Red Band Peacemaker Trailer: New DCU Story Is Definitely Not For The Kids

John Cena made his debut as Christopher Smith, better known as the overtly patriotic (and lethal) Peacemaker, in 2021's The Suicide Squad, which itself was written and directed by Gunn. Apart from the film's rave reviews and overall popularity with fans, Cena's breakout performance helped secure the development of his own spinoff series. While the first season of Peacemaker followed up on the events of The Suicide Squad, the second season is set following the events of Superman starring David Corenswet, and will help to bridge the gap between the DCEU and the current DCU.

Peacemaker Season 2 will mark the return of numerous Season 1 stars apart from Cena himself, including Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase, aka Vigilante, Danielle Brooks as Project Butterfly member Leota Adebayo, and Steve Agee as A.R.G.U.S. agents Emilia Harcourt and John Economos. Back in November, Gunn confirmed that another underrated DC Comics character would be returning for Season 2 as well, specifically Nhut Le in the form of the dreaded Judomaster. When asked directly about whether the character would be back in the series' second season, Gunn replied with a simple, "He is."

Why Season 2 of Peacemaker Is So Important for the Wider DCU

While Peacemaker may not seem like a series with much depth at first glance, its second season is shaping up to have a greater impact on the wider DCU than most fans could possibly have guessed. When previously asked about the overarching narrative of the DCU as a whole, Gunn confirmed that he knows "whose story it is," before adding that "it probably isn't anyone anyone would ever expect." Gunn went on to state, "I think that if people watch the next season of Peacemaker, they'll see where a lot of these things are going, and have a little bit more of a sense of maybe what can happen," cluing audiences into the idea that upcoming episodes will be setting up big things to come in future DCU productions.

Peacemaker Season 2 premieres on HBO on Aug. 21.