James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Extended Universe is kicking off in style this year. We already knew that Gunn's Superman movie is coming out on July 11. Now we have confirmation that the second season of Peacemaker will follow soon after; it starts streaming on Max on August 21.
The return of Peacemaker is very exciting for fans who enjoyed the first season of the show, which stars John Cena as the dysfunctional antihero Chris Smith, aka Peacemaker. It premiered all the way back in 2022, when Gunn was still working with Marvel on Guardians of the Galaxy and only moonlighting for DC. Now he's one of the people running the show, and he's pulling all the levers to make Peacemaker not only another fun romp, but also an interconnected piece of this new cinematic universe. Check out the first teaser trailer, which dropped today:
Peacemaker isn't cut out for the Justice League, and that's why we love him
This trailer starts with a scene that made me immediately perk up, as Peacemaker seemingly applies to become a member of the Justice League, only to get rejected. The panel overseeing the selection process consists of The Last of Us actor Isabela Merced, who will appear as Hawkgirl in Superman; Nathan Filion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, who he'll play in both Superman and the upcoming Lanterns show; and Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, the leader of this take on the Justice League. Lord was a moustache-twirling villain played by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984, but this is a new take on the character for this new DCEU. He seems pretty comically inept, accidentally leaving the microphone on so Peacemaker can hear the Justice League ragging on him.
This opening may seem like a clear signal that this is going to be a DCEU show all the way down; it is coming out only a monther after Superman, after all. But after Peacemaker is rejected we get back to the team we all know and love from the first season. In addition to Cena, Danielle Brooks (Leota Adebayo), Jennifer Holland (Emilia Harcourt), Freddie Stroma (Vigilante), Steve Agee (John Economos), and Robert Patrick (Augie Smith/White Dragon) are all returning. New cast members include Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodriguez, and Tim Meadows. And of course Eagly, Peacemaker's bald eagle best friend, gets a healthy spotlight.
The main storyline this trailer highlights is that Rick Flag Sr. (Grillo) has taken over an organization called A.R.G.U.S. and is on the hunt for Peacemaker. Probably because Peacemaker killed his son in The Suicide Squad. Our helmeted hero can't catch a break, even after saving the world in season 1.
The trailer also pokes some fun at the multiverse, which is all the craze right now over at Marvel. It ends with Peacemaker stepping through a door into another version of his own apartment, where another Peacemaker holds him at gunpoint. Here for it!
Peacemaker season 1 was a really fun show that felt surprisingly fresh. I'll be excited to watch season 2 when it premieres August 21 on Max.
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