After what seemed like a long silent period for what we now call the DC Cinematic Universe — or DCU for short — the first few projects announced by DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are coming at great speed. The next one on the docket? The second season of Peacemaker, which arrives later this week.
Reviews are out, and it’s already Certified Fresh at 98% on the Tomatometer, with critics calling it a “standout in superhero television.”
But for those of us anticipating the return of Chris Smith (John Cena) — aka Peacemaker — and the other members of the security agency A.R.G.U.S.-affiliated task force known as either the 11th Street Kids or Team Peacemaker, what can we expect? Thankfully, Cena, Gunn, and other members of the Peacemaker cast pulled back the curtain at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con (and in times since) to give a peek at what’s to come in the second chaotic season. Let’s take a look.
Where We Left Off
Of course, as with almost any DC-related project, we have to check in with what came before and, more crucially, how much of it still matters going forward. Since the first season, Gunn and Safran orchestrated a universal reset with a new Superman (David Corenswet), new status quos, and no Justice League.
That last change is important, as the first season ended with a cameo from the League and a joke at Aquaman’s (formerly Jason Momoa) expense. But outside of the League appearance and the Aquaman jokes, most of season 1 remains intact. Following the 11th Street Kids preventing an alien invasion, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) exposed Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) illegal use of criminals for secret extra-governmental operations. In response, the US government acknowledged the existence of the Task Force X program (also known as the Suicide Squad) and closed it down. Waller, however, retained her place in A.R.G.U.S. and switched tactics to Task Force M. As seen in the animated Creature Commandos series, she now uses potentially inhuman monsters to carry out those secret missions.
The others, meanwhile, scattered to make new lives for themselves either within or outside of A.R.G.U.S.
Where Are The 11th Street Kids As Season 2 Begins?
Team Peacemaker, which includes Chris, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), John Economos (Steve Agee), Adebayo, and Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), are still reeling from the vindictive things Waller managed to pull off in the fallout of Task Force X becoming public. As Holland put it during the SDCC presentation, “The events that happened have really affected her in a huge way.” Waller ruined Harcourt’s position within A.R.G.U.S., for example, and “[Harcourt’s] whole identity is her work. She doesn’t know who she is without her work.”
“I wonder which character I relate to the most,” Gunn quipped.
Holland continued, “She is totally lost and you get to see how that manifests itself in the put-on confidence that comes from that vulnerability.” As an example, a clip from the first episode shown at the panel saw Harcourt going into a rowdy bar just to pick a fight. Facing nearly everyone there, she almost wins. It remains to be seen, of course, just how she escapes the bar and what she will do next.
Chris, meanwhile, is still seeking to be a true hero. Sure, his status in the world has risen a little since the first season — see his talk show appearance in Superman — but he still feels like a D-lister. “Chris is a different guy,” Gunn explained. “He’s dealing with the demons he learned last season and the world isn’t accepting him.”
As he continues to process these changes in his life, he discovers that his father’s portal technology did more than hide a secret arsenal in a pocket dimension. It also offers access to parallel worlds. In one, he finds a truly successful version of himself who is admired, stable, heroic, and dating Harcourt. All of which was revealed during a trailer opening the SDCC panel.
“When I watch the trailer, I see someone who’s going through a rough patch and thinks the grass will be greener on the other side,” Cena said. “I think people will enjoy that aspect of the season because they can relate.”
But as our Chris tries to insinuate himself in that reality, the alternate Chris gets pissed, setting up one of the longer conflicts for the season. Cena promised it will feature a fight between the two that will lead to a “very exciting finish.”
“It’s very short though,” he joked.
The only character Gunn claims hasn’t changed through or since season 1 is Stroma’s Vigilante. He is still ready to drop everything to help Chris, but his fascination with Economos will also be explored, as detailed in the trailer.
Agee, meanwhile, admits Economos is sort of the Nick Fury of the DCU. Although he was quick to joke about what that really means: “I have some pretty intense computer hacking scenes this year, you guys… I get to pay my rent for a few more weeks!” In terms of his status, he is still working for A.R.G.U.S. and Waller, but is “torn” between his duties there and his dedication to the team of outsiders. “I’m walking a thin line this season,”
Adebayo, meanwhile, is something of a mystery, as Brooks ultimately had to miss the panel. From the trailer, she is still offering Chris the truest friendship he has ever experienced. But as she was behind the outing of Task Force X, it is clear she no longer has a place in A.R.G.U.S. or Waller’s heart. Which is doubly tough as Waller is her mother.
Gunn offered one glimpse into where she is at the start of the season: “She’s so optimistic. She can’t work in the intelligence agencies, but she wants to be a spy, so she’s starting her own mercenary business and it’s going nowhere at the beginning of the season. She doesn’t let it get her down.”
