Peacemaker Season 2 (2025) Review

Previously in the DCU… Wait, We’re Doing This Now?

Let’s Start By Showing Y’all The Trailers Shall We?

Also here’s the opening theme to this season, yes it’s different from Season 1.

Jeepers is this show weird

Spoiler Warning
Before we continue any further, this is your official spoiler warning.

From this point onward, I will be discussing major plot points, character reveals, returning cameos, DCU retcons, alternate universe storylines, and the ending of Peacemaker Season 2.

If you haven’t watched the season yet and want to go in blind, now is the time to turn back.

Because once we cross this line, we are talking about everything.

The Justice League retcon.

The Justice Gang replacements.

Rick Flag Sr.’s revenge.

The alternate universe.

The major cameos.

And how James Gunn uses this season to officially stitch Peacemaker into the new DC Universe.

You have been warned.


Going into Peacemaker Season 2, I was curious for one major reason: this was no longer just a continuation of a weird HBO Max spin-off about one of the dumbest characters from The Suicide Squad. This was now one of the first major pieces of James Gunn’s new DCU, which automatically made the season feel way more important than it probably had any right to be. That is honestly hilarious when you think about it. Out of every DC character who could become a major connective tissue for a new cinematic universe, somehow Peacemaker — the guy with the chrome toilet seat helmet who says he loves peace so much he does not care how many people he kills to get it — is now one of the characters holding this universe together.

And weirdly enough, that is exactly why this season works. It is still vulgar, stupid, violent, emotional, messy, and completely ridiculous, but underneath all that nonsense is James Gunn quietly cleaning up the DC continuity disaster. This season is basically doing three jobs at once. It is continuing Chris Smith’s story, moving him into the new DCU, and quietly telling the audience what still matters from the old universe. That is a lot to put on a show where characters regularly say the dumbest things imaginable, but somehow Gunn makes it feel natural.

Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

Season 2 picks up with Chris Smith still trying to figure out who he is after the events of Season 1. He helped save the world from the Butterflies, but that did not magically fix him. He is still broken, lonely, insecure, violent, and desperate to be accepted. The season pushes him into a new emotional crisis when he discovers another world that seems to offer him everything he wishes he had. His father is alive. His brother is alive. His family is respected. He is not seen as a joke. He is not the damaged man everyone looks down on. At first, this alternate reality feels like a gift, but because this is Peacemaker, there is obviously something much darker underneath.

At the same time, the season deals with the consequences of Chris killing Rick Flag Jr. in The Suicide Squad. Rick Flag Sr. becomes a major force in the story, and that instantly gives the season a stronger emotional backbone. Peacemaker’s past is not just some thing that happened in a movie years ago. It matters. People remember. People are angry. And Chris has to live with the fact that one of the worst things he ever did is still following him.

Character Rundown

John Cena continues to be shockingly good as Chris Smith. I still find it funny that this character could have easily been a one-note joke, but Cena keeps finding the sadness underneath all the stupidity. Chris says idiotic things, makes terrible choices, and acts like a walking emotional disaster, but you can also tell there is a real person underneath all that armor. Season 2 leans even harder into the idea that Peacemaker is not just a violent idiot. He is a man who has spent his entire life being shaped by abuse, insecurity, and guilt, and now he is being tempted by a world where all of that pain might be erased.

Danielle Brooks is still great as Leota Adebayo. She remains one of the more grounded characters in the show, even when everything around her is completely insane. Her connection to Amanda Waller and her role in exposing secrets at the end of Season 1 still matter, and she continues to be one of the few characters who can push Chris emotionally without feeling like she is just there to lecture him.

Jennifer Holland’s Harcourt gets more emotional material this season, especially with the way the show explores her history and her connection to Rick Flag Jr. That reveal is one of the more controversial choices because it retroactively changes how we look at Rick Flag, Harcourt, and even parts of Suicide Squad history. I understand why some fans would hate it, but from a drama standpoint, it gives Harcourt more weight than simply being the tough agent who drinks a lot and punches people.

Freddie Stroma as Vigilante remains one of the funniest parts of the show. Adrian is still an absolute lunatic, but the kind of lunatic who somehow feels both terrifying and adorable. He is loyal to Chris in the worst possible ways, and every time he appears, the show gets a burst of chaotic energy. Steve Agee as Economos also continues to work well because he brings that tired office-worker energy to a world full of superheroes, black ops missions, and cosmic nonsense.

Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. is one of the biggest additions. He brings a much more serious presence to the season, and his anger toward Chris gives the story a personal edge. This is not just another government guy chasing Peacemaker. This is a father who knows Chris killed his son. That makes every interaction heavier because Chris cannot joke his way out of that guilt.

Now, I do have a slight hard time believing, this is the same rick flags.Senior from creature commando, because in that show, he has gray hair and a gray beard and yellow shirt.Wow, here he has black hair, blackbeard, and a black shirt.

It’s like it didn’t even try to make him look.The same heck, it didn’t even make him look the same in superman, twenty twenty five. Although it could just be a cartoon to live action kinda thing. And black hair was the intended hair color. I will let you be the judge on that one.

The Justice League Retcon… Uh… Okay?

I gotta talk about one of the weirdest things James Gunn has ever done in this season, and that’s the Justice League retcon. Remember the ending of Season 1? After Peacemaker and the gang literally save the world from the Butterflies, the Justice League finally shows up late to the party. We had Aquaman, Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman standing there while Peacemaker insults Aquaman and Flash laughs at him. It was stupid, it was funny, and honestly it was one of my favorite gags in the finale.

Well…

Apparently not anymore.

Because James Gunn looked at that scene and basically went:

“Yeah, we’re not doing that anymore.”

🤣

Instead, Season 2 quietly swaps them out for the Justice Gang.

So now instead of Aquaman and Flash showing up, it’s Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, Superman, and eventually Supergirl being folded into this new continuity.

And I’m not gonna lie…

This is one of the strangest retcons I’ve ever seen.

Not because it doesn’t make sense. Honestly, I understand why Gunn did it. The old DCEU is dead. Henry Cavill is gone. Gal Gadot is gone. Ezra Miller is gone. Jason Momoa isn’t Aquaman anymore. Gunn needed a way to move Peacemaker into his new universe without throwing away everything from Season 1.

I get it.

But at the same time, it’s hilarious.

This is basically James Gunn walking into the room with a giant eraser and saying:

“Nope.”

“Those guys? Gone.”

“These guys? They’ve always been here.”

🤣🤣🤣

And honestly?

The funniest casualty of all this is Aquaman.

Because now one of the funniest jokes from Season 1 is technically no longer canon.

The whole:

> “Aquaman f***s fish!”



Gone.

Replaced by Guy Gardner screaming that Peacemaker keeps telling people he’s a puke freak.

I’m sorry.

That’s funny.

But it also feels like one of the most comic-book things imaginable.

A continuity problem shows up.

Nobody explains it.

Everybody shrugs.

And we keep moving.

And honestly?

I kind of respect the confidence.

Because James Gunn isn’t pretending the DCEU wasn’t a mess.

He’s basically looking directly at the audience and saying:

> “Yeah, continuity’s weird.”



> “Anyway, here’s Guy Gardner.”



🤣

And somehow…

That’s enough for me to just go:

“Alright.”

“Fair enough.”


—

Pacing / Episode Flow

The season has a lot to balance, and for the most part, it handles that balance well. It still has the same ridiculous Peacemaker humor, but this season feels more directly tied to the larger DCU. That can be both a strength and a weakness. On one hand, it is exciting because the show feels important. It is not just some random side story anymore. On the other hand, there are moments where you can feel the season doing continuity cleanup in real time.

The opening recap alone is one of the wildest things James Gunn has done so far. Instead of simply saying “Previously on Peacemaker,” the season basically says, “Previously in the DCU.” That is such a blunt statement. Gunn is not even hiding it. He is telling the audience that this show is now part of the new universe, and here is what counts. That is funny, but it is also kind of brilliant because DC desperately needed someone to walk in and say, “Okay, here is what happened, here is what did not happen, please stop asking questions.”

The season also moves at a good pace because the alternate reality storyline gives Chris a clear emotional hook. Every episode is not just about stopping a villain or dealing with some random mission. It is about Chris being tempted by a better life, and that makes the multiverse angle feel more personal than usual. After years of superhero movies drowning us in multiverse nonsense, it is refreshing that this one actually uses another universe to explore the main character instead of just throwing cameos at the screen.

Pros

The biggest strength of Season 2 is that it understands Chris Smith better than ever. The show does not pretend he is suddenly fixed because he saved the world once. He is still damaged. He is still self-destructive. He still wants validation from people who may never give it to him. That makes the alternate reality storyline hit harder because you understand why he would want to stay there. It is not just a cool sci-fi concept. It is emotional bait.

