James Gunn on Peacemaker S2: ‘Characters Must Evolve’

A star was truly lit at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend when HBO Max premiered the first full-length trailer for Season 2 of Peacemaker, the Emmy-nominated DC spinoff series from director James Gunn. The trailer is the first extended look at what’s in store for John Cena’s Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, and it does not disappoint. This season, things are going to get even bigger, weirder, and more emotional.

Set after the events of The Suicide Squad (2021), Peacemaker’s eight-episode first season was set five months after the events of their mission on Corto Maltese, as Smith barely survived a near-death experience with a gunshot wound to the chest. Recruited by the United States government to complete a black ops mission known as “Project Butterfly,” Smith assembles a new team under the leadership of Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) with the help of A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos (Steve Agee), NSA agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and a recruit named Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks).

Project Butterfly turned out to be much more than just a simple, low-risk government operation, as the team quickly discovered they were charged with the task of hunting down and eliminating an alien race that had invaded Earth and now possessed human hosts: parasitic butterflies that took over their victims. At the end of the season, the ill-assorted group of heroes managed to eradicate the alien menace in a violent all-out shootout at a ranch, escaping with their lives but not without suffering serious injuries and emotional trauma.

Now, Peacemaker returns in a much-altered DCU. While the first season existed within the universe established by the DCEU (sadly now-defunct), Season 2 plays out in a newly minted DCU that Gunn has himself introduced as part of his “Gods and Monsters” slate of films and series. Gunn has said in interviews that previous events (sans some Justice League cameo appearances) will stay canon, though.

Returning cast members this season include Cena, Brooks, Holland, Agee, and Freddie Stroma as the fan-favorite, unhinged Vigilante. Nhut Le also returns as Judomaster, along with Eagly, Peacemaker’s protective bald eagle sidekick. Robert Patrick will also reprise his role as Peacemaker’s deceased father, Auggie Smith, and the impact of Auggie’s overbearing personality and expectations of his son’s heroism are still felt strongly in Chris Smith’s life. Frank Grillo will make an appearance this season as Rick Flagg Sr., the father of the late Rick Flagg, who was killed by Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad. Grillo’s character was in charge of the now-deceased Flagg’s special operations team within A.R.G.U.S. and, naturally, is out for revenge. New cast members this season include Tim Meadows as agent Langston Fleury, Sol Rodriguez as Sasha Bordeaux, and Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild, who the trailer describes as Eagly’s “nemesis.”

The official synopsis states that this season will see Chris Smith battling both the physical and emotional trauma of his bloody past while also contending with his desire to become a better person. He still strives for peace at any cost—but this time he wants to earn it as a true hero, rather than mindlessly following orders.

The Season 2 trailer also contains hints of a teaser released in May that offered a glimpse into the absurdity and mayhem of what fans can expect this season. Set to the music of Foxy Shazam’s “Oh Lord,” the preview footage included the moment when Chris attempts to join the Justice League—featuring Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders (Isabela Merced), and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), who all reprise their roles from Superman. His awkward sales pitch predictably lands with a thud.

In the teaser, audiences also got some fun character updates. It turns out that Adebayo is now “living in the worst level of Grand Theft Auto,” according to Economos. Harcourt was apparently “deadset on a particularly severe form of toxic masculinity,” while Vigilante has inexplicably become a fry guy.

The most shocking reveal, however, in the trailer? A dimensional portal. In an incredible twist, Chris finds himself falling through a portal into a parallel universe where he is faced with an alternate version of himself—that version of him is a big-time hero and is beloved and adored. But he is less than satisfied with his situation (including his lack of romantic success) and contemplates staying in this alternate universe. But of course, Chris’ history is not far behind, as Harcourt wisely delivers one of the trailer’s best lines: “No matter how green the grass is over there, you belong here. With us.”

During a Hall H panel at SDCC, James Gunn was on hand to speak about the second season, and he went into depth about how the series will evolve this year. “I like TV shows where the characters don’t just come back for another season and they’re the same characters,” Gunn told the audience. “I want to see them grow. I want to see them change—and sometimes regress. Peacemaker is a different guy this year. He’s dealing with the demons that he uncovered in the first season, and he’s trying to deal with them, and the world is not accepting him the way he is. They’re not accepting him as a hero.”

Fans can expect the same over-the-top action and zany humor that made Peacemaker so beloved, but this season also promises to deliver more heart and an intriguing multiversal approach to storytelling. Whether Peacemaker will ever be able to come to terms with who he is—or who he wants to be—will have to wait and be seen.

Peacemaker Season 2 premieres August 21, 2025, exclusively on HBO Max.