Peacemaker on HBOMax: Cena and Hair Bands and Eagly OH MY

New episodes up on HBO today and I have only one question: ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?

https://www.markettribunal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/peacemakers-john-cena-james-gunn-on-why-the-dance-opening-is-so-important-1024x570.jpg

Guys I watched the first ep & it’s very good

Robert Patrick as Peacemaker’s dad is chefs kiss, I dunno how they got him to agree to the hair but it’s amazing

Cena kills it of course, he was so good in the movie and was basically born to be in a starring role like this. the Quireboys scene alone - he just fully commits & its excellent

James Gunn put a great glam metal playlist on spotify over a year ago and now I know why! Lots of this stuff is in the show

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5vbR9VxLoDw1ciT7t1JehQ?si=5RfrT_Q8R4WZpZZYQ_8lKQ

sic if you do that thing i swear to god

Was not prepared for the opening titles.

"That one will give you scabies."

tbrr this was the show I needed now

Gunn/Cena feels like a match with Carpenter/Russell potential

otm

Watched the first episode and I'm in.

This is fuckin great

The theme song alone is better than hawkeye

this prompted us to see The Suicide Squad movie before watching the series and we surprisingly loved it, just a fantastic super hero movie that doesn't take itself seriously and is such a fun watch.

the show picks up where that left off and keeps much of the same vibe while introducing some cool new characters. Looking forward to the rest of the season!

Judomaster is such a great obscure add.

for posterity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mrr3UNALww

Eagly finding his light at the end of the song kills me everytime.

and here's some white dragon continuity for you
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/William_Heller_(New_Earth)

it should be noted that this show plays by Gunn's rules, which is fast and loose with race and gender

the balcony hard-falls in e2 made me laugh so hard, cena is killing it

the hostage husband and wife had me rolling too

Cena is spectacular in this, really great range and some of the best physical humor I've ever seen. His willingness to give up his body is super impressive. Ex-wrestler!

yeah i knew he’d be funny & game for anything but he’s basically fearless actingwise & stuntwise

Episode 5 featuring the Hanoi Rocks singalong grew my heart 10 sizes (before chainsaw horrors shrunk it 11 sizes)

some nice twitter stuff

No. The deeper meaning is that @michaelmonroe & Hanoi Rocks are one of the greatest rock bands ever - it’s one of the few things #Peacemaker & I actually agree on. (For instance, I don’t think the cast of Riverdale should be framed for murder). https://t.co/OaJp16mFOT

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 29, 2022

11th Street Kids IRL. #Peacemaker #11thStreetKids pic.twitter.com/K3jbglW0zi

— Jennifer Holland (@jennlholland) January 28, 2022

I love how afaict Peacemaker's main power is basically just to take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

Cena is a hoot. He looks like he's been shaped out of still malleable clay.

Cena is a hoot. He looks like he's been shaped out of still malleable clay.

It's really astonishing how he can shift from "conventionally handsome" to "rubber-faced goon/living Halloween mask" in an instant. He would probably have been a star in the silent film era too.

i want that faster pussycat shirt

omg yes! same

Caught up and loooooooooove this show. So, so dumb + fun.

Yeah this is really fun.

John Cena’s face shares some DNA with Jim Varney’s and I love that.

“Coverdale Farm” lmao

Cena playing a version of “Home Sweet Home” on the piano is why I love him & this show forever. <3

I saw the closed caption as it was starting and was like "no...really?" good stuff.

fyi for anyone missing it, there's generally a bumper scene after the credits

I stopped watching those after a few eps--I found they mostly ratified the choice to edit them out. Y'all are much more into this show than I am though

oh i am very into it

I think this is surprisingly likable. I wasn’t that crazy about Gunn’s movie but gave this a shot and it’s a legit really good show on multiple levels.

do you really wanna taste this?

this fuckin' show! lots of great stuff in the latest episode.

i swear i get the theme song stuck in my head at least once a week

i can't wait until they raid (david) coverdale ranch to a nonstop whitesnake mix

The inspiration for #Peacemaker’s hug & relationship with Eagly. https://t.co/FSVwU1wNyL

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 17, 2021

I had no idea the song was a real actual song that a band recorded not specifically for the show and I still kind of can't believe it, it's wonderful

I was really afraid this was gonna be another Deadpooly show so I was late to start this one. but it most definitely isn't. I am in love.

and the Wig Wam intro song is fucking amazing.

I mean, it is, but it's also its own thing

Let there be rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w07N2nfB7KY

Last episode, sadface

“Which one of you dumb, sister-fucking, tiki torch-carrying, Sloths-from-The-Goonies-lookin’ pieces of shit wants to go next?”

