Are we putting too much pressure on James Gunn for the DC Universe? Or is James Gunn hyping up the DC universe too much? These are the questions that came to mind during the finale of Season 2 of Peacemaker. Season 2 of Peacemaker was a wild ride, generally one of the best seasons of a comic book related show but something seemed off in its season finale. James Gunn is continuing to prove that he is the right person to lead the DC Universe, however I do feel like there is room for concern with how Peacemaker ends.

When Disney fired James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy in 2018 because of some politically incorrect jokes in the early days of social media, it gave DC the opportunity to hire the filmmaker which resulted in the brilliant The Suicide Squad in 2021. From there, James Gunn would be re-hired to finish the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and would be hired as the head of the DC Universe in 2022. In the middle of the firing and hiring, James Gunn would also create a spin off series for Peacemaker, after John Cena stole scenes in The Suicide Squad. Season One was a surprise hit and it was all but certain that a Season Two was on the way, just didn’t think it would take 3 years to get here.

“The Ties That Grind”

Season Two started with the episode “The Ties That Grind” which starts with a recap of the events of the first season and tied in the events of Superman. Gunn does a little course correction here as he establishes what is cannon to the DC Universe by replacing the Justice League with the Justice Gang from the end of Season One. Gunn replaced the silhouettes with David Corenswet’s Superman, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, and Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific. With speaking cameos from Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern and Isabel Merced’s Hawkgirl which replaced that of Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa. From here, Peacemaker is seen auditioning to join the Justice Gang in front of Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Maxwell Lord (Played by Sean Gunn). They tease him to the point that he leaves the audition pissed off, which sets the tone of the season. Peacemaker, A.K.A Christopher Smith feels unwanted and on a drunken night he stumbles into the QUC (Quantum Unfolding Chamber) to discover an alternate universe where his brother Keith (played by David Denman) and dad Auggie (played by the returning Robert Patrick) are still alive. While this is happening, A.R.G.U.S. is now being led by Rick Flag Sr. (Played by Frank Grillo) and has John Economos (played by Steve Agee) spying on his friend Chris to discover that he is in the possession of the QUC.

“A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird”

Episode One ends with the death of Alternate universe Christopher Smith at the hands of our universe Christopher Smith by accident. Episode Two starts with Chris dealing with the death of his brother, father and now an alternate universe version of himself. Chris is now a mess and on top of that he has gained feelings for Emilia Harcourt (Played by Jennifer Holand). Harcourt has started to build a distance between the two of them for a reason that would be acknowledged in a later episode. However, on the alternate universe, Harcourt is in love with Chris. Which continues to make this alternate universe more appealing to Chris. Episode Two introduces two new characters with Sasha Bordeaux (Plated by Sol Rodriguez) and Agent Langston Fleury (Played by Tim Meadows). Another highlight of perfect casting from James Gunn’s DC universe with Meadows instantly becoming one of the best characters in the show.

“Another Rick Up My Sleeve”

Episode Three, Chris realizes the public loves him as Peacemaker and has the opportunity to live out his dream with Harcourt. He fights against the Sons of Liberty with help from his brother Keith, who is suited up as Captain Triumph. Everything about this universe seems perfect and Chris has no desire to leave as he feels his life crumbling on his home universe. Back home, Chris’s pet Eagly injures several A.R.G.U.S agents which leads to one of the best recurring jokes in the season. Langston suffers from bird blindness, the way Tim Meadows delivers the lines and works off of Steve Agee is pure comedic gold. This episode includes a surprise cameo from Joel Kinnaman who returns as Rick Flag Jr. from both Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad. Introduces another new character for Michael Rooker to play in Red St. Wild and the return of Judomaster. A lot happens in this episode but it was an improvement over the first two episodes and sets a trend for the rest of the season.

“Need I Say Door”

This episode gave the viewers a backstory on how the Smith family came across the QUC and Chris working with Leota Adebayo (Played by Danielle Brooks) as she has become his best friend in his home universe. Chris needs Adebayo’s help as A.R.G.U.S. is chasing him down. Red St. Wild finds a way to find where Chris is hiding by using magic to track down Eagly. Nothing happens on the alternate universe, as this whole episode takes place on the home universe. This episode was mainly a set up, yet the acting and humor was spot on in this episode. Another good action scene between Judomaster and Peacemaker. Michael Rooker’s involvement in the show is meant for laughs as the character is absurd.

“Back To The Suture”

This was the episode that made me say “wait a minute, is John Cena giving us an Emmy nominated performance?” Chris is captured by A.R.G.U.S. with the reveal that Sasha is a cyborg and Harcourt making a decision that saves Chris’s life. Eagly showcases his importance in a very gruesome matter and the real agenda of Rick Flag comes out with revenge on his mind for the death of his son. Thinking that Harcourt is against him, Chris opens the door to the alternate universe with the intention of never coming back. Adebayo and Adrian/Vigilante (Played by Freddie Stroma) find a note from Chris saying goodbye. As his friends are mourning the lost of Chris, Chris is living his best life in the alternate universe. Episodes 5 through 7 are fantastic as they deliver some of the best acting in a comic book show since The Penguin and gives us some amazing potential for the DC Universe.

