Peacemaker season 2: HBO Max release date prediction, confirmed cast, possible plot, and more news and rumors

Peacemaker season 2 will be set in a different universe to its predecessor

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- Set to arrive sometime in 2025- Started shooting in April- Will stream on Max in the US- Likely to be available on Sky/Now TV (UK) and Binge (Australia)- Creator/showrunner James Gunn has written all eight episodes- John Cena returns as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker- Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, and Steve Agee also part of the cast- Frank Grillo, Tim Meadows, Sol Rodriguez, and David Denman among the show’s newcomers- Story will pick up after season 1 finale- Set after 2025’sSupermanmovie- Unclear how it’ll impact the rest of the rebooted DCU

Peacemakerseason 2 sees the return of an antihero who famously claimed to “cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many men, women and children I need to kill to get it”. The return of John Cena’s fan-favoriteDCcharacter has certainly raised eyebrows because, well, the second season ofThe Suicide Squadmovie’s spin-off series isn’t set in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Instead, it’s part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU).

Confused? So are we. Nonetheless, we’ve done our best to explain howPeacemaker’s sophomore season will fit into – not to mention impact – theDCU Chapter Oneline-up. You’ll also learn more about its potential release date, confirmed cast, likely story details, and more in this guide, too. So, stick on the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’, grab your own Eagly (that’s Peacemaker’s bald eagle, for anyone not paying attention), and evoke your inner patriot as we break down everything worth knowing aboutPeacemakerseason 2.Full spoilers follow for season 1, too!

Peacemaker season 2 release date prediction

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Peacemakerseason 2 doesn’t have an official release date yet but, as Gunn confirmed on Instagram (see above), filming go underway in April. Since then, the DC Studios co-head has announced it’ll debut sometime in 2025, too (perThreads).

So, when could the hit series – which debuted onMax(US), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Binge (Australia) – make its return? Events inGunn’sSupermanmovie, which flies into theaters next July, will precede what happens in this show’s sophomore outing. Gunn confirmed as much (again, viaThreads), writing: “Peacemakerseason 2 will take place after the events inSuperman”, and that events inSupermanimpactPeacemaker. This all but confirms Christopher Smith won’t be resuming his quest for peace until the second half of 2025.

In yet anotherThreadspost, Gunn revealed that, as of October, half of season 2 had been shot, so it’s likely that filming will wrap sometime in early 2025. Based on those variables, we expect Cena’s foul-mouthed vigilante to make his DCU debut in late 2025, with the show premiering around October next year on some of the world’sbest streaming services.

Peacemaker season 2 trailer: is there one?

No. With the show’s release date still (probably) over a year away, it’s too early for aPeacemakerseason 2 trailer. We’ll update this section once a teaser is released.

Peacemaker season 2 cast: confirmed and rumored

Full spoilers follow forPeacemakerseason 1.

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With the notable exception of Chukwudi Iwuji’s Clemson Murn/Ik Nobe Llok, who dies in season 1 episode 7, most of the show’s key characters will be back in action forPeacemakerseason 2:

The headline newcomer is Frank Grillo (best known for playing Brock ‘Crossbones’ Rumlow in theCaptain Americamovies) as military man Rick Flag Sr. We’ll get our first glimpse of Flag Sr. in action inCreature Commandos, which will be the first DCU project to arrive when it launches this December. Given the murkiness of how events inThe Suicide SquadandPeacemakerseason 1 will fit into the wider DCU, we thinkGrillo’s casting as Flag Sr. will make it harder to follow Gunn’s cinematic universe.

But we digress. Other new additions includeStar Trek: Picard’s Sol Rodriguez as established DC comic-book character Sasha Bordeaux,Mean Girls’ Tim Meadows as government agent Langston Fleury, andThe Office’s David Denman in a yet-to-be-confirmed role. It’s also all but confirmed that Peacemaker’s white supremacist dad Auggie will be back from the dead – in a manner of speaking, but more on this later – after Robert Patrick toldPopVersethat he recently filmed a “big scene” for season 2.

As for other potential newcomers, Gunn (via Instagram, see below)teased the appearance of a new mystery character in season 2. Get your guessing hat on now.

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Elsewhere, there are rumors (perCinemablend) thatFor All Mankind’s Joel Kinnaman could return as Rick Flag Jr. However, Task Force X’s leader was killed by Peacemaker inThe Suicide Squadso, like Patrick’s Auggie, it’s unclear how he’ll return. The safest way to bring back the pair would be in flashback sequences but, hey, nobody’s ever truly dead in the world of comic books and, by proxy, their big- and small-screen adaptations.

Peacemaker season 2 story speculation

Full spoilers follow forPeacemakerseason 1. Potential spoilers are also discussed for season 2.

Shocking no-one, aPeacemakerseason 2 plot brief hasn’t been revealed yet. That hasn’t stopped Gunn from teasing what’s to come in the show’s next installment, nor us from theorizing where things could go next after the first season’s finale

“It essentially picks up where season 1 left off,” Gunn replied to aThreadsuser’s question about its plot, although he added that there’ll be “a couple of minor differences”. That’s to be expected, especially – as we keep saying – in light of the fact that seasons 1 and 2 exist in completely different comic book universes.