The DCU retcon is also handled better than it had any right to be. Replacing the old Justice League cameo with the Justice Gang could have felt clunky, but instead it feels like Gunn turning a continuity problem into a joke. The original Season 1 ending with Aquaman and Flash was funny, but it clearly could not fit anymore. So Season 2 changes it, swaps in the new DCU heroes, and moves on. Honestly, that is probably the cleanest way they could have handled it.

The humor still works. The show is still crude and stupid in exactly the way Peacemaker should be. But what makes it work is that the stupidity is sitting next to real emotional pain. That has always been James Gunn’s strongest trick. He can have characters say the dumbest things imaginable, then five minutes later hit you with a surprisingly sad character moment. Season 2 keeps that balance alive.

Cons

The biggest issue is that the DCU connection occasionally becomes distracting. I like that this season matters, but sometimes you can feel the show doing franchise housekeeping. The Justice League retcon is funny, but it also reminds you that DC continuity has been a complete mess for years. The show handles it well, but the fact that it has to handle it at all is kind of exhausting.

Some of the retcons may also bother people. The Rick Flag Jr. and Harcourt relationship reveal is the kind of thing that feels like it exists to create new emotional tension, but it also changes how people look at older movies. I can see fans being divided on that because it makes Rick more complicated, and not necessarily in a way everyone will like.

The season also depends on how much you enjoy James Gunn’s style. If you already find his humor annoying, this season will not change your mind. The swearing, the sex jokes, the insults, the absurd conversations, the music drops, the emotional trauma buried under dumb comedy — that is all still here. Personally, I think it works for Peacemaker, but I get why some people might feel like Gunn needs to turn the dial down every now and then.

I found this season to be extremely mediocre.

My last issue, never fully brought this Rick Flag Sr. As the same version we saw in Creature Commando, and keep in mind they both take place in James Gunn’s DCU.

🟠 Rick Flag Sr. Feels Like Three Different Characters

One issue I simply could not shake throughout the season was Rick Flag Sr. himself. This is supposed to be the same man we’ve now followed across Creature Commandos, Superman (2025), and Peacemaker Season 2, yet his worldview feels completely inconsistent from project to project.

In Creature Commandos, Rick repeatedly treats metahumans like actual people. He openly questions Amanda Waller’s methods, even saying that if it were up to him, he wouldn’t be putting bombs in anyone’s neck. He comes across as someone who believes people should be judged by their actions, not by whether they have powers.

Then we get Superman (2025), where he once again appears to stand against Lex Luthor’s anti-metahuman agenda. Fair enough. That lines up with what we already knew about him.

Then comes Peacemaker Season 2… and suddenly he’s talking about imprisoning metahumans and seemingly agreeing with Lex’s overall viewpoint.

Wait… what?

I don’t have a problem with a character changing. Characters should evolve. But if you’re going to take someone from “metahumans deserve respect” to “let’s lock them all away,” I need to actually see that journey. Instead, it feels like Rick Flag Sr. skipped several chapters between appearances. His arc doesn’t feel like natural character development—it feels like someone rewrote his personality between projects.

Maybe the intention was that grief over Rick Flag Jr.’s death slowly pushed him toward a darker worldview. If that’s the case, the show needed to spend far more time exploring that transformation. As it stands, I never stopped asking myself the same question throughout the season:

Is this really the same Rick Flag Sr. we’ve been watching this entire time?

🔴 The “Canon… But Also Not?” Problem

One of my biggest frustrations with James Gunn’s new DCU isn’t actually the stories themselves—it’s the way the continuity is being explained. Gunn has repeatedly said that previous projects are canon if they’re referenced in the new DCU. On paper, that sounds like a perfectly reasonable solution. If something gets referenced, it happened. If it doesn’t, don’t worry about it.

The problem is… the more you actually look at these projects, the less that explanation seems to hold together.

Take Peacemaker Season 1 for example. The ending of that season has Leota Adebayo exposing Amanda Waller and all of Task Force X’s illegal operations to the world. That event is directly referenced in Creature Commandos, where Waller is forced to disband the Suicide Squad because of the public backlash. So clearly, that happened.

But then the Justice League cameo from that same finale gets quietly replaced. Instead of Aquaman and Flash arriving too late, we’re now expected to accept that it was the Justice Gang all along.

Then there’s The Suicide Squad. Rick Flag Jr.’s death is still a major part of the DCU because it’s the entire reason Rick Flag Sr. wants revenge against Peacemaker. That plot only works if the events of The Suicide Squad still happened. Yet we’re also told to ignore other pieces of the old DCEU continuity because they no longer fit the new universe.

So what exactly is the answer?

Is The Suicide Squad canon?

Yes… but only parts of it.

Is Peacemaker Season 1 canon?

