The first episode of Peacemaker Season 2 aired on August 21 on HBO Max, with the following episodes airing every Thursday. I watched the show’s first season when it came out and thought that it was really good, so I was looking forward to Season 2 for a long while. Luckily for me, Season 2 was worth the wait.
It pleased me how easy this season was to get into, considering I haven’t seen Creature Commandos and Superman, the other two pieces of media in the new DCU. Even though it was clear that I was missing something, everything that is from after Peacemaker Season 1 is pretty well introduced. I’m also glad that they didn’t try to overcomplicate how the first season was made as a part of Zack Snyder’s DCEU, while this season is part of James Gunn’s DCU. I thought that, considering the multiverse is an important plot point, there would be something about the characters travelling from the old universe to the new universe. Thankfully, the show chose to skip that unnecessary step and instead decided to simply replace the original Justice League’s brief appearance in Season 1 with the Justice Gang during the recap, showing that the change from the DCEU to the DCU isn’t actually too important to the show.
On the topic of the multiverse, I like how the show handles this oversaturated topic. The multiverse has shown up in a lot of superhero media as of late, making it seem much less interesting. Part of the reason why its inclusion in so many things is so obnoxious is that it’s constantly treated like it’s new and innovative. This show, by contrast, recognizes that the audience is already familiar with the concept and instead opts to jump straight into it.
Something that I expected, but still appreciate, is how the costumes in this show aren’t trying to be grounded at all. This is pretty much a constant in everything made by James Gunn, but it is still good to see when the superhero genre is plagued by uninspired “realistic” costume designs. The two that really stood out were Peacemaker’s alternate reality brother, who looked like an off-brand action figure, and the alien, who looks like a throwaway villain in Power Rangers. While this may not sound like a compliment, I really do like how the silly costumes help this show, and even the wider DCU, build a unique identity.
Another thing that continues from Season 1 is how good John Cena is at being in the role of Peacemaker. John Cena is the kind of actor that I would expect to see as himself rather than the character he’s playing. However, across both seasons, I’m repeatedly surprised at how, while watching, I always see him as Peacemaker and never as John Cena. On the topic of acting, a new addition to the show that I enjoy is Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury. Peacemaker is already a show filled with funny, quirky characters, and Meadows still manages to stand out as being particularly hilarious. The way that he is constantly intentionally ticking others off, and the way that he is so upset by his “bird blindness”, really makes his performance memorable.
Looking at this show more broadly, it does a great job at blending serious drama, action, and comedy. A scene can go from a serious moment to a hilarious joke, then back to being serious, and it all feels natural. The action is also given more weight compared to other superhero media due to its ability to show more violence.
If you haven’t started watching Peacemaker Season 2 yet, I would definitely recommend giving it a try. It would probably be better to watch Superman beforehand, but in my experience, it wasn’t necessary. I would also recommend that after every episode, you skip ahead to watch the post-credits, which feature short extensions to scenes. They aren’t the funniest that the show has to offer, but they do provide a nice final moment of levity to walk away from when you’re done watching an episode.
