James Gunn is back with more outrageous superhero antics. After scoring a hit with Superman, his first movie as DC Studios head, Gunn returns with the second season of Peacemaker. John Cena reprises his role as the foul-mouthed anti-hero in a show that wastes no time diving into chaos. Peacemaker Season 2: Sol Rodriguez and David Denman to Play Pivotal Roles in James Gunn's Series.

The first episode dropped on HBO Max on August 22, and in India on JioHotstar, and it is as wild, irreverent and boundary-pushing as you’d expect from Gunn. If you thought David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan’s steamy kisses in Superman were bold, prepare to be floored by the sheer level of nudity and explicit content in Peacemaker. HBO’s mature platform lets Gunn unleash his creativity in ways his PG-friendly films cannot.

From retconning the previous DC Universe (farewell, Snyderverse) to unleashing multiversal brawls, the Season 2 opener (titled 'The Ties That Grind) captures Peacemaker’s anarchic spirit - rivalling Prime Video’s The Boys. It also cleverly sets up Gunn’s grand DC Universe vision. The show acknowledges the events of Superman, including its third-act dimensional rift. And yes, Eagly is back and better than ever!

1. Justice League Gets Retconned

A Still From Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1

Don’t hit the ‘Skip Recap’ button. Gunn rewrites Peacemaker’s place in the new DC Universe with a sly recap twist. Remember how Justice League turned up late in the Season 1 finale, with Peacemaker mocking Aquaman? That’s now replaced. Instead of Justice League, we meet Justice Gang - featuring Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Mr Terrific, alongside Superman and Supergirl. The Aquaman fish joke? Swapped for a puke gag aimed at Gardner. It’s never explained, but then again, neither was Colonel Rhodes looking more like Don Cheadle than Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2.

2. Poor White Rabbit

A Still From Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1

Peacemaker arrives for a Justice Gang interview just as White Rabbit, a DC supervillain, storms out in tears. We soon learn why. His interview panel - Maxwell Lord, Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl - sit behind a glass barrier using microphones. But when they mute them, Peacemaker still hears everything, including their rude comments about him and also their discussion about their butts (Hawkgirl's getting bigger, Guy Gardner's just a 'line'). To their embarrassment, he points out the glitch, which makes them realise - how every candidate, including White Rabbit, overheard their insults - like Lord’s crude joke about her costume, particularly her errr... 'camel toe', that too about 30 times. Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it.

3. The Orgy Scene

A Still From Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1

This is the moment where Gunn pushes HBO’s boundaries to the extreme. After his rejection, Peacemaker throws a jaw-dropping orgy at his home. Nothing is off-limits - all sorts of nudity, sexual acts of every variety, and bizarre moments like one man pleasuring himself while another eats a sandwich in the nude. It’s a bold, audacious and unapologetically outrageous sequence that doesn’t just push the envelope - it rips it apart.

4. Peacemaker vs His Doppelganger

A Still From Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1

The Quantum area built by his father Auggie resurfaces, opening doorways to alternate universes. Peacemaker stumbles upon a world where his father and late brother Keith are alive, united as a superhero family. Harcourt is his ex here, and as he explores his variant’s bedroom, chaos erupts when the alternate Peacemaker mistakes him for a shapeshifter. Their fight spills into the Quantum area, ending with our Peacemaker accidentally impaling his double. It looks like he may assume this new identity - finally earning superhero respect and family acceptance, albeit in a new universe. ‘Superman’ Movie Review: David Corenswet Flies High in James Gunn’s Politically Daring Yet Overstuffed Superhero Saga.

5. The Jared Leto Dig

Thirty Seconds to Mars

Although the episode ends with the variant Peacemaker's death, it also features a post-credits scene that continues the moment when Peacemaker meets Harcourt. As they enter her house, Harcourt remarks, "Can't be looping Spin Doctors in with Thirty Seconds to Mars. Spin Doctors is so good!" Peacemaker retorts, "Oh jeez, anybody's better than Thirty Seconds to Mars. That garage band I was in for two seconds is better than Thirty Seconds to Mars." For those unfamiliar, Thirty Seconds to Mars is an American band fronted by the controversial actor Jared Leto, who is the lead singer, alongside his brother Shannon Leto. This feels like a random dig at Leto - until you recall that he previously played the Joker in the former DC Universe, appearing in Suicide Squad and in a cameo in Zack Snyder's Justice League cut. One wonders what beef James Gunn has with him.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2025 07:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).