Peacemaker had a stellar first season on HBO Max. The John Cena-led DCEU series picked up shortly after the events of The Suicide Squad, with the titular anti-hero being recruited for a mission to destroy an imminent invasion led by Project Butterflies. In addition to this dangerous bout, Peacemaker also tackled Christopher Smith's intriguing backstory and family history, leading to the involvement of his dad, Auggie Smith.
Peacemaker Season 1 ended on a high note, with the show completely resolving the Butterfly dilemma and exposing ARGUS to the world. However, one of the unresolved issues was Smith's childhood trauma, as evidenced by the lurking ghost of his dad during the show's closing moments.
While fans are still waiting for the next update about Peacemaker Season 2, the actor who portrayed the titular character's dad teased what lies ahead for the series.
Peacemaker Season 2's 'Crazy' Plot Teased
Robert Patrick, who portrays Auggie Smith (a.k.a. White Dragon) on HBO Max's Peacemaker, sat down as a guest on Michael Rosenbaum's Inside of You podcast (via TV Line) to talk about what's next for his character in the upcoming second season of the DCEU series.
While lobbying for Peacemaker creator James Gunn to include Smallville alum Rosenbaum in Season 2, Patrick jokingly said that he hopes to work in the upcoming batch of episodes, knowing full well that his character died during the first season:
“Hopefully I get to work, because I am dead."
In Season 1, Auggie was killed by Peacemaker. However, he told his son that he wouldn't be able to get rid of him that quickly. True to his words, during the final moments of the series, the ghost of Auggie appeared beside John Cena's titular anti-hero, seemingly indicating that the dead dad will still have a presence in Season 2.
Patrick continued to share that his ghostly presence in Season 2 "could be the funniest f--cking stuff ever" in the series. The Peacemaker actor also teased the crazy plot that Gunn is cooking for the show, admitting that "there's a lot he could do" for the story:
"To be honest with you, I think this could be the funniest f–king stuff ever, with the dad as the ghost. In my own mind, I’m trying to think of the scenarios James is gonna come up with, and there’s a lot he could do. It’s unlimited, because I’m a f–king ghost, dude!”
Rosenbaum also pointed out that Patrick and Cena had "great chemistry" in the show, leading to the actor telling a story about his meeting with the Guardians of the Galaxy director. The story also included an interesting bit between him and John Cena, whom he previously worked with on an episode of Psych:
Rosenbaum: "Your relationship is so awesome in that. It's so ridiculous."
Patrick: “You know what, it’s so great. don’t we have great chemistry?”
Rosenbaum: "Great chemistry."
Patrick: “You know, James didn’t even know that. James Gunn didn’t even know that when we got cast… You ask him. He said to me… he saw me on… Perry Mason and he started thinking about me over the pandemic. You know, he was watching Perry Mason, he thought about me for this role. And he started writing the role for me for Peacemaker. That was the impetus for him. And when we had our Zoom meeting… I said, ’You know, ‘Ive worked with John.’ He said, ‘I didn’t know that.’ I said, ‘Oh yeah, I played a villain opposite him in his first film.’ And he went, ‘Really?’ And I said… ’As a matter of fact, we have good chemistry because we actually get along.’”
Rosenbaum: "This is before you started filming?"
Patrick: “Yeah, I hadn’t seen John in like 10 years. I worked with him on Psych, was another episode we did a thing on.”
What's Next for John Cena's DCEU Anti-Hero?
Robert Patrick's Auggie Smith might have already met his demise in the series, but the actor's comments made it clear that the character will continue to play a role in Peacemaker Season 2. It looks like Auggie will continue to torment John Cena's Christopher Smith, with the character using mind games to persuade his son to kill while also reminding him about his troubled past.
There is a precedent for this plot point from DC Comics. In Peacemaker's comic book run, the character is haunted by the ghost of his father, and it is sometimes not clear if the anti-hero is actually being haunted or if it is a figure of his own imagination.
This dilemma could be one of the central arcs of Peacemaker in Season 2, with James Gunn utilizing the character's trauma to bring out another emotional performance from John Cena. Although a good chunk of Peacemaker revolved around the team battling aliens for supremacy, many would agree that the show's moments where characters are dealing with personal issues made it stand out.
It is still unknown what kind of other physical threats Peacemaker and his team will deal with in Season 2, but it's clear that the trauma that his father left is still haunting him, and he will need all the help that he can get in order to escape this complex issue.
The first season of Peacemaker is now streaming on HBO Max.
