James Gunn's Superman Follow Up With a 94% RT Score Already at Number 1 on HBO Max

This article contains minor spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 1, 'The Ties That Grind.'

James Gunn's DC Universe continues to go strong following the runaway success of Superman at the box office. Season 2 of Peacemaker has debuted at the top of the streaming charts.

FlixPatrol reports that Peacemaker is #1 on HBO Max's Top 10 TV Shows in the United States as of Aug. 25, 2025. Around the world, the show is enjoying similar levels of success, topping the charts in fifty countries with an average ranking of 1.4. The first new episode of the DCU television series arrived on Aug. 21, and the eight-episode season is expected to air new episodes weekly on Thursdays through Oct. 9.

Gunn directed the first episode that recently dropped, in addition to writing all eight episodes of Season 2 (and the entirety of Season 1). He also directed two more episodes that will air later in the season. The second season of Peacemaker picks up with John Cena's titular character encountering a mysterious door in the quantum chamber and discovering a mysterious alternate reality. The new season already has plenty of DC fans talking, especially with some of Gunn's changes to the DC Extended Universe now that Peacemaker is officially part of the DCU canon.

n addition to Cena, Peacemaker stars Danielle Brooks as Amanda Waller's daughter Leota Adebayo, Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith. The new season sees Frank Grillo joining the cast as Rick Flag Sr., the new leader of A.R.G.U.S. and the father of the Suicide Squad's Rick Flag Jr.

Peacemaker originally debuted on HBO Max in 2022 as a spin-off from the DCEU's The Suicide Squad, giving fans a further look at Cena's breakout Peacemaker character. Gunn served as a showrunner from the beginning, and the second season is now taking place in the DCU, giving a 'soft reboot' and making it so the events take place after the Superman movie.

James Gunn Reveals Peacemaker's Surprising Changes in Season 2

With the first episode of Peacemaker Season 2 already setting the series up to explore some pretty wild new territory, James Gunn has already spoken out about the show's place in both the DCEU timeline and the new DCU. "People are realizing that Peacemaker Season 2 is about two dimensions, and that’s really the core of the show," Gunn revealed.

"But it’s not as if one of these is old DCEU and one’s DCU. That’s dealt with in a different way, very upfront in a season where most everything in Season 1 is canon and some things are not," he continued. The first episode established this from the very beginning - including some changes with the Justice League that had fans on edge. It remains to be seen what other changes Gunn has in store for the DCU and Peacemaker as Season 2 continues to air.

New episodes of Peacemaker arrive Thursdays on HBO Max.