First of all, if you don’t like spoilers, leave now. As a lifelong comic-book junkie and unabashed nerd (old school comics pre-2015 – not this trash passing for good writing nowadays), I have to confess I approached James Gunn’s Peacemaker with skepticism. His previous DC efforts didn’t exactly win me over. Suicide Squad, for instance, had flashes of potential but ultimately collapsed under lazy writing, flat character arcs, and a sense of stale predictability as if someone had left a loaf of bread to mold for months. Season 1 of Peacemaker didn’t do much to change my mind, at first. It stumbled out of the gate with a pacing and tone that felt overly “woke” (yes, I said it). Gunn’s left-leaning perspective is obvious, and while it can bring depth to certain narratives, it doesn’t automatically make a story compelling. However, as the season went on I changed my mind. By episode 2 I was fully invested and had to see how everything ended.
Yet one element always saves his work: the music. Whether it’s the raucous, perfect-for-the-moment soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy or the electrifying beats of Creature Commandos, Gunn knows how to make soundtracks feel like characters in their own right. Peacemaker, in both its first and second seasons, follows this tradition, delivering music that resonates long after the credits roll.
And here’s the thing: Season 2 didn’t just meet my expectations it obliterated them. Against all my initial doubts, it has completely won me over, redefining what I thought a Gunn-led show could be. The downside is, this show is definitely not for children. If your children are under the age of 18 do not allow them to watch this.
Episode 1: “The Ties That Grind”
This episode serves as more than an introduction it reboots the world. Peacemaker is yanked into a bizarre quantum dimension, where everything is backward in the best way possible: his dead father and brother are alive, and he even discovers an alternate version of himself, and things immediately go sideways. It’s a perfect blend of emotional punch and absurd sci-fi chaos. I
The show doesn’t shy away from rewriting continuity instead, it outright retcons the Justice League cameo from season 1, replacing it with the new “Justice Gang” comprising Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, Superman, and Supergirl.
Then, because James Gunn cannot resist extremes, there’s a truly shocking orgy scene chaotic, graphic, uncomfortable and yet brilliantly used to underscore Peacemaker’s emotional collapse.
Episode 2: “A Man Is Only As Good as His Bird”
Picking up from all that madness, Chris grapples with the horror of killing his own alternate self. He’s emotionally wrecked, desperately trying to keep his trauma under wraps from his teammates. Meanwhile, Rick Flag Sr. now running A.R.G.U.S. has Economos under heavy supervision, complete with a power-tripping new handler named Langston Fleury (hello, Tim Meadows!). Idiosyncratic humor reigns: a ridiculous post-credits scene finds Fleury hilariously defending a fabricated sexual escapade involving the “Peppermint Twins” (one bald, one blonde), improvised on the spot by Meadows.
Chris leans on Vigilante to dispose of the body, cue dark comedy as they dismember his double and incinerate it. Then Peacemaker gets drunk, accidentally taps into a parallel universe, and receives a text from an alternate Harcourt with a heartbreak emoji.
Eagly, the pet eagle, steals the show when A.R.G.U.S. raiders invade and the bird goes full action hero, dismantling them hilariously while Fleury laments his “bird blindness.”
Where It Might Go From Here
- Multiverse unraveling: Chris’s adventures in parallel dimensions are setting the psychological groundwork for a deeply personal arc—especially as he confronts versions of himself and his fractured family.
- Rick Flag Sr.’s hunt: With Flag Sr. hot on his trail, Chris faces pressure from every angle A.R.G.U.S.’s top dog is out for vengeance
- Emotional whiplash for the 11th Street Kids: Harcourt, Leota, and Adrian are each testing their limits, their bonds now tinged with lurking betrayals and emotional distance
- Creative tonal flips ahead: Expect Gunn to keep pushing boundaries: expect absurd gore, emotional gut-punches, heartfelt character moments, and style-switching madness.
Final Take
I started this ride eye-rolling, skeptical of Gunn’s DC approach. But just two episodes in, Peacemaker Season 2 has me hooked. It’s violently bizarre, gruesomely hilarious, emotionally raw, a little vulgar and childish, and I’m here for it.
