Peacemaker is back, and he’s making up for some lost time. After three years, John Cena is reprising his role as DC’s unlikeliest superhero, bringing more gratuitous violence, raunchy humor, irresponsible behavior and, yes, heartfelt drama. Peacemaker’s second season immediately hits the ground running, giving us some surprise cameos, thrilling developments, a whole lot of f-bombs, and one of the biggest water bills I’ve ever seen.

Let’s dive in…
 

Warning: Spoilers ahead!
 

• Peacemaker and his supporting cast have never been shy about speaking their mind and that means dropping a lot of f-bombs. The season two premiere had a total of sixty f-bombs if we include the “Previously in the DCU” introduction. In fairness, the first episode of season one had 65 f-bombs, which means Chris and the gang have matured a little over the past three years.
• So, who’s the biggest offender? That would be Chris and Harcourt (no surprise there), who are tied with fourteen f-bombs each. Vigilante has five. Auggie and Economos both have four. Leota, Dave and the band Hardcore Superstar had three. Foxy Shazam sang two f-bombs during the opening credits, which might be a first for a DC show. Maxwell Lord and the alternate dimension Auggie both had two, as well. Alternate dimension Chris, alternate dimension Keith, biker guy 1, and biker guy 2 each dropped one f-bomb.
• Our kill count for the season premiere is one, but I have a feeling that number is going to grow mightily as the season progresses. Peacemaker gets the first kill of the season, and if you saw the end of the episode, then you know who his surprise victim was.

• Elephant in the room. The last season was set in the DCEU, and this season is set in the DCU. So, what’s canon? That question is answered right off the bat with the “Previously in the DCU” segment. The last season happened as we saw it—the only difference is the references to other superheroes and the Justice League cameo in the finale is now a Justice Gang cameo (complete with Superman and Supergirl!).
• The episode proper opens with Eagly perched on Chris’s stomach as he sleeps. This was probably not intentional, but it reminds me of Krypto laying on Clark’s stomach in Superman. The difference is Krypto didn’t violently peck at Clark’s face because he wanted to go for a walk.
• The rapport Chris has with the alien neighbor in the QUC is one of the most relatable moments in the series, which is a weird thing to say about a scene involving aliens and dimensional portals. Who among us hasn’t had a socially awkward interaction with a neighbor like this?

• DC Studios gave us a new dance number for the season two title sequence and it’s everything I ever hoped for and more. “Oh Lord” by Foxy Shazam is an inspired choice, and the new choreography is great. Even Eagly shows off some new moves. 
• The conversation Leota and Chris have during their car ride has multiple layers. Chris asks if Leota’s wife Keeya has called her, and when Leota remains silent, Chris responds with sympathy. On the surface, this seems like exposition to let you know Keeya and Leota have separated, but it’s also a way to demonstrate how much Chris has matured. The Peacemaker we met in The Suicide Squad was too self-involved to ask about a friend’s personal struggles this way.
• I hope Leota and Keeya work things out, because if you recall season one, they said if they ever had a kid, they would name them Sharknado. I really need them to get back together, because I want to see Amanda Waller’s face when she finds out her grandchild is named Sharknado.

• Chris’s disastrous interview with the Justice Gang takes place at an abandoned Krank Toys store. This is a reference to Cosmo Krank, a villain who owned his own toy company in the 2006 The Batman episode “Cash for Toys.”
• Yes, the costumed woman leaving Krank Toys in tears is a real character from the comics. She’s White Rabbit, a Batman villain who first appeared in 2011’s Batman: The Dark Knight #1. White Rabbit has the power to split herself into two people, which is cool, I guess. But judging by the way she left that storefront, I don’t think the Justice Gang was impressed.

• Sean Gunn, Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced reprise their roles as Maxwell Lord, Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl for the interview scene. Mister Terrific wasn’t there, but I feel like this is the type of thing he would make an excuse to skip. Lord calls the group the Justice Gang, so it looks like Gardner is winning the argument regarding the name. We also learn that Hawkgirl is the only member with legible writing.
• What do superheroes talk about when they’re not saving the world? If they’re Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl, they compare their butt sizes.
• Yes, I paused and looked at Harcourt’s utility bills. Apparently, she’s using 1,893 CF of water a month, which is surprisingly high. For context, it’s estimated that a family of four uses roughly 1,200 CF per month. Is Harcourt taking really long showers? My head canon says Amanda Waller is doing this to mess with her.

• Good news and bad news for Chris/Harcourt shippers. The good news is they slept together between seasons. The bad news is she doesn’t want to talk about it, and Chris is heartbroken.
• In case there was any doubt that this isn’t a show for kids, Peacemaker pulls out a bong, snorts some cocaine and calls some acquaintances over for a massive orgy. It’s quite a tonal shift from Superman. Are drug orgies the new punk rock? Probably not, but Peacemaker has always had weird ways of coping with his emotions.
• This episode introduces Sasha Bordeaux, who is played by Sol Rodríguez. The comic book version of Sasha first appeared in Detective Comics #751. For a time, she was Batman’s bodyguard (it was a complicated Bruce Wayne thing), which is an insane thing to have on your resume.

• Speaking of Batman, a report from Sphere News mentions breakouts in Arkham. This confirms that Arkham Asylum exists in this new DC Universe, and their ability to retain prisoners is bad no matter what continuity they’re in. The broadcast also features Michael Ian Black reprising his role as Cleavis Thornwaite from Superman.
• Frank Grillo is back as Rick Flag Sr., and it looks like he’ll finally be addressing the fact that Peacemaker murdered his son. I hope Chris is enjoying that drug orgy, because Flag is probably going to be giving him a lot of trouble this season.
• When Chris re-enters the alternate dimension, we see some headlines about his counterpart’s adventures. One headline mentions the Top Trio defeating the Rainbow Creature in Gotham, a reference to a monster Batman and Robin fought in 1960’s Batman #134. Another headline mentions a battle with the Ultra-Humanite, a mad scientist who enjoys putting his brain into different bodies.

• Okay, I didn’t see that coming! Chris’s brother Keith is alive in this alternate dimension, and he’s played by David Denman, aka Roy from The Office. The circumstances of Keith’s death have haunted Chris for his entire life, so I can only imagine how he’s feeling.
• Keith says that he thought Chris was in Blüdhaven, a DC Universe city known for being Nightwing’s base of operations.
• The look on Chris’s face when the alternate Auggie told him he loves him is haunting. Don’t forget, this is probably the first time he’s ever heard his father say those words.

• Pay attention to the band posters when we enter alternate Peacemaker’s room. They’re a big clue that something is off with this world. For example, there’s a poster for the Def Leppard song “Pour Some Honey on Me.”
• We knew Peacemaker would inevitably meet his alternate self, but I didn’t expect it so soon in the season and certainly didn’t anticipate his dimensional counterpart’s death. I can’t think of any other television series where a season starts off like that. That’s quite the cliffhanger.
   

Harcourt is using too much water, we might never see baby Sharknado, the Justice Gang really needs a tech guy and Peacemaker killed his doppelganger. And this is just the first episode! We have seven more to go in season two, and if the premiere is any indication, they’re going to be absolutely wild. “Oh Lord,” indeed.

Peacemaker Season Two is now streaming on HBO Max. Look for new episodes every Thursday.

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.