Upon its debut in January 2022, Peacemaker quickly became not only one of the best Max original series but also one of the most hilarious and inventive superhero shows ever made. Thanks to John Cena’s titular character, a ridiculously stacked supporting cast, absurd humor, gratuitous violence, and perhaps the best opening title sequence of all time, the show resonated with audiences and critics alike. That being said, it should be no surprise that Peacemaker Season 2 was picked up almost immediately after the show’s arrival.
But, what’s the deal with the next chapter in Peacemaker’s journey? Well, stick around as we break down everything we know about the highly-anticipated upcoming comic book series including its cast, when production gets started, and how it fits into the DCU’s canon.
What Is The Peacemaker Season 2 Premiere Date?
No one from Max or DC Studios, that includes head honcho James Gunn, has stated when Peacemaker Season 2 will become available for those with a Max subscription, but it’s likely we won’t see the show return to the streaming world until 2025 at the earliest. With Gunn fully involved with his long-awaited Superman movie and other upcoming DC projects, it’s going to be some time before we find out about a definitive date for the show’s return.
John Cena And Danielle Brooks Will Once Again Lead The Peacemaker Cast
Though there were a lot of character deaths during and before the Peacemaker Season 1 finale, the core group from the show’s chapter will be returning. Let’s take a look at who’s coming back for a second serving of glorious action.
John Cena as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker
No surprise, but John Cena will be back as Christopher Smith, a.k.a., Peacemaker, when the Max original series returns at some point in the future. Ever since the wrestler-turned-actor played the role in The Suicide Squad, he’s made the character his own, and has even shown up as the violent yet hilarious anti-hero while promoting the show.
Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo
Academy Award nominee Danielle Brooks has been on quite a roll since playing Leota Adebayo during Peacemaker Season 1, and she’ll be back as the co-lead of the series when it debuts somewhere down the road.
Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante
Adrian Chase, a.k.a., Vigilante, was one of the breakout characters from Peacemaker, and it looks like we haven’t seen the last of Freddie Stroma’s awkward and versatile assassin.
Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt
Jennifer Holland first played Emilia Harcourt in The Suicide Squad and later reprised the role for the first season of Peacemaker. The actress, who married James Gunn in September 2022, according to EW, will once again be playing the fan-favorite character upon the show’s return.
Steve Agee as John Economos
And, what would Peacemaker be without the return of Steve Agee’s John Economos? Well, we won’t have to worry about that, as the actor will once again be playing the foul-mouthed A.R.G.U.S. agent.
Plot Details Haven’t Been Revealed, But Peacemaker Season 2 Will Take Place After Superman
We don’t fully know where things will pick back up for John Cena’s titular character (and everyone else) when Peacemaker Season 2 premieres at some point in the future, but we do know that the show’s sophomore chapter will take place after the events of James Gunn’s Superman movie, which started shooting earlier in early 2024.
Gunn, who is no stranger to responding to news and fans’ questions on his various social media pages, took to his Threads account in March 2024 to tell a fan that Peacemaker will take place after the events of Superman, and that the upcoming Waller series about Viola Davis’ DC character will take place after that.
Peacemaker Season 1 Won’t Be Part Of The DCU Canon
There has been a lot of confusion about what is and what isn’t part of the DCU canon, especially when it comes to characters, like Peacemaker, who were introduced in the now-defunct DCEU. Well, prepare for even more confusion, as the second season of Peacemaker will be part of the DCU, but the first season of the show will not be considered canon.
When addressing the issue of when and where the show takes place in March 2024, James Gunn also replied to a fan by saying Season 1 was not part of the DCU canon. The filmmaker and DC Studios chief later explained that “many strands will remain consistent” when it comes to Peacemaker’s story, but he didn’t elaborate any further.
James Gunn Has Written All Of Peacemaker Season 2, But He Won’t Be Directing Every Episode
Just like Peacemaker Season 1, and various other movies, TV shows, and short films he’s helmed over the years, James Gunn wrote the Max original series’ second season. In a March 2024 post on Threads, Gunn revealed that not only was he writing the upcoming second season, but he had already finished all of the episodes (an exact number hasn’t been announced at the time of this writing). However, Gunn also stated that, in the interest of getting the show out to fans, he won’t be directing every episode.
This shouldn’t be a major shocker, as Gunn only directed five of the eight episodes that made up Peacemaker’s first season. Gunn seems to have a lot more on his plate this time around, so it’s hard to say if he’ll be directing one, two, or five episodes. Expect to hear more soon, both in regards to how many episodes will be helmed by Gunn and who will take over the remaining chapters.
Peacemaker Season 2 Will Have A New Intro With New Dancing Characters
One of the best things about Peacemaker was the show’s incredible and incredibly silly opening title sequence, but there will be some changes when the show returns for a second season. With so many characters featured in the opening credits, there were bound to be some changes to the choreography, and now James Gunn has addressed the whole situation.
In a February 2024 post on Threads (via ComicBook.com), the series creator revealed that a new intro with new characters would be coming for the second season, adding that Charissa Barton, who planned out the original sequence, would be returning for the next version. Honestly, this is one of the things we’re most excited to learn more about as we get closer to the show’s return.
Production On Peacemaker Season 2 Is Slated To Kick Off Summer 2024
Though we don’t know when we’ll get to see more Peacemaker, we do know that production on the highly-anticipated second season is going to kick off at some point in Summer 2024, as James Gunn revealed on Threads. In March 2024, Gunn confirmed a ComicBook.com report about the sophomore effort getting underway during the summer. And while he stopped short of giving an exact start to principal photography, Gunn did state that the show would be filming simultaneously with Superman, which explains why he won’t be directing every episode.
Expect to hear more about the production in the coming weeks and months, including more ridiculous pictures of John Cena doing even more ridiculous things.
While we wait for more on Peacemaker Season 2, take a look at our breakdown of the 2024 TV schedule for everything coming to streaming services like Max throughout the year.
