John Cena is back as Peacemaker in the first live-action TV show of James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe. Coming off the heels of a blockbuster hit in Superman, season 2 is looking to keep the momentum going — even if it is targeting a far more mature audience.
Still, Peacemaker has set itself up to be appointment viewing moving forward, so here is everything you need to know in the lead-up to season 2, episode 2.
When does Peacemaker S2E2 come out?
Episode 2 of season 2 of Peacemaker will be released on the HBO Max streaming service at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 28.
The latest episode, titled “A Man Is Only As Good As His Bird,” has a listed runtime of 48 minutes. That doesn’t include the inside the episode breakdown, which lasted about 6 minutes after episode 1.
(Warning: Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1 of Peacemaker and Superman ahead).
Who will show up in this episode?
Between the main DC Universe timeline and the alternate dimension that Peacemaker stumbled upon in episode 1, we are primed to see a handful of familiar faces in the next episode. Here is the unofficial cast list for season 2, episode 2:
- John Cena as Christopher Smith, a.k.a Peacemaker
- Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt
- Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo
- Steve Agee as John Economos
- Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase, a.k.a. Vigilante
- Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr.
- Sol Rodriguez as Sasha Bordeau
- Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, a.k.a. The White Dragon
- David Denman as Keith Smith
On top of the returning main cast, there are a few notable fresh faces that are expected to show up:
- Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury
- Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild
It remains to be seen if Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl or Sean Gunn’s Maxwell Lord will return after their cameo appearances in episode 1.
What to expect in Peacemaker S2E2
At the end of the season 2 premiere, Peacemaker accidentally murdered an alternate version of himself during a fight in his Quantum Unfolding Chamber. That leaves the other universe without a Christopher Smith, so returning to the seemingly perfect world to impersonate him again could be tempting. Meanwhile, Rick Flagg Sr. and A.R.G.U.S. — an offshoot of the Department of Homeland Security — are preparing to take down Peacemaker after Economos lied about what went down at a drug-fueled orgy. Adebayo got kicked out of her house by her wife, Keeya, and Harcourt is looking to bounce back after getting rejected for another intelligence job and losing a bar fight.
Here is the official synopsis for season 2, episode 2 of Peacemaker:
“Economos gets a new handler, Fleury, after failing to distract Flag from Peacemaker. While Adebayo deals with Keeya issues, Peacemaker handles dimensional aftermath as A.R.G.U.S. acts.”
How does Peacemaker fit into the DC Universe?
The DC Extended Universe that existed from 2013 to 2023 effectively got scrapped when James Gunn came in to head up DC Studios alongside producer Peter Safran. The continuity didn’t get a completely fresh start, though, since Gunn wanted to continue stories that he had written and directed pre-reboot.
Cena’s Peacemaker initially appeared in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, which was a loose sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn, Rick Flagg Jr. and Amanda Waller were among the characters to appear in both films. Flagg and Waller were name-dropped in the season 2 premiere, suggesting that at least some plot points have been ported over.
The “Previously On” at the beginning of the season 2 premiere retconned certain aspects of season 1, though, which makes it hard to gauge what is cannon and what isn’t. The Justice Gang arrived late to save the day instead of the Justice League, for example, with reshoots replacing Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash with the new versions of Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. The silhouettes of David Corenswet’s Superman, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl and Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Teriffic replaced those of Henry Cavill’s Superman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, as well.
It still remains to be seen if Robert Pattison’s Batman and Colin Ferrell’s Penguin are part of the same universe as Peacemaker & co.
