John Cena Returns as Peacemaker in Explosive S2 Trailer

HBO Max brought the heat to San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend with the first full trailer for Season 2 of Peacemaker, the Emmy-nominated DC superhero spinoff series from James Gunn. The second season trailer is the first real extended look at John Cena’s Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith, as he sets out on a new mission that promises to be more over-the-top, more bizarre, and deeper than ever before.

Set after the events of The Suicide Squad (2021) and debuting five months after the events of his season 1 finale, Peacemaker’s first season saw Smith righting past wrongs while recruiting a team to take down a new alien threat. Recruited by the U.S. government for a secret operation codenamed “Project Butterfly,” the U.S. government put him together with a new team lead by Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), supported by A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos (Steve Agee), NSA agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), the new team recruit. Peacemaker also teams up with Eagly, his bald eagle sidekick, who can talk.

But Project Butterfly is far from just another government operation. A new alien threat revealed itself to the team, consisting of parasitic extra-terrestrial butterflies that invaded Earth by infiltrating human hosts. The first season finale had our ragtag team stopping the creatures and the UFO mothership in a bloody massacre at a ranch full of the buttery critters. They got out alive, but not unscathed—physically and emotionally.

Peacemaker is returning to a much different DC Universe this season. While season 1 existed within the confines of the now-defunct DCEU, Gunn introduced a brand-new DCU this season as part of his “Gods and Monsters” slate. Gunn has confirmed, however, that events from the first season—outside of cameo appearances by Justice League members—remain canon.

Joining Cena, Brooks, Holland, Agee, and newcomer Freddie Stroma as the fan-favorite deranged Vigilante are previous cast members Nhut Le as Judomaster and Eagly as the talking bald eagle. Robert Patrick is also returning as Peacemaker’s dead father, Auggie Smith. New cast members this season include Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr., father to the late Rick Flagg, a.k.a. the Riot, who Peacemaker killed in The Suicide Squad. As well as: Tim Meadows as agent Langston Fleury, Sol Rodriguez as Sasha Bordeaux, and Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild, Eagly’s nemesis.”

The official synopsis for the second season confirms what we’ve seen so far: Peacemaker’s Chris Smith is now forced to reckon with both the emotional fallout of his violent past—and his newfound desire to be a better person. He still seeks peace at all costs—but now, he wants to be a hero rather than a blindly obedient mercenary.

In a teaser released back in May, we got our first taste of the crazy absurdity and high stakes this new season is set to bring. The trailer featured snippets of Smith to no avail as he attempts to join the Justice League—featuring a Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders (Isabela Merced), and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), all reprising their roles from Gunn’s Superman. It all goes sideways—naturally.

The teaser also gave us some fun character updates. Danielle Brooks’ Adebayo is now living “in the worst level of Grand Theft Auto,” according to Steve Agee’s John Economos. Jennifer Holland’s Emilia Harcourt is reportedly a victim of “a particularly severe form of toxic masculinity,” and Vigilante has landed a job in the food service industry.

The biggest surprise of the trailer? The multiverse. In a wild twist, Chris peeks into a dimensional portal and emerges in a parallel universe to discover a version of himself who is already a beloved hero and an A-list celebrity. After Peacemaker shoots his annoying team at the panel’s end, he seems interested in making the parallel universe home—but his past is as clingy as ever. Emilia Harcourt has some somber words for Chris: “No matter how green the grass is over there, you belong here. With us.”

James Gunn, who also took the stage during SDCC’s Hall H panel, made it clear that the second season of Peacemaker will be about character growth. “I like TV shows where the characters don’t just return every season and they’re the same characters. I want to see growth. I want to see change—and sometimes regression. Peacemaker is a different guy this year,” Gunn said. “He’s dealing with the demons that he uncovered from last season, and he’s trying to deal with them. And the world isn’t accepting him the way he is. They aren’t accepting him as a hero.”

Season 2 of Peacemaker premieres August 21, 2025, exclusively on HBO Max.