“Ignorance Is Chris”

And this episode may have won Cena and Jennifer Holland an Emmy or at least a nomination. This episode is the best of the series. For the first time all season, we get the Deadpool antics of Vigilante as the 11th Street Kids (the name that the team gives themselves) use the door to the alternate universe. A great cameo from the bigger DC Universe that connects Superman beyond Rick Flag Sr. And a twist that comic fans saw coming. yet glad they didn’t pivot away from it. Once the 11th Street Kids arrive to this alternate universe they are instantly hit with an odd feeling that this is not the perfect world that Chris thinks it is.

Spoiler alert– This universe is the universe that the Nazi’s won World War 2. Chris does not realize this until after an amazingly acted scene from Holland and Cena where the two actors showcase their best acting they have done. Danielle Brooks adds to the amazing acting with how she responds to being in a universe where she is not welcomed. Freddie Storma is hilarious when he discovers his alternate version. This was my favorite episode of the entire series with how well James Gunn directed this episode.

“Like A Keith in the Night”

Judomaster is a good guy now? Judomaster saves Adebayo from a swarm of white supremacists and they bond over their similarities. A very touching scene between the two that showed off some great writing by James Gunn. Outside of the touching moment between Judomaster and Adebayo, this was the most action packed episode that saw Chris and Harcourt fight their way through A.R.G.U.S, Auggie and Keith kill a swarm of cops, and a climax that had the 11th Street Kids fighting against Auggie and Keith. But in typical James Gunn fashion, he makes you care for two characters that you originally disliked or even hated at one point.

Judomaster is not the sarcastic little runt in this episode, he is a badass that has a soft spot. Auggie is not a racist, in fact in this universe, he is fighting the injustice to the best of his abilities. Keith is straight up evil and wants to kill Chris for killing his brother. This episode could have been the season finale and I think we would have all been happy. Leaving A.R.G.U.S with the QUC and having Peacemaker surrender would have been the best ending to get us excited for where the DC Universe is going. Instead we had one more episode and mixed feelings.

“Full Nelson”

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the music in this episode and in the season as a whole. The music has been great, but a season potentially series finale should not feel like a music video. This episode was meant to wrap up the story we had been following all season long, but there was no closure to the universe of where the Nazi’s won. Will we ever see what happened to that universe in another DC project? It seems like a missed opportunity to not have G.I. Robot from Creature Commandos interact with that universe. Instead, this episode was about the night that Harcourt and Chris started to have feelings for each other and the creation of a new spy organization to counter A.R.G.U.S.

With A.R.G.U.S. exploring the QUC, this episode could have teased a few characters or even teased a known universe. They did this in a montage, that quickly showed off what the QUC was hiding. Luckily we had some funny moments with Langston during this time and the few universes that we visit were fun. Just felt like this alone could have been drawn out for a few episodes or even a season in general. Sasha turning on Rick as he becomes an evil power hungry villain was something that could have been told over a few episodes as well. Its wasn’t a terrible episode with a few good things going for it. The motel scene between the 11th Street Kids was perfect, everyone brought their best stuff for that scene and it was emotional. However the editing and musical interludes were difficult to get past. Now this does set up the DC universe with how it ends and I look forward to seeing where it goes. Just kind of disappointed in this episode, which I think was ruined due to hype and the misunderstanding of a “big cameo”.

Season Review

James Gunn introducing the audience to a band like Foxy Shazam! is great as their song “Oh Lord” is the theme song for the season. Yet I found myself saying “Oh Lord” during the season finale. I didn’t hate the episode, the season was brilliant up until the season finale which felt rushed and at times like a CW show. The love story between Harcourt and Chris was great when it felt forbidden, but dedicating an entire episode to it seemed a little too much. Granted all the performances were spot on and wouldn’t be surprised if we see some nominations for acting come award season.

I have a concern that James Gunn may struggle with endings. Superman was good yet messy with a lot going on and managing of certain characters. The finale felt like that too. It moved way too fast when looking at the QUC and the creation of Checkmate, and spent too much time with the love story and having bands perform an entire song.

The season felt like a raunchy Doctor Who or Loki with the universe jumping and spending the majority of the season in one universe gave it time to breathe. Allowed us to care about the characters. Just a shame that we couldn’t have more of that in the last episode. Because outside of that final episode, Peacemaker is a brilliant show with a lot to say on society today. As much as I disliked the finale, I would recommend this season to any DC fan. James Gunn does have a plan and we may need to be patience with the DC Universe, we do not want another DCEU situation and let the vision come alive. James Gunn’s interactions on social media and the podcast does answer questions after the finale.