Peacemaker Guide: News, Easter Eggs, Reviews, Theories and Rumors

WARNING: The following contains constantly updated spoilers for Peacemaker, now streaming on HBO Max.

Peacemaker, the much-anticipated spin-off to James Gunn’s film The Suicide Squad, has finally hit HBO Max. The show picks up five months after the post-credits scene where Peacemaker/Christopher Smith (John Cena) was recovering in the hospital after being shot by Bloodsport and having a building collapse on top of him. Peacemaker follows the titular character and his handling team as they eliminate “butterflies” in the days following Peacemaker’s tenuous release from Belle Reve.

The show debuted Jan. 3 with a three-episode premiere and all eight episodes have since been released. Peacemaker is an upbeat, raunchy and ridiculous spin-off that gives audiences a deeper look into Peacemaker’s character and code, delivered in Gunn’s trademark style. Any fan of The Suicide Squad is bound to love Peacemaker and all of its new and returning characters. To keep up to date with the latest news, reviews, Easter eggs, theories and rumors involving Peacemaker, here’s a guide to the new DC series. With Season 2 already confirmed, this is you go-to place for everything related to the action-packed first season.

Peacemaker’s Cast and Crew

Peacemaker brings together old cast members and new, and retains The Suicide Squad writer and director James Gunn for the entire series. Of course, Cena returns to play Peacemaker. Robert Patrick plays Auggie Smith, Peacemaker’s racist and demeaning father. ARGUS employees John Economos (Steve Agee), Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and newcomers Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) make up Peacemaker’s handling team, ARGUS. Peacemaker’s fanboy Vigilante/Adrian Chase is played by Freddie Stroma.

Both the new and returning cast members gel together in their roles as they explore the next chapter of Peacemaker’s post-Belle Reve life as a hired gun. They don’t just deliver great one-liners and talk business, though -- they get to show off their dance moves in the opening credits of the show. The same ridiculous, dead-serious tone of the opening credits is carried by each actor throughout the series as they navigate Project Butterfly and their interpersonal lives. From Vigilante and Peacemaker's dorky friendship to Leota and Peacemaker's undeniable bond, the show allowed each actor to not just goof off and have fun but also create a show with a lot of heart.

Peacemaker's Story

Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Chukwudi Iwuji, Danielle Brooks and John Cena in Peacemaker Episode 1

Peacemaker went through a tremendous deal of personal growth in Season 1 as he became a hired gun for the U.S. government on Project Butterfly in his hometown of Evergreen. He struggled to be the peace-making hero he claims to be, with Colonel Rick Flag's last words -- “Peacemaker, what a fucking joke” -- weighing heavy on his mind as he navigates his life post-Belle Reve. From making friends with the ARGUS team, to coming to terms with his brother's death when they were children, to openly affirming his bisexuality, Cena knocks it out of the park in the titular role. The threat of the butterflies came to a head in the season finale, with Peacemaker finally able to get revenge on his father and eliminate the butterflies' nectar-producing cow and prevent the aliens from spreading their similar (but more sinister) mission of peace any further.

Leota reveals that she is Amanda Waller's (Viola Davis) daughter, the truth about Task Force X, and the existence of the butterflies in a press conference in the finale. Like Peacemaker, she has had her fair share of ups and downs throughout the first season. Her marriage to Keeya (Elizabeth Ludlow) began in a moment of distress over them losing their business and her strained relationship with Waller led her to betraying Peacemaker's trust, but she finds the strength to come clean and stand strong in spite of Waller's threats. Despite Peacemaker being so violent, sexy, and wild, it finds moments to breathe when it delves into the emotional lives of its characters. The finale episode revealed why Economos was so self-conscious about Peacemaker's "dye-beard" comments, showed Harcourt leading the team into the final mission and even gave Vigilante his own hero moment when trying to get taken into custody. The show consistently succeeds because it balances the comedic and violent with the dramatic and emotional.

Peacemaker’s Easter Eggs and References

Freddie Stroma and John Cena in Peacemaker Episode 2

Despite Peacemaker being a spin-off of The Suicide Squad, Gunn claims that viewers don’t need to have seen The Suicide Squad before to enjoy or understand the show. The choice to make Peacemaker so self-contained is in stark contrast to the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows like Loki and WandaVision on Disney+, which connect to the movies in significant ways. References and name-drops to other DCEU heroes and villains -- including obscure ones from the comics -- is where the show finds a lot of its humor and levity. These Easter eggs and references may not make total sense to newcomers to the DCEU, but for seasoned fans they place Peacemaker in the larger DC universe.

Peacemaker’s Theories and Rumors

Robert Patrick and John Cena in Peacemaker Episode 1

Since Peacemaker has been such a hit with fans and critics, rumors about what Gunn will do next for DC and where Peacemaker will go have only just begun. The climactic ending with Leota revealing the truth behind Task Force X, the butterflies, and Amanda Waller opens up a world of possibilities for Season 2, so theories and rumors are sure to abound online in the wake of the season finale.