Yes… except where it isn’t.

And that’s where I think the problem lies. A reboot should make continuity easier to understand, not require audiences to constantly ask, “Wait… does this still count?” It feels less like a fresh start and more like the DCU is selectively carrying over whatever is convenient from the old universe while quietly pretending everything else never happened.

I don’t mind soft reboots. I don’t mind selective continuity. But I do think audiences deserve a clearer answer than simply, “It’s canon if we mention it.” Because right now, the DCU feels like it’s constantly saying both “yes” and “no” at the same time.

Final Thoughts

Peacemaker Season 2 is more than just a second season. It is basically James Gunn using one of DC’s strangest characters to explain how the new DCU works. That should not work. On paper, it sounds ridiculous. This show has no business being this important. And yet, somehow, it works because the emotional story underneath it is strong.

Chris Smith is still one of the most unexpectedly compelling characters in modern superhero television. He is funny because he is stupid, but he is interesting because he is broken. Season 2 understands that the best way to challenge him is not just to throw a bigger villain at him. It is to show him a version of life where he was loved, respected, and whole, then force him to deal with the truth underneath that fantasy.

The season also proves that James Gunn’s DCU is not trying to completely erase everything that came before. It is picking and choosing. Some things happened. Some things changed. Some things are gone. That might be messy, but honestly, DC was already messy. At least now there is someone actively trying to turn the mess into a story.

So yeah, Peacemaker Season 2 is funny, emotional, important, ridiculous, and somehow one of the clearest starting points for understanding the new DCU. What a bizarre sentence.

Even though got lots of positives, I still find this show extremely mediocre. But hey that’s just my opinion. Here’s to hoping the rest of his DCU gets bit better.

Rating

5/10

Spoiler Warning

Everything past this point contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2.

Spoilers

The Justice League retcon is easily one of the biggest talking points of the season. Season 1 originally ended with the old DCEU Justice League showing up too late after the Butterfly invasion. Aquaman and Flash had jokes, Superman and Wonder Woman were silhouettes, and it was one of the funniest cameos in the whole show. But because the DCEU is dead and the DCU is now moving forward, that scene no longer works. So Season 2 changes it. Instead of the Justice League, Leota calls in the Justice Gang, and the cameo is replaced with new DCU characters like Superman, Supergirl, Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific.

That retcon could have been awkward, but I actually think it works because the show treats it with the same ridiculous energy it treats everything else. Guy Gardner replacing Aquaman as the person Peacemaker insults is hilarious, especially because Guy is exactly the kind of person who would be furious about a dumb rumor. The old joke was about Aquaman and fish. The new joke is about Guy being called a puke freak. Is that stupid? Absolutely. Does it fit Peacemaker? Also absolutely.

The alternate universe storyline is where the season gets much darker. Chris finding a world where his father and brother are alive gives him everything he thinks he wants. It is basically the fantasy version of his life. He is respected. His family is together. His trauma is not the same. But the season slowly reveals that this world is not some perfect escape. That is what makes the storyline work. It is not just multiverse fan service. It is a trap built around Chris’s deepest emotional wound.

Rick Flag Sr. hunting Chris gives the season some of its strongest tension. This is a consequence that needed to happen. Chris killing Rick Flag Jr. in The Suicide Squad was one of the most important moments for his character, and Season 2 refuses to let him escape it. Rick Flag Sr. is not wrong to hate him. That is what makes the conflict interesting. Chris has changed, or at least he is trying to change, but that does not erase what he did.

The Harcourt and Rick Flag Jr. reveal is probably one of the season’s most divisive choices. Making their relationship part of the story adds more pain to Harcourt’s character and gives her connection to Flag Sr. more emotional tension, but it also changes how viewers look back at earlier DC material. I can see why some people would think it adds depth, and I can also see why others would think it feels like a retcon for drama’s sake.

By the end, the season feels like it has done something strange but important. It continues Chris’s story, deals with his guilt, introduces major DCU connections, cleans up the old Justice League cameo, and sets the stage for future DC stories. That is a lot for one season to handle. The fact that it does all of that while still being a show about Peacemaker is honestly kind of insane.

Also the show ends with Rick Flag Sr. Shoving Peacemaker into a dimension so that Peacemaker can test out for them of this planet is hospitable to put every meta human in there.

Against Peacemakers will, because revenge for killing his son. On a side nore this doesn’t feel like the same Rick Flag Sr. We saw in Creature Commando, but sure whatever guess they are the same.

Anyways thats the end of the review, hope y’all enjoy today’s review.