SERIES REVIEW – This time around, Christopher Smith — aka Peacemaker (John Cena) — isn’t saving the planet from alien invaders. Instead, he’s faced with a much more personal challenge when he stumbles across an alternate dimension where his double seems to be living the kind of life he’s always dreamed of. Once again, James Gunn turns a seemingly absurd premise into something genuinely heartfelt, managing to turn raw chaos into real character development. Season 2 doesn’t just maintain the bar set by the first — it kicks it higher, delivering something louder, stranger, and more emotionally resonant. Cena delivers a career-best performance, and even the damn eagle gets meaningful screen time. Our verdict is based on five advance screener episodes provided by Warner Bros.

When Christopher “Peacemaker” Smith discovers a door to another world — one where an alternate version of himself seems to have everything he’s ever wanted — he’s suddenly forced to face the trauma he’s been burying for years, and to finally decide what kind of man he wants to be. What could have been a throwaway sci-fi subplot ends up being a compelling confrontation with self-doubt, pain, and the temptation to simply run away from it all. Peacemaker’s multiversal detour isn’t just fan-service — it’s the emotional core of the season, and it lands with surprising impact.

Gunn Took a Risk Centering This Goofball — and It’s Still Paying Off

It’s easy to forget now, but when James Gunn first pitched a full series around Peacemaker — arguably the most obnoxious and juvenile member of The Suicide Squad — the idea sounded like a stretch. But Season 1 turned out to be a shockingly clever, blood-soaked emotional rollercoaster, a show that gave a D-list antihero a full-blown redemption arc. Expectations were understandably high going into Season 2, and it’s genuinely impressive how much it not only meets them but builds on what came before. The new intro — just as goofy as the original, but smarter and slicker — captures the spirit of the new season perfectly: more ambitious, more layered, and absolutely unskippable.

Even though they’ve just saved the planet from an alien invasion, the gang’s still in a rough spot. Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), the steely but emotionally repressed operative, has been blacklisted by Amanda Waller and can’t get hired by any intelligence agency. Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), meanwhile, is struggling to land clients for her startup spy business, and her relationship is on the rocks. As for Peacemaker, he’s still widely regarded as a joke in the superhero community, and his feelings for Harcourt don’t seem to be going anywhere. Then comes the discovery of that other world — a potential escape route to something better, or at least less miserable.

Yes, It’s Another Multiverse Story — But This One Actually Matters

At this point, nobody would blame you for groaning at the mention of another multiverse storyline. But Gunn — who penned all eight episodes and directed three — manages to wring genuine emotional payoff from the concept by dangling the ultimate what-if in front of his protagonist: What if there was a version of you who never messed everything up, who got everything you desperately crave? Peacemaker, true to form, doesn’t handle this dilemma gracefully — but his messy, stumbling confrontation with the idea feels raw, relatable, and completely in-character. Cena thrives in this space, toggling between absurdist improv and moments of piercing sincerity. It’s arguably his best work yet.

Some of those standout moments come in scenes with Harcourt. The two share more in common than either of them is ready to admit, and the slow burn of their unresolved relationship forms the emotional backbone of the season. Holland is finally given space to break past Harcourt’s hardened exterior, revealing layers that go well beyond the character’s usual deadpan cool. She also gets to shine in a slew of brutal, well-staged fight scenes. The rest of the ensemble returns in top form too: Freddie Stroma remains a scene-stealer as the unfiltered and hilariously misguided Vigilante, Steve Agee’s Economos is thrust into one thankless situation after another and consistently delivers, while Adebayo provides warmth and grounded wisdom to balance the team’s eccentric chaos.

Fresh Faces, Familiar Mayhem

The show doesn’t just rest on its returning cast. A few new characters bring additional weirdness and charm to the mix. Tim Meadows is especially memorable as A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury, a dryly funny bureaucrat whose only known weakness is bird blindness — a detail so dumb it’s genius. Meanwhile, Peacemaker’s feathered best friend, Eagly, gets an arch-nemesis in Michael Rooker’s Red St. Wild, a completely unhinged wildcard who pushes the show’s surreal tone to new heights. But perhaps the most important addition is Frank Grillo, whose Rick Flag Sr. crosses over from the animated Creature Commandos series and steps into a key leadership role at A.R.G.U.S. Grillo brings instant gravitas, and his presence helps make Peacemaker’s world feel even more like a central — and surprisingly cohesive — part of the evolving DC Universe.

Ultimately, it’s Cena’s fearless performance and Gunn’s deranged sincerity that make Season 2 shine. This is a show that dares to blend emotional depth with cartoon violence, dick jokes, and a deeply broken man trying — and often failing — to become someone better. Peacemaker isn’t just surviving the flood of superhero content; it’s thriving by doing its own unapologetically weird thing. And yes, the eagle is still awesome.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-