Season 2 of Peacemaker is halfway done, meaning there are only four weeks left of the John Cena superhero vehicle inside of James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe. Critics who watched Peacemaker early – and combined to give it a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes – only got screeners for the first five episodes. The talk around town is that the show will take a major turn at the end of episode 5.
As you carve out time to watch Peacemaker this week, here is everything you need to know in the lead-up to season 2, episode 5.
When does Peacemaker S2E5 come out?
Episode 5 of season 2 of Peacemaker will be released on the HBO Max streaming service at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 18.
The latest episode, titled “Back to the Suture,” is expected to have a runtime around 45 minutes. That includes the end credits, outtakes and preview of the following episode, which have added about three minutes to the past few episodes.
(Warning: Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 4 of Peacemaker and Superman ahead).
Who will show up in this episode?
Between the main DC Universe timeline and the alternate dimension that Peacemaker explored in the first few episodes, the next episode could feature multiple versions of characters we already know. Here is the unofficial cast list for season 2, episode 5:
- 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 Flag Sr.
- Sol Rodriguez as Sasha Bordeau
- Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury
- Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild
- Nhut Lee as Rip Jagger a.k.a. Judomaster
- Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, a.k.a. The Blue Dragon
- David Denman as Keith Smith, a.k.a. Captain Triumph
- Joel Kinneman as Rick Flag Jr.
It remains to be seen if or when 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 S2E5
In episode 4, Peacemaker escaped to his grandfather’s old cabin in the woods with Adebayo and Vigilante. Just before Economos could crack the code to his Quantum Unfolding Chamber, Peacemaker teleported the portal to his new digs. Rick Flag Sr. figured that something was still up, though, so he offered Harcourt a clean slate to turn Peacemaker in. So, for the third time in four episodes, Peacemaker is walking into an ambush. He and Eagly evaded A.R.G.U.S. both times they raided his house, so now it’s time to see how they can shake free out in public. But beyond that, Peacemaker will have to face the fact that Harcourt sold him out.
On top of a rematch with Judomaster, Peacemaker could finally come face-to-face with Rick Flag Sr. Eagly is in a precarious situation as well, considering Red St. Wild has used dark magic to track him down.
There is not an official synopsis for season 2, episode 5 of Peacemaker publicly listed yet.
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 sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn, Rick Flag Jr. and Amanda Waller were among the characters to appear in both films. Flag Jr. just made his first appearance in Peacemaker in episode 3, both in a flashback sequence in the main universe and as an active part of the “Earth 2” storyline.
The “Previously On” at the beginning of the season 2 premiere fully retconned certain aspects of season 1, which makes it difficult 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.
Rick Flag Sr. made multiple references to Pokolistan and a back injury in episode 4, confirming that Peacemaker season 2 takes place after Creature Commandos, the animated show that came out in December 2024.
The next DC projects coming out are the Lanterns show on HBO, Supergirl and Clayface. Superman: Man of Tomorrow – a sequel to 2025’s Superman – is scheduled to hit theaters in July 2027. 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.