Anyway, by the end of the first season, Christopher Smith and his “11th Street Kids” associates had defeated the world-ending threat of the alien Butterflies, but not without cost. Group leader Clemson Murn (and Ik Nobe Llok, the Butterfly revolutionary inside him) was dead and ARGUS (Advanced Research Group Uniting Superhumans) agents Emilia Harcourt and John Economos, plus Peacemaker sidekick Vigilante, were all badly injured. All three were well on the road to recovery by the time the final credits rolled – indeed, Economos had even gone back to work at the Belle Reve Penitentiary, former residence of Peacemaker and the rest of the Suicide Squad.

Having previously taken an extremely violent – some might say murderous – approach to maintaining peace and order, Smith finally found himself on the road to redemption, too. Expect that path to continue in season 2 of one of thebest Max shows, albeit one with plenty of roadblocks in the way.

One such hurdle is likely to be his late father, Auggie (aka White Dragon). Indeed, if season 1’s final shot is anything to go by – a vision of Smith Sr. appeared to Peacemaker outside their trailer – he’s set to exert some influence from beyond the grave. If this turns out to be the case, Robert Patrick is clearly excited by the prospect, with theTerminator 2star telling old theInside of You with Michael Rosenbaumpodcast: “To be honest with you, I think this could be the funniest fing stuff ever. In my own mind I’m trying to think of the scenarios James [Gunn] is going to come up with, and there’s a lot he could do. It’s unlimited, because I’m a fing ghost, dude!”

Rick Flag Sr. is also unlikely to see eye-to-eye with Peacemaker, seeing as the latter killed his son inThe Suicide Squadto stop him from whistleblowing on Amanda Waller’s nefarious dealings. Speaking of Waller, the morally dubious government mastermind behind Task Force X, she’s unlikely to be too far from the action – though you can rest assured she’ll leave it to others to get their hands dirty. You know, unless things go south at some point.

It remains to be seen which side newcomer Sasha Bordeaux will be on, too – the cyborg operative has worked for ARGUS in the comics, but started her DC career as bodyguard to a certain Bruce Wayne. CouldPeacemakerseason 2 set up some key story details forThe Brave and the Bold, aka the DCU’s first Batman flick? If anyone’s going to drop some telling references about the direction of the DCU, it’ll be Gunn. Speaking of where DCU Chapter One, also titled Gods and Monsters, will go afterPeacemaker’s next chapter…

How does Peacemaker season 2 fit into the wider DCU?

Knowinghow to watch DC movies in order, not to mention adding in its TV shows from various cinematic universes, is always a challenge – and things are about to get even trickier.

Peacemaker made his live-action debut inThe Suicide Squad, a quasi-sequel toSuicide Squad(2016), which was part of the deceased DCEU’s continuity.Peacemakerseason 1 followed on directly fromThe Suicide Squad. Since season 1 aired in early 2022, however, there have beenbigchanges at DC. Gunn and Safran were appointed joint CEOs of a new-look DC Studios later that year and got to work trying to rebuild the comic titan’s reputation (from a cinematic standpoint, anyhow) after years of box office bombs and projects people were less than enthused about.

WherePeacemakeris concerned, the long and short of it is it’ll straddle the DCEU and DCU which, as we keep saying, may make things confusing to follow. What aspects from season 1 and the wider DCEU have Gunn and Safran retained forPeacemaker? Will you need to watch season 1 to understand season 2? And why didn’t they just rebootPeacemaker– albeit keeping Cena in the title role – to give themselves (and us!) a clean slate to work from as the DCU gets underway?

On this day, #Peacemaker aka Christopher Smith made his first comic appearance in Fightin’ 5 #40, in 1966, created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette. It’s the role @JohnCena was born to play, and I can’t wait to show you all what we’re cooking up now for @Peacemaker Season 2! pic.twitter.com/LRkiIlHpERSeptember 2, 2024

We won’t have answers to those queries until the show returns. But, responding to aThreadsuser asking ifseason 2 is going to be totally different than season 1, Gunn responded: “You’ll have to wait and see how that works out!”. Subsequently asked why he didn’t just make this follow-up season a new show, Gunn replied: “Because it’s my favorite thing to do, it’s the biggest original Max show ever, and I have a way in. It won’t be confusing”. We’ll see, James, we’ll see.

As forPeacemakerseason 2’s potential impact on future DCU projects, another character making the jump between DC continuities is Amanda Waller. In fact, a Waller-focused show was part ofthe rebooted DCU slate Gunn first announced in January 2023, with the show set to arrive afterPeacemakerseason 2. Taking toThreads, Gunn reconfirmed Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol)areWaller’s showrunners, too.

Little else is known about the effectPeacemaker’s next adventure will have on other DCU Chapter One movies and shows. As we said, based on Sasha Bordeaux’s inclusion, it may connect toThe Brave and the Bold. Flag Sr.’s appearance might suggest that a second season ofCreature Commandoscould be born out of whatever happens once this show ends, too, especially if Flag Sr. ends up leading a new version of the team, or a new installment of the Suicide Squad/Task Force X. In short: we’ll have to wait and see howPeacemakerseason 2 will influence Gods and Monsters' slate of projects.

For more Max-based coverage, read our guides onHouse of the Dragonseason 3,Euphoriaseason 3, andThe Last of Usseason 2.

Richard is a freelance journalist specialising in movies and TV, primarily of the sci-fi and fantasy variety. An early encounter with a certain galaxy far, far away started a lifelong love affair with outer space, and these days Richard’s happiest geeking out about Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel and other long-running pop culture franchises. In a previous life he was editor of legendary sci-fi and fantasy magazine SFX, where he got to interview many of the biggest names in the business – though he’ll always have a soft spot for Jeff Goldblum who (somewhat bizarrely) thought Richard’s name was Winter.

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