Peacemaker season 2 release date, reviews, recap, and everything you need to know about James Gunn's new DC series

Peacemaker season 2 has concluded and, true to James Gunn's word, it set up some major stakes for the next steps in DCU Chapter One.

So, if you've missed out or are still playing catch-up, you'll (probably) want the skinny on Peacemaker season 2. Don't worry, you're in luck. Below, we've gathered everything from reviews, recaps, and all the cast surprises.

If you want to look a little further afield, we've got guides on upcoming DC movies and the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, which has suddenly become extremely relevant to Peacemaker's plight.

Peacemaker season 2 release date

Peacemaker season 2 was released on August 21, 2025.

This makes it the third DCU project and the second live-action DCU project to release, following Superman's release on July 11, 2025.

New episodes released every Thursday (Fridays in the UK), right up until October 9. US readers can head over to HBO Max to tuck into the show, while UK folks will need to have the NOW TV Entertainment package or have access to Sky Max to watch.

Peacemaker season 2 reviews

Currently, the reception to Peacemaker season 2 has been overwhelmingly positive. At the time of writing, the series is sitting at a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the majority of critics praising its "plotting" and the growth of the characters that we've seen in season 1. It's also currently a hit with the audience, with it garnering a solid 81% with viewers on the delightfully-named Popcornmeter.

We were also a fan of the show, giving our Peacemaker season 2 review a very respectable score of three and a half stars. Our Will Salmon writes: "Peacemaker's second season is darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."

Peacemaker season 2 trailer

Peacemaker Season 2 | Official Trailer | HBO Max - YouTube

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The Peacemaker season 2 trailer was shown during San Diego Comic-Con 2025, and (like the previous trailer) it features a multiversal twist. It also reveals that the plot will focus on Rick Flagg Sr. hunting down Peacemaker for killing his son in The Suicide Squad.

The first look at Peacemaker season 2 came in Max's upcoming show preview, which saw the team reuniting. "No matter how far we are from each other," John Cena's antihero said. "No one will ever break us apart." It also contained a few shots of Emilia Harcourt and Peacemaker looking bruised and bloody, as well as our first look at Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. in live-action. Watch it below.

Peacemaker season 2 cast

Plenty of the season 1 cast show up in Peacemaker season 2, which is led once again by John Cena's antihero. However, they are also joined by a whole host of new faces.

Here is the Peacemaker season 2 cast list:

• John Cena as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker
• Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo
• Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante
• Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt
• Steve Agee as John Economos
• Robert Patrick as August 'Auggie' Smith / White Dragon
• Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
• Sol Rodríguez as Sasha Bordeaux
• Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury
• Nhut Le as Judomaster
• Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild
• Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl
• Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
• Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord
• Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith
• David Denman as Keith Smith
• Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag Jr.
• Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
• Stephen Blackeheart as Sydney Happersen
• James Hiroyuki Liao as General Mori

Peacemaker season 2 plot and recap

We don't want to give away too many spoilers here, so we'll just give a brief rundown of what took place. Basically, Peacemaker season 2 opens with our leading man very much down on his luck. It seems that there are bumps in both his professional and personal life. However, once a portal to another dimension comes into play, everything changes.

That dimension features Chris' brother and father, both very much still alive, and he even replaces that universe's Peacemaker after inadvertently killing him. Still with us?

Unfortunately, the dimension turns out to be a bit of a bust, to put it mildly. It's actually Earth-X, an alternate universe where the Nazis won World War 2.

After the 11th Street Kids help Chris escape (but not before Vigilante kills Chris's fence-sitting alternate universe father), Peacemaker gets set to skip town with Eagly. However, an intervention (and Harcourt revealing her kiss with Chris meant "everything" to her) causes him to stay. The gang, alongside former ARGUS members Fleury, Judomaster, and Sasha Bordeaux, set up the Checkmate agency.

But the looming spectre of the UAC, the 100-door dimensional portal space, was a thorn in the side for many this season. It eventually falls under the control of Rick Flag who, united with Lex Luthor, uses it to find 'Salvation', a hospitable dimension that can be used to house Earth's metahumans. The first person in? That would be Peacemaker, as revenge for him killing Rick Flag's son, Rick Flag Jr.

For a more detailed breakdown, check out our guide to the Peacemaker season 2 ending.

Is Peacemaker canon to the DCU?

Yes, Peacemaker is officially canon to the DCU. But it's complicated. Peacemaker season 1 took place in the DCEU, which is where John Cena's version of Peacemaker first originated (in The Suicide Squad). Season 1 also made several references to the DCEU that was, including having a very tongue-in-cheek set of Justice League cameos in its finale.

However, Peacemaker season 2 is set in the new DCU, and given that it takes place after Superman and brings in a Creature Commandos character in Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr., season 1 operates in an odd narrative limbo. James Gunn even almost said as much himself, describing the slightly confusing continuity in an interview with IGN.

"Now in Creature Commandos, you'll hear them talk about things that happened in [The] Suicide Squad or Peacemaker. Well then, those things automatically become canon," Gunn told the publication. "The truth is almost all of Peacemaker is canon with the exception of Justice League… which we will kind of deal with in the next season of Peacemaker."

To make things even more confusing, Gunn said on Threads, that "many strands [from Peacemaker season 1] will remain consistent… insofar as Peacemaker’s story goes."

In the show itself, it's a lot more straightforward: anything mentioned in the premiere's 'Previously in the DCU' section is canon, while anything shown on-screen (such as Rick Flag Jr's death) is also considered canon.

For more on the DCU, check out our guides to everything we know about Supergirl and Creature Commandos season 2.