The trailer also made it clear Judo Master (Nhut Le) will return.
Summing the season up, Gunn said, “I really like TV shows where characters grow and change… and sometimes regress.”
What About Those DCU Connections?
Beyond the continuing characters and themes from the first season, the new DCU status quo will be felt both immediately and throughout the new run of episodes. According to Gunn, Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and Max Lord (Sean Gunn) will appear in the premiere. It remains to be seen, though, how often they will pop up. Additionally, the season begins a month after the events of Superman. “It is definitely part of the DCU now,” Gunn said.
A more long-term DCU element will be the presence of Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo). Debuting in Creature Commandos as the human point man for Task Force M and appearing in a smaller capacity throughout Superman, Flag joins Peacemaker as an antagonist with a very understandable motivation: revenge.
Many will recall the fight between Chris and Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) in The Suicide Squad. Chris ultimately proved victorious while Flag Jr. lay dead. In the month following Superman, Flag Sr. is now clear about Chris’s role in his son’s death and wants nothing more than to demand satisfaction.
“It [is] this evolution of Flag… but driven by revenge for his son,” Grillo explained. “He is now in a position to finally get his hands on Peacemaker.” Per Grillo’s comments, it seems he will actually get a hold of Chris several times, but the outcomes of those encounters will not be final.
Continuing plotlines begun in The Suicide Squad also means a large portion of that film counts in a DCU context. It just remains to be seen how much of the Corto Maltese operation is, in fact, canon. In recent days, Gunn has said the status of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) will be revealed in due time. He also said he would like to reintroduce Idris Elba’s Bloodsport into the new status quo, but don’t expect firm news about either in the short term. In the meantime, the Flag feud will be ample fuel for Peacemaker.
Will There Be New Characters?
Sol Rodriguez and Tim Meadows join the fray this season. Rodriguez plays Sasha Bordeaux, a character introduced in a 2000 issue of Detective Comics. There, she was a former Secret Service agent-turned-private contractor and head of personal security for Bruce Wayne. Learning his secret, she trains with Batman and falls for him. He does likewise, but circumstances prevent their feelings from progressing and, ultimately, find Bordeaux working for Max Lord and receiving a form of cybernetic enhancement.
It is unclear how many of these details will carry over into Peacemaker, with Rodriguez just calling Bordeaux a “badass.”
Gunn also kept mum, only offering the following: “Sasha is a character I like in the comics, and I wanted someone with a superhuman tinge.”
Meadows won the part of A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury, a character who appears to be original to the series, after Gunn tried other actors and finally thought “Meadows might be good.” The actor tried not to fanboy while the two discussed the part on a video call and after hearing the pitch for Fleury’s arc, he agreed to join the cast.
“It was the easiest negotiating,” Meadows quipped.
While it is unclear just what he’s up to, Fleury has a curious quirk: he cannot tell birds apart. To him, Eagley and a sparrow look exactly the same.
What About The Credit Sequence?
Peacemaker’s first season had a genuine phenomenon with its unexpected credit sequence — a dance number to the tune of Wig Wam’s “Do Ya Wanna Taste It?” Asked if the new season would do something new or different, Gunn confirmed there will be a new title sequence with a new song. While he was reluctant to reveal it at the SDCC panel, he subsequently announced it will be “Oh Lord” by Foxy Sham.
Going back to the SDCC presentation, Gunn explained his process in devising a new intro. “You start by not trying to overdo it,” he said. “Nobody saw the season one credits coming. People couldn’t believe what they’re seeing. So, it isn’t trying to one-up. It is a different song, new characters, great dancers.”
“I’m the best dancer,” Grillo joked. “The dancing started out as something I did reluctantly and it turned into me becoming the best dancer.”
Holland added she requested the chance to do the “lift” from Dirty Dancing, although it is unknown if she is the one doing the lifting. “I didn’t request it to anyone but the universe,” she added.
In terms of the various sourced songs — a Gunn specialty since at least Guardians of the Galaxy — the executive producer teased it will be in line with the first season soundtrack, but “more modern.” He also said, “[It’s] a lot of bands I love. I write with my huge playlist with sleaze metal song.”
Will There Be More Peacemaker?
It remains to be seen if Peacemaker will live on after the second season. Originally, it was meant to follow a Waller TV series, but development of that project stalled while Peacemaker was fast-tracked into production. It is possible Waller may emerge before any decisions are made about the far future of Chris and the 11th Street Kids.
Peacemaker: Season 2 premieres August 21, 2025 on HBO Max.
