Despite receiving glowing reviews from critics, Peacemaker Season 2 may have abandoned what made Season 1 great. The hit streaming series returned in late August 2025, once again following John Cena's feldgling metahuman, Christopher Smith/Peacemaker.
A lot has changed since the world last got a new Peacemaker season. Series creator James Gunn now sits atop the DC pyramid as the new co-CEO of DC Studios, and the super-powered show was grafted onto Gunn's newly launched interconnected DCU.
In terms of critical reception, the series has not skipped a beat. Season 2 sits at a killer 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is technically a step up from Season 1's still quite stellar 93%. However, the show left something behind in its jump from the DCU. A large contingent of DC fans have found the second season not nearly as satisfying as the first, leaving audiences scratching their heads.
Peacemaker Season 2 continues on HBO Max with new episodes dropping every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. The hit streaming series tells the story of John Cena's down-on-his-luck supe Christopher Smith as he discovers an alternate reality where all his dreams have come true. Cena's castmates for Season 2 include Steve Agee, Jennifer Holland, Danielle Brooks, and Tim Meadows.
What Is Wrong With Peacemaker Season 2?
Watching Peacemaker Season 2, it is hard to deny that the craft is not there. The acting is top-notch, the writing hilarious, and the visual effects absolutely stellar. Yet, there is a feeling of something missing.
It is as if Peacemaker lost a piece of what made it great in its jump from its first to second season. The most likely culprit is the loss of an overt narrative push between Seasons 1 and 2.
Season 1 was narrative-driven. Yes, it had character moments sprinkled throughout, but there was this feeling of momentum, as Cena's Christopher Smith and the 11th Street Kids are tasked with taking down an alien threat known as Butterflies.
The emergence of the Butterflies gave the series a clear hero vs. villain story (even if those villains were hiding in plain sight for much of the season), something that Season 2 does not have.
Season 2 has been a much more character-driven superhero story, leaning into James Gunn's comedic sensibilities. This has rubbed some the wrong way, as each episode has taken significant chunks of its run time to show off a specific gag.
Whether Peacemaker auditions to be a member of the Justice Gang or Michael Rooker's Red St. Wild eats eagle droppings and goes on a vision quest to chase after Smith's winged companion, these moments have done little to push the narrative forward, making the series seem stagnant.
Four episodes into Season 2 (as of writing), and the primary narrative thrust of the season feels as though it has barely been introduced.
It seems like Peacemaker Season 2 is pushing toward this 'grass is always greener' story for its primary throughline, as its titular hero discovers an alternate dimension where his brother is still alive, he got the girl of his dreams, and Peacemaker is celebrated as the hero he has always wanted to be.
But it has taken too long to introduce that concept and get it up and on its feet, especially as it has barely touched on the prime DCU universe's narrative of Rick Flag Sr. taking over ARGUS, ARGUS hunting down Peacemaker, and Emilia Harcourt's continued distress after having been disavowed by the U.S. government.
All of these plot lines have been touched on, but more than halfway into the season, one would expect the show's central narrative drive to be well on its way to resolution rather than feeling like it has only just been broached.
Ultimately, whether Peacemaker Season 2 resonates with any particular audience member comes down to how open they have been to this change from an HBO-quality superhero mystery (with some comedic elements) to a full-on DC Comics comedy, where the overall narrative is secondary.
If fans came into Season 2 hoping for more of Season 1, where they are getting these massive narrative revelations (like the death of Peacemaker's father or the reveal that Chukwudi Iwuji's Clemson Murn was secretly an alien), then they are likely disappointed.
However, if James Gunn-style comedic bits and various giggle-inducing flights of fancy are what you are in for, then you are likely jiving with Season 2.
This could all change as Peacemaker Season 2 rounds into its final few episodes (Gunn teased them as the biggest and best of the series), giving audiences a broader view of what the series was trying to accomplish as a whole. But for week-to-week viewers, it might be too little too late, as the series moves along its latest super-powered tale at what feels like a glacial pace.
