REVIEW: Vulnerability Is On Display In 'Peacemaker' Season 2 Episode 1
- Christopher Mills
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
This review contains minor spoilers for Episode 1 of ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2.
Three years later, James Gunn is the co-head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. We've gotten Creature Commandos, where we first met Rick Flag Sr (Frank Grillo), and then we got Superman, which Peacemaker had a quick cameo in. Now we have the second season of Peacemaker, which James Gunn has said is the continuation of the events that took place in Superman and will have larger ramifications for the future of the DCU.
The question that has been on everyone's mind was how this was going to integrate itself into the DCU after having its first season set in the defunct DCEU, and it provides that answer quite easily and rather fast. The first episode opens up with a "Previously on the DCU", where we get a run-through of the events of Peacemaker Season 1 and are met with changes such as the Justice League mentions being swapped for Lordtech's Justice Gang. We also get to see them make an appearance during the S1 finale, where we see Mister Terrific, Superman, Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and Supergirl, which replaces the DCEU Superman, Aquaman, Flash and Wonder Woman.
Peacemaker might've killed his father during the first season, but that hasn't brought him the peace that he thought it would, and this first episode gets to take us through some of the emotions and problems that Chris Smith has. We open the episode with Chris sleeping before Eagly (Dee Bradley Baker) rudely wakes him up so that he can be taken for a walk (a fly?), but due to it being freezing outside, Chris instead takes him into the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, where it's warm and there's a lot of flying space. The Quantum Unfolding Chamber is just as you would remember it from the first season, but now there's another set of Peacemaker helmets? A door that leads to a strange, unrecognisable room? Chris's father is alive? It's a lot for the audience and Chris to take in before the new opening credits begin to play.
The new opening dance sequence might not be better than the first season's iconic theme, but it's almost just as good with the inclusion of the new characters such as Rick Flag Sr, Sasha Bordeaux and even the alternate versions of Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and Chris's very much alive family. The intro song this time around is "Oh Lord" by Foxy Shazam, and while originally, I'd say it wasn't a song you could dance to, James Gunn proves me wrong by having the cast of Peacemaker Season 2 display their best moves.
Chris saved the world; he killed the butterflies and the cow. As Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) says, "You're a superhero now." It's clear that Chris feels like he still hasn't attained that status, and this audition to join the Justice Gang might be what he needs to feel validated, but unfortunately for him, the Justice Gang is run by Lordtech CEO Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), who's quite the asshole and that paired with Guy Gardner is a recipe for disaster. We get a quick glimpse of White Rabbit (Brey Noelle), giving our first glimpse at the other vigilantes that roam the DCU. The interview plays out exactly as Chris imagined; he's seen as a joke, and this only clouds his head more with hate towards himself.
From the first episode, we get a quick look at where the rest of the 11th Street Kids are, and similar to Chris, they're all having problems of their own. Harcourt is struggling to secure a job at various intelligence agencies after the aftermath of Amanda Waller being exposed. Adebayo is having relationship problems. Adrian (Freddie Stroma) calling Economos (Steve Agee) every night highlights that he hasn't got someone he can call a real friend to talk to. Economos is working for Rick Flag Sr but unfortunately is being made to spy on his friend.
This season is all about dealing with the consequences of their actions from the last season and how it's affecting them emotionally. While people love to find the similarities with James Gunn's writing, he shows that with each thing he writes, he improves and also has a deep understanding of his characters. Emilia Harcourt is taking the job rejections hard, injuring herself and putting herself in fights which are epic but also end in her bloody and beaten. This pain might be her way of dealing with her feelings, and while it's not healthy, everyone has their own coping mechanisms, and fighting is the only way for her to relieve her anger and calm down.
Since we last saw Chris and Harcourt, something has happened between the two that took place on a party boat. While the two never disclose what actually happened, it's obvious that it has led to Chris's feelings for her developing more, and with Harcourt not currently sharing the same sentiment, this just leads to Chris believing that he feels misplaced in this world.
It doesn't help that one of his friends is working behind his back for Rick Flag Sr, who wants all eyes on Chris to prevent another incident like the "Luthor Incident" from Superman from taking place again. Anytime Chris opens the door to the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, ARGUS is made aware. While this may seem like the reason Rick Flag Sr has eyes on him, it's James Gunn's chance to finally prove that not only can he have a character appear in different mediums and feel the same, but if executed right, Rick Flag Sr's story, which began in Creature Commandos, could come full circle.
We get to see Chris return to the parallel universe he discovered at the start of the episode, communicating with Keith (David Denman), his previously deceased brother, and Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), his also previously deceased and racist father. He's discovered a world where everything seems to be the opposite of his world: his brother is alive, his father isn't a raging racist and is a loving father, and they're all seen as heroes called "The Top Trio". This is everything Chris could dream of, but the only thing in the way is the parallel universe's Chris Smith who finds him and mistakes him for a shapeshifter (perhaps Martians are around in this universe).
We get to see Peacemaker vs Peacemaker as ninja stars are sent from the helmet that cut into Chris's back and continuously dig in. We get to see how the parallel Peacemaker fights, and there's a great usage of the jetpack and combination of the helmet's powers, but the fight ends rather quickly as he accidentally gets impaled. James Gunn doesn't really write this as the epic fight audiences might've expected, as Chris is really trying to become a changed man; he doesn't want to just simply kill because he can, and also the sight of seeing himself completely freezes him. Now with his own lifeless body in front of him, what's the next step for Chris?
Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1 is an outstanding great start to the season and overall return of the show. James Gunn already showcases with his writing that this season is going to be vastly different from the first, as it focuses more on the emotions of our characters and less on the action, which still exists but isn't so in your face with it. There's a long way to go with this second season before it reaches the same heights as the first season, but the performances from John Cena and the writing from James Gunn that highlight Chris's vulnerability lead me to believe that this may be proof that the DCU is exactly what we needed.
Rating: ★★★★☆
About Peacemaker Season 2
About Peacemaker Season 2
Premiere Date:Â August 21, 2025
Episode Count:Â 8
Executive Producer/Showrunner: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Director: James Gunn, Greg Mottola, Peter Sollett, Althea Jones
Production:Â DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company
Distribution:Â HBO Max
Cast:Â John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodriguez, Tim Meadows
Synopsis: In season 2, Peacemaker discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.