Peacemaker Season 2: A fun, raucous journey wrapped in a tiresome plot.

     A phrase that is often tossed around these days is “superhero fatigue,” which refers to the fact that the movie-going public has grown weary of a market oversaturated by costumed crime fighters and superpowered adventurers. Since roughly 2008 (though the superhero movie was a thing many decades before that), ever since the release of Iron Man, Hollywood has churned out one superhero story after another, and let’s be frank, whether you’re a comic book fan or not, some of these films can be a bit tedious.

            I myself, as an avid comic book guy, do not have superhero fatigue, per se. I am delighted by films that, when I was a kid, would not have been possible. Yes, they range from amazing, like Avengers: Endgame, to abysmal, like Thor: Love and Thunder, but I am still usually willing to give them a shot. A trend I have grown tired of, however, is that of the multi-dimensional, multiverse trope, the idea that there are literally millions of realities out there just like our own, all with the same people, some with subtle differences, some with large. Peacemaker, season 2, falls into what is a growing trap, transporting Chris Smith’s Peacemaker (John Cena) to a parallel reality in which he has a good life, his brother is still alive, his dad is a decent guy, he’s a respected superhero, and he’s got the girl. The result is a fun if not tiresome plot with unnecessary “surprises.”

            For my money, one of the best things about 2021’s Suicide Squad was John Cena as the Peacemaker, a character that, like much of James Gunn’s best work, was obscure at best and transformed into a nuanced scene-stealing character that eventually got his own show. Season one of Peacemaker, which marked James Gunn taking the reins of the DCU official, was crass, irreverent, and gory in all the best ways. In its unapologetic treatment of its antihero protagonists, it delivered an edgy, funny take on the superhero story, following in the tradition of Gunn’s other work, particularly that of Guardians of the Galaxy.

            Season 2 picks up after the events of season 1. Peacemaker and his friends from season 1, a ragtag group of misfits as flawed and yet relatable as he is, struggle to find legitimacy as real superheroes. Chris has fallen for Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), who does not seem to return his affections. Between that, the fact that the world still sees him as a joke despite saving it in season one, Chris is depressed, and one night walks through a door in the Quantum Unfolding Chamber (see season one), entering a dimension where he lives in a mansion-like house, his brother, who died when he was a child in Chris’ universe, is still alive, as his father is still alive, the three of them making up a trio of highly respected superheroes. Couple all that with the fact that in this universe, Chris and Harcourt are a couple, this reality seems pretty appealing, and after he accidentally kills his counterpart in that world, he decides to stay there.

            The rest of the season is made up of Chris’ friends trying to bring him back alongside Col. Rick Flagg Sr.’s (Frank Grillo) quest to get revenge on Chris for the death of his son, Rick Flagg Jr. in Suicide Squad. The ensuing plot is relatively slow, uninteresting, even hard to follow at times. If this reality seems too good to be true, it is. There’s a surprise reveal about that, while not exactly a surprise, is unnecessary, especially after it goes nowhere.

            The season illustrates more or less why these multiverse stories are rarely a good idea. After a few fun moments of seeing this or that character in whatever form they take in such-and-such universe, they become burdensome, and as I see it, lazy storytelling. Take, for example, the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which, apparently, is Marvel and Disney’s master plan to reset the MCU. Multiverse stories usually only serve the purpose of bringing dead characters back to life and fixing poor creative choices, or enabling the studio to keep the money machine running.

            All that being said, Peacemaker’s foray into this other reality is somewhat more effective than some multiverse stories, as he has legitimate reasons for wanting to be there. It seems to represent the life he’s always wanted. He’s a respected hero, his brother is still alive, he’s got a great girlfriend, and his father, instead of being abusive and neglectful, is a kind role model, a superhero himself. This all works thanks to Cena himself, who, despite the fact that he’s incredibly jacked, comes across more of a regular guy than most wrestling actors, certainly Hulk Hogan and even the Rock. The backstory given to Peacemaker in season one, that he is a byproduct of a bad upbringing, helped flesh out his character as more than just an uber Right Wing Super Assassin, and this journey into the multiverse continues that. He’s not only a super killer, he’s also sensitive, sweet, and funny.

            There are moments of comedy, some of it hilarious, and some of it, another staple of some of James Gunn’s films, is a little forced, and it’s a lot crass. There’s lots of cursing, incredibly gory violence, tons of nudity, and drug use. In essence, it’s not your Father’s superhero show. While there are moments that are fun, some that are poignant, and good character scenes provided by everyone in the cast, it is still a more or less plodding multiverse tale that is supposedly setting up Man of Steel, James Gunn’s sequel to Superman. Sigh. Does that mean more multiverse stuff is to come? We’ll see, I guess, either in this reality or another.