Summary
Peacemakerhas managed to survive a turbulent crash and the rise of a new hierarchy of power at DC Studios thanks to its success and the new position held by its showrunner, and now fans have official confirmation on when the show’s second season will hit streaming.
The current fan-favorite John Cena-portrayed version ofPeacemakerinitially made his debut in 2021’sThe Suicide Squad,a project that initially had to fight out of the shadow of the previous David Ayer-led disaster prior to its release but has since gone down as one of the most unforgettable action-comedy films ever, and a rare uncontested win for DC films at the time. During the filming process forThe Suicide Squad,then-director and current head of DC Studios James Gunn would take note of Cena’s talents in the role, writing the script forPeacemaker’s first season while the movie was still filming. Cena has had his ups and downs since stepping away from working a full schedule as a multi-time world champion and face of the popular wrestling company WWE, includingthe lead role in a project with a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes,but his stint as Peacemaker has been glorious.
Thanks in no small part to Cena’s strong performance, fans have been eager for a second season ofPeacemaker,withJames Gunn promising even more cameos and excitementfor the next installment of the show. However, it seems like the second season’s most interesting cameo might not be new to fans at all, and could be pointing to an old storyline from the comics.Popversereports that when speaking at a spotlight panel at Tampa Bay Comic Con,Peacemakerstar Robert Patrick revealed that he’d been filming some important scenes for the upcoming second season of the show. This news came as a surprise to fans and is very important as Patrick’s character, August Smith (Peacemaker’s father), seemingly met his end in the first season when he was shot in the head by his son following a violent battle. Patrick has a lot of praise for Gunn, who also serves as showrunner in addition to writing the show.
I was just working with James Gunn on Friday. James is amazing. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve met in my life. Incredible mind and just a wonderful human being. I love him and his wife Jennifer Holland. We were doing a big scene for the second season of Peacemaker on Friday right before I came here.
Fans were already eager to see more of Peacemaker, withCena offering some vague encouragement about the potential release windowat a recent appearance, and now the anticipation will go up even further. While Patrick’s performance was an enjoyable part of the first season, and his return can only mean more good things for the show, the how of it is where things could get really interesting. There are tons of ways a gifted inventor and supervillain like the White Dragon could survive a seemingly fatal wound and even more ways a cult leader-type figure could potentially cheat death, but the more likely explanation might be found in the comics. In a comic run from the late 80s, it was established that Peacemaker would often hallucinate seeing his father’s ghost, and Gunn could be bringing this idea into the present for his show’s titular character.
It’s still not entirely clearhow the new DCU continuity will work forPeacemakerseason 2, as the entire franchise pre-Creature Commandosshould begetting relegated to the back rooms of the media library in preparation for establishing new lore and worldbuilding. Fans will have to wait and see whether the second season ofPeacemakersimply moves right along with the new order, or if perhaps Robert Patrick’s return signals some sort of in-universe reset to align better with the rest of the DC projects heading to Max and the big screen in the coming years.
Peacemakeris available to stream on Max, with a second season set for 2025.
Peacemaker
John Cena stars as James Gunn’s titular Peacemaker, a former member of the Suicide Squad who will go to any lengths to ensure peace. He is once again enlisted by Amanda Waller to take on an alien threat, and he’ll have to learn to work with the other members of his team in order to complete his objective. Along the way, Peacemaker faces demons from his past and confronts his own identity.
