Peacemaker Faces the Past and Another Version of Himself in S2

James Gunn’s Emmy-nominated superhero series, Peacemaker, continues its march towards a highly anticipated second season with the release of a full trailer, previewing the next eight-episode run. HBO Max first unveiled the trailer at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend.

A first major look at the second chapter in John Cena’s character Christopher Smith’s journey as the heavily armed peacekeeper, the trailer does a nice job of giving fans an extended peek at the forthcoming season. As first reported by Box Office, the trailer hints that Season 2 is bigger, weirder, and deeper in the emotional spectrum for the Peacemaker himself.

Fresh off a mission that played out five months following the original Suicide Squad movie, Peacemaker’s first season was much like the film, but instead of a secret mission to Corto Maltese, Season 1 focused on a new top-secret mission for Smith, who only narrowly survived being shot in the head during the Suicide Squad mission. The new mission, a U.S. government black-ops code named “Project Butterfly,” found Smith at the helm of another covert team, this time under the command of Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), and supported by A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos (Steve Agee), NSA agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and a new team member, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks).

Mission “Project Butterfly” did not pan out to be what it seemed. Not at all. A regular U.S. government mission to the public, Project Butterfly was anything but, as it had recruited a ragtag team of misfits to deal with a threat they had no idea existed until it was too late. The group, suddenly stuck in the middle of the “real” conflict, was facing an alien species of parasitic butterflies that had breached Earth and were trying to establish a stronghold by possessing human bodies. As they come to grips with what they are up against, Peacemaker and his team work to survive their new host, the alien invasion, and each other as they eventually shut down the enemy on a ranch in Texas before dying themselves. By a miracle, the motley crew was able to overcome its many injuries and mental and physical trauma to take down the parasitic alien butterfly invasion before escaping. It’s messy, it’s fun, and it’s what fans have come to expect from the Gunn-verse that made up the likes of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Peacemaker’s second chapter, however, is a different ballgame in this universe. While Season 1 existed under the context of the DCEU—which now appears to be completely dismantled after The Flash, in all likelihood- Gunn has unveiled Peacemaker Season 2 within its new continuity, the new DCU that he introduced as part of his slate of “Gods and Monsters”-themed content. Gunn has also confirmed, however, that while those cameos from the Justice League do not technically exist in this version of the DCU, the former DCEU events from the likes of The Suicide Squad are still canon for Peacemaker.

The characters that Cena, Brooks, Holland, Agee, and Freddie Stroma play as the returning fan-favorite vigilante will return for the second season. So will Nhut Le as Judomaster, as well as Eagly, Peacemaker’s custom-equipped, weapon-toting bald eagle.

Veteran Robert Patrick, who appeared in the first season, will also be back as Auggie Smith, Peacemaker’s dead father, who continues to loom large over Peacemaker’s present. Joining the returning cast is Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr., the father of The Suicide Squad’s now-dead Rick Flagg, who was killed by Peacemaker during the mid-credits scene in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, for what appears to be a super-villain role. With his son dead, Rick Flagg Sr. now leads A.R.G.U.S. and will be out for blood. The new season also welcomes Tim Meadows as agent Langston Fleury, Sol Rodriguez as Sasha Bordeaux, and Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild, whose character is billed as Eagly’s “nemesis.”

As for the on-page concept of the new season, the official synopsis indicates that this year, Chris Smith is grappling with both the consequences of his past actions and a seemingly budding desire to be more than what he has always been and currently is. Peacemaker may still be on a “peace at all costs” trajectory, but it’s a different peace than last time, as Peacemaker this year seems to be all about going out and being the hero, rather than a violent egomaniac through complete obedience.

A Season 2 teaser trailer debuted back in May, giving fans a first glimpse at the type of gonzo madness that is in store for the upcoming season. Set to the tune of “Oh Lord” by Foxy Shazam, the brief trailer includes one early gag involving an attempt by Chris to join the Justice League, which includes Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders (Isabela Merced), and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), who all reprise their roles from Gunn’s recent Superman movie. His pitch to get into the group, to say the least, does not go well.

The teaser also drops a few character bits, particularly for Adebayo, Harcourt, and Vigilante. The former, according to Economos, is currently “living in the worst level of Grand Theft Auto.” Harcourt, meanwhile, is reportedly “experiencing a particularly severe form of toxic masculinity.” Vigilante’s current status, however, is “working in the food service industry.”

Another exciting, and yes, quite shocking reveal in the trailer? A dimensional rift, which in one particular scene, has Chris finding himself in a parallel universe where he finds another version of himself…one that is seemingly already a hero, already well-loved, and fully accepted by the world. At one point, this alternate version of Peacemaker even accepts his apology. As much as this version of Chris may hate who he is in his world, this new Peacemaker, at the very least, will take into consideration the offer of a new life and romance.

So, he tries it. He does try to at least consider it. But you know what they say, if the past has taught us anything about the DCU, fate has a way of coming back for you. The newly minted alternate Peacemaker is not so lucky, as Harcourt has a particularly telling line near the end of the trailer that sums up the core of the second season, whether Peacemaker likes it or not: “No matter how green the grass is over there, you belong here. With us.”

James Gunn himself appeared on the Hall H panel at SDCC this year, and again during an individual interview with TheWrap. Gunn was asked about how he thought the season would be different from the first, to which the director indicated that he felt that the character development for this season was the real focus of Season 2. “I really like TV shows where the characters don’t just return every season and they’re the same exact characters,” Gunn explained. “I want to see growth. I want to see change—and sometimes regression. Peacemaker is a different guy this year. He’s dealing with the demons he uncovered from the first season and trying to deal with them, and the world is not accepting him the way he is. They aren’t accepting him as a hero.”

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