New Trailer Shows Peacemaker Seeking Peace in All the Wrong Places

James Gunn’s Emmy-nominated DC antihero is back for more multiversal mayhem and personal redemption in the new trailer for Peacemaker Season 2, which premiered at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend.

The eight-episode first season of Peacemaker saw John Cena’s Christopher Smith, a/k/a Peacemaker, struggle to stay alive following the events of The Suicide Squad (2021). He narrowly survived a near-fatal gunshot wound and was hired by the U.S. government to lead a top-secret mission called “Project Butterfly.” His team included A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos (Steve Agee), NSA agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and a recruit named Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks). Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) serves as Smith’s handler and leader of the secretive operation.

Project Butterfly turned out to be much more than a clandestine government operation. The team is on a mission to save Earth from an alien species of parasitic butterflies that possess human bodies. In the end, Peacemaker and the new team of misfits defeated the hostile force in a bloody melee on a ranch and escaped with their lives—but not without serious injuries and psychological trauma.

This is a much-changed DC Universe for Peacemaker. Gunn’s “Gods and Monsters” storyverse launched The Suicide Squad in May, and he previewed a very early look at his new universe at SDCC back in 2022. Gunn confirmed during an SDCC press conference on Friday that the events and storylines from The Suicide Squad, besides some possible cameos from some of the members of the Justice League, are all considered canon in the new DCU.

All of the returning cast are back for Season 2, including Cena, Brooks, Holland, Agee, and Freddie Stroma as the fan-favorite but extremely unhinged Vigilante. The show will also feature a return from Nhut Le as Judomaster and Eagly, Peacemaker’s beloved bald eagle sidekick. Robert Patrick is also back to reprise his role as the late Auggie Smith, the father of Peacemaker. The first new cast members announced include Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr., who is described as “father of the late Rick Flagg, who was killed by Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad, and has since ascended to head A.R.G.U.S. and hunt down those who were involved in his son’s murder.” We also get Tim Meadows as Agent Langston Fleury, Sol Rodriguez as Sasha Bordeaux, and Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild, “Eagly’s nemesis.”

The official synopsis for Season 2 is a bit more introspective, with the emotional baggage from his violent past and inner conflict about wanting to be a better person. “Peacemaker’s methods may be the same, but his heart is elsewhere. He’s still in pursuit of peace at all costs, but this time he wants it to be because he’s earned it as a hero, and not just by obeying orders,” the synopsis reads.

A teaser released in May offered some early looks at the sheer insanity that awaits Peacemaker and his team in Season 2. The two-minute clip to Foxy Shazam’s “Oh Lord” had Cena auditioning to join the Justice League, which included Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders (Isabela Merced), and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), all reprising their roles from the DCEU film Superman. He does not know how to pitch himself or why these characters should trust him. His pitch falls flat, as expected.

The teaser also gave us some fun character updates. Adebayo has apparently “moved on and is now living in the worst level of Grand Theft Auto,” according to Economos. Harcourt is “reportedly dealing with a particularly severe form of toxic masculinity,” and Vigilante has found a career in the food service industry.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the new trailer is a dimensional portal. Peacemaker enters a parallel universe where he meets another version of himself, someone who is already an adored and celebrated hero. Frustrated with his lack of notoriety and lack of a romantic partner, he’s open to the idea of staying in this multiverse with his newfound family. But of course, he can’t outrun his past. Harcourt offers the pointed line, “No matter how green the grass is over there, you belong here. With us.”

Peacemaker creator, writer, and director James Gunn, who was on hand to speak during the Hall H panel at SDCC, explained the focus on character change and growth in Season 2. “I like TV shows where the characters don’t just return every season and they’re the same characters. I want to see growth. I want to see change—and sometimes regression,” Gunn said. “Peacemaker is a different guy this year. He’s dealing with the demons that he kind of unearthed from the first season, and he’s 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 is set to premiere on August 21, 2025, exclusively on HBO Max.