Superman Mania Sends Peacemaker Season 2 Viewership Soaring
Peacemaker Season 2 kicked off on Max on August 21, 2025, and it's already pulling in way more viewers than the first season.
Peacemaker is back, louder than ever, and the numbers say people showed up. The Season 2 premiere on Max didn’t just bring the helmet back — it outdrew the Season 1 finale, and the timing with James Gunn’s Superman juggernaut almost certainly helped.
The quick setup
In case you need a refresher: Peacemaker spun out of Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad. Season 1 hit on January 13, 2022, and was a legit word-of-mouth success with both critics and regular humans. Fast forward to now — Season 2 launched on Max on August 21, 2025 — and it’s off to an even hotter start.
The numbers (and where they came from)
According to Samba TV, the Season 2 premiere drew 22% more U.S. households over its first four days than the Season 1 finale did back in 2022. They even put it in a victory-lap post on X (formerly Twitter) on August 25, 2025:
"Season two of #Peacemaker blasted onto #HBOMax with 22% more US households tuning in over its first four days than the season one finale in 2022. Turns out the wait only made the hype stronger."
(Yes, they said HBOMax. Branding is a journey.)
Why the bump? Timing, timing, timing
The show arrived right after 2025’s Superman, which was a massive hit. That matters because James Gunn is the connective tissue here: he directed Superman, he co-runs the DCU, and he created and runs Peacemaker. If you just watched Superman and wanted to keep riding the DCU wave, this was the next stop. On top of that, John Cena pops up briefly in Superman as Peacemaker, which is exactly the kind of cameo that nudges curious movie-only folks into checking out the series.
Critics are all-in (for now)
As of now, Peacemaker Season 2 sits at a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 62 reviews. For context, Season 1 is at 93%, and Superman is at 83%. So yes, the sophomore season somehow got even shinier in the eyes of critics.
Who’s doing what this season
- John Cena as Chris Smith / Peacemaker
- Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo
- Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt
- Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante
- Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
- Sol Rodriguez as Sasha Bordeaux
- Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith / White Dragon
When and where to watch
New episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 stream Thursdays on Max.