warrants serious consideration into the super team. He’s interviewed in an abandoned strip mall by Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner and the Justice Gang benefactor, Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn). Like most things in Peacemaker, the interview doesn’t go according to plan, which only fuels Smith’s spiral into depression. Smith then turns to more debaucherous activities to distract him from his discontent.

For fans of Superman and the larger DCU, the appearance of the Justice Gang is an amusing moment, but a short one. Don’t expect them to be a substantial part of the season. Given that there are still three more episodes that haven’t been screened, it is possible that the Gang could return towards the end of the season, which would provide a nice bookend to the season as a whole. The best part about their appearance is that the series doesn’t have to tip-toe around its connection to the larger DCU. It is firmly part of the world that Gunn is building and that should provide fans with some extra confidence to fully enjoy the series.

Down and depressed, Smith accidentally accesses another dimension, which is a world that looks much like his own, but with very distinct differences. Unlike his own world, this one looks like a Peacemaker utopia, where he is worshipped and beloved. It’s the kind of wish-fulfillment escape that many people dream of – a magical land where you can live the life you always thought you would.

As the fifth episode concludes, the alternative dimension looks perfect to Smith. But anyone who has any familiarity with these types of stories can recognize the red flags and knows that utopias aren’t real. Peacemaker and his friends can’t run from their problems into another dimension. Undoubtedly, the last 3 episodes will force him to face them.

Cena continues to light up the screen with his passion and enthusiasm for the character. He clearly loves to play the irreverent superhero surrounded by misfits, and Gunn seems to love writing for him. The pair are a perfect match of writer/director and star and the show highlights both of their talents perfectly.

There are moments when Gunn’s trademark shenanigans threaten to overwhelm the plot. It feels as if even Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios, can’t believe everything he gets to do with this show, and at times overindulges. Peacemaker gives Gunn a nearly boundary-less playground and he seems intent on testing the limits. After all, you can’t exactly have a massive orgy scene in a Guardians of the Galaxy or Superman film.

The rest of the cast doesn’t get to have as much fun thus far into the season. Harcourt’s journey mirror’s Smith’s in that she too is stuck in destructive behaviors as a result of being blacklisted from all intelligence agencies. But there’s an overall more limited role for each of the team, especially Vigilante, who doesn’t see any action at all.

Part of the reason for the decreased overall roles is because of the newly introduced characters for this season, including Flag, Langston Fluery (Tim Meadows), Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodriguez) and Red. St. Wild (Michael Rooker). All of the new characters are part of Flag’s new ARGUS team intent on taking down Peacemaker. But while the new characters are a welcome addition to the overall story, they don’t have quite the charm of the Peacemaker team or even that of Judomaster (Nhut Le), who also returns.

Overall, the first five episodes of the second season are an amusing continuation of the Peacemaker storyline. It’s impossible to judge a full season on 5/8ths of a season, but assuming Gunn and his team have some exciting surprises planned for the end of the season, Peacemaker will continue to be a fan favorite series.

Rating – 3/5 Pocky

Ron Seoul-Oh

Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture.  He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.