John Cena and showrunner James Gunn reported that the season finale of Peacemaker just smashed HBO Max streaming record. Following his introduction in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker centers on Cena’s multifaceted hero. Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick also feature in the series.
Following his Corto Maltese mission in The Suicide Squad, Cena’s Christopher Smith donned the chrome helmet of Peacemaker once more to put an extraterrestrial plot to justice with his own rough brand of justice. Peacemaker teamed up with A.R.G.U.S Agents, fellow crimefighter Vigilante (Stroma), and his pet eagle, Eagly, for Project Butterfly, where he confronted his racist father, White Dragon (Patrick), his followers, and a race of alien butterflies, who possess humans in order to take over the Earth. While the series was centered on a lesser-known character to fans who routinely mocked DC’s heavyweights, it became the DCEU’s best-reviewed release to date. Following a first hit, Gunn and Cena claimed that the last episode of the series shattered all of HBO Max’s own records.
Both Gunn and Cena rushed to Twitter to announce that Peacemaker’s season 1 finale shattered HBO Max’s record for the largest single-day release of an HBO Max Original series. Gunn and Cena also disclosed that the series’ audience has increased significantly since its January premiere, with the finale’s viewership increasing by 44 percent over the series’ first episode. Gunn expressed gratitude to audiences for tuning in each week to see each episode as it aired, while Cena expressed his appreciation for fans’ support, noting that he was already prepared for Peacemaker season 2. Take a look at the showrunner’s and star’s Twitter feeds below:
With Gunn confirming a second season is in the pipeline, the DCEU on HBO Max has a promising future. While Gunn initially expressed reservations about the platform’s day-and-date simultaneous release approach for The Suicide Squad, the director subsequently noted that the film’s success on the service helped pave the way for Peacemaker and other future DCEU movies on HBO Max. While Peacemaker’s conclusion included an unexpected cameo by the Justice League, other well-known characters, including Batgirl, Blue Beetle, and Jurnee Smollett’s Black Canary, will have their own storylines aired exclusively on HBO Max. The streaming service is also planning a Green Lantern series.
With Peacemaker ranking as the most popular streaming series in January, the future seems bright for DC’s streaming entertainment. While the business has expertise in developing series for other platforms, many questioned how it would manage the DCEU continuity on the small screen in the aftermath of Marvel’s Disney+ series’ success. With Gunn developing a second season and the fact that Suicide Squad prequel is still kept under wraps so far, Warner Bros. may have discovered the right venue for telling its DCEU storylines.
