Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 1, titled “The Ties That Grind,” premiered on HBO Max on August 21, 2025, kicking off the second season of James Gunn’s irreverent DC Universe (DCU) series. Set six months after the events of Season 1 and following the DCU’s Superman (2025), the episode introduces a multiverse twist, new characters, and emotional depth while maintaining the show’s signature crude humor and action. John Cena returns as Chris Smith / Peacemaker, alongside the core cast, as they navigate personal struggles and a looming threat tied to dimensional rifts.
The episode opens in Evergreen, Washington, with Chris Smith awakened at night by his pet eagle, Eagly, who needs to go outside. With snow falling, Chris, clad only in a t-shirt and underwear, takes Eagly to his father’s quantum-folded pocket-dimension armory to avoid the cold. While there, Eagly scratches at a peculiar door, leading Chris to discover a portal to an alternate universe. In this reality, he finds a kinder version of his father, Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), and his brother Keith (David Denman), who is alive—unlike in Chris’s world, where he accidentally killed Keith as a child. This alternate universe presents Chris as a celebrated member of the “Top Trio,” a heroic group, living in a luxurious home.
Back in his own reality, Chris is struggling. He auditions for a spot on the Justice Gang (featuring Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern and Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, tying the show to the DCU’s Superman), but his pitch—boasting his marksmanship, combat skills, and powered helmets—is ignored as the team bickers and mocks him. Reeling from the rejection and a recent breakup with Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), who rebuffs his attempts to rekindle their off-screen romance, Chris spirals into a drug-fueled orgy, wallowing in self-pity.
Meanwhile, the 11th Street Kids are scattered. Emilia struggles to find work after Leota Adebayo’s (Danielle Brooks) Season 1 bombshell exposing A.R.G.U.S.’s corruption. Leota is also jobless, while John Economos (Steve Agee) is stuck surveilling Chris under the new A.R.G.U.S. director, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), who seeks to imprison Chris for killing his son, Rick Flag Jr., in The Suicide Squad (2021). Economos tries to protect Chris by stalling the agents. Adrian Chase / Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) faces workplace tension, caught on the phone during a shift.
The episode’s climax sees Chris, still under the influence, return to the alternate universe. There, he encounters his doppelgänger, a fully suited Peacemaker who attacks him with magical stars, shredding his back. In a brutal fight, Chris kills his alternate self by propelling him into the ceiling with his suit’s engine, leaving a “Peacemaker-sized hole” in this perfect world. The episode ends with Chris contemplating the possibility of stepping into this alternate life, setting up an emotional arc about confronting his traumatic past.
Key Themes and Highlights
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Multiverse and Trauma: The alternate universe offers Chris a glimpse of a life free from his guilt over Keith’s death and his abusive father, but it comes with complications, forcing him to face his past.
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DCU Integration: The episode retcons Season 1’s Justice League cameo, replacing it with the Justice Gang to align with Gunn’s DCU. References to Superman and its characters ground the show in the rebooted universe.
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Humor and Heart: Gunn’s signature blend of raunchy comedy (e.g., Chris’s orgy scene) and emotional beats (e.g., his longing for family) shines, with Cena delivering a career-best performance.
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New Characters: Rick Flag Sr. introduces a revenge-driven antagonist, while Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez) hints at new dynamics.
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Opening Sequence: A new dance sequence, choreographed by Charissa Barton to Foxy Shazam’s “Dreamer,” replaces Season 1’s “Do Ya Wanna Taste It,” reflecting Chris’s evolving identity.
Notable Moments
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An alien emerging from a portal incinerates a rodent, hinting at interdimensional threats.
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Chris’s failed Justice Gang audition, filled with crude humor (e.g., mocking Green Lantern), showcases his outsider status.
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The emotional weight of Chris seeing Keith and a kinder Auggie, contrasted with the violent doppelgänger fight, sets up a season-long exploration of redemption.
“The Ties That Grind” sets the stage for a chaotic, heartfelt Season 2, blending multiverse mayhem with Chris’s personal struggles. With new enemies, a fractured team, and Gunn’s bold vision, the episode promises a wild ride. New episodes drop Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max until October 9, 2025.