Was great because it's the type of dumb Twitter insult that would normally be delivered in over the top, annoying fashion, but Vigilante's delivery just rolls off the tongue beautifully as a calm yet inflammatory (and accurate) means of instigation.

the minor character names on the episode credits are often v good ie this week:
“White Power Shithead”
“Whitehood Wanker”
“Asshole Referee”

i loved that the EZPZ mart frat dude first line is something about Boondock Saints. Tells you everything you need w a fragment of a sentence lol

also i like how Emilia is head to toe in black like a tiny Emma Peel

"... tender, nice touching...

lmao Vigilante is so weird i love him

these shows always need at least one real comic relief full-on psychopath

".... Taylor Swift sexy butt?"

Haha that was one of the only Vigilante jokes that felt too US sitcom basic and clunky for me

ridiculously-costumed John Cena weeping bitterly as he prays to God to spare his beloved pet eagle was honestly just such a hell of a fuckin vibe

I wondered whether the earlier episode discussion about what kind of organisms the butterflies can use as hosts might be foreshadowing that Eagly is like a possessed entity being used to cynically pep Peacemaker up for a given end but its honestly way better and funnier if it's just an eagle that loves John Cena and hugs him spontaneously

s2 is a go

🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

new item added to my bucketlist:
get John Cena to carry ME around like i’m a giant baby

what a great finale

what a majestic stupid funny gross perfect fucking tv show omg

and this song fooled me completely, took it for last-gasp 1990 hairband its from fkn 2009
hats of to whoever they are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdIMwhFhyIg

ahhhh its a Nikki Sixx cowrite that explains it. i wasnt completely off my game

Wrap up interview

https://www.vulture.com/article/james-gunn-peacemaker-finale-interview.html

wrapped up pretty well if not spectacularly imo, surely leaves the door open for more fun times.
i really wanted to believe he didn't dye his beard

that speech was so good

Do you really taste it?
-#peacemaker #kadusdraws @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/H0JSTsKG5i

— kadusaurus 🦕 (@kadusaurus) February 9, 2022

Bailed after episode 2, my wife wasn't feeling it, it might be too dumb and not funny enough. The house style is fine in small doses, but the pacing gets old pretty quickly (ie, stop the action for a banal conversation that goes on longer than would be conventional, and would ideally be funnier). I get why people like it though, it's fun and all.

tbh it improves a lot more once Vigilante is fully integrated into the show

Disagree, I think if the first two eps aren't your bag the show's not your bag

Yeah, the pilot was incredible and the tone doesn't really change after that, it just adds layers of emotion while still delivering absurdity and hyperviolence (and rawk).

Vigilante def helped though I liked it from the getgo.

i would get why people DON'T like it, my partner loathes it. Except for the opening. And the fact that I watch it with obvious glee. But it is very much a cilantro show

I need to watch this. I remember the character from the old Charlton days.

lol, there was a nice easter egg in the last episode when a news conference was being broadcast on Charlton News

That's a nice nod. It's remarkable what fertile ground those comics have been. The characters in Watchmen were all based on Charlton characters. They provided a platform for Steve Ditko, and I still remember first encountering a very young John Byrne in their series Doomsday +1 and Space:1999.

... "cilantro show"?

meaning some people will love it and others will think it tastes like soap, metaphorically

If I could somehow summon the powers of a real life #Peacemaker I think this would be a great time to do so.

— John Cena (@JohnCena) February 24, 2022

o_O

uh

NGL though I wouldn't mind if the last words V Putin ever heard on earth were "activate human torpedo"

Uh indeed

God bless him and all but Cena is a deeply weird guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6maL6gq6qME

I haven't been following the thread because I've been taking my time and am only on episode 7 and in fact (correctly) figured that even though it might not be her thing my wife would enjoy it so started the series from the beginning, but ... man, it's so key that Gunn writes every episode himself, keeps the through-line of the vision intact.

this is pretty great

No kidding, we shot the actual opening in a school auditorium not so different from that. #Peacemaker https://t.co/S9IsLv8ReU

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 26, 2022

Apparently Season 2 has begun filming!!

:D

I need this

And we got season 2 trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QwXokuIZjM

Inject it into my face. Cena should get an Emmy for being a good sport.

OK, fine. (I am 1000% in.)

From teaser to trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgJgaBTq_dg

Ah never mind, maybe they just reposted the teaser. Even so!

Okay, real new trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6AZTfI54OU

Three and a half years tho

Will probably rewatch season one in the next couple of weeks

Forgot how legit funny this show is. It's basically a comedy.

Vigilante is hilarious

I skipped this the first time around but I watched the first season a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to new season!

Season 2 baby!

The thing I love about this show is that James Gunn now, director of Superman and head of DC movieverse is making this, tonally, exactly the same kind of show he would have made 20 years ago

its hilarious how wrong it is

Anyway hello we are The Scorpionz!

First ep was OK, but ... another alternate dimension superhero story? Really?

I Cannot with the temu hair metal in this show.

I do miss the old opening credits song, that's for sure.

Yeah, the first season opening credits song was much better. But this episode was pretty funny. Harcourt's job interview/psych profile was particularly good.

Lol at all the shitting on 30 Seconds To Mars.

Guess Leto's not coming back as Joker

So many laughs this week

Meadows is a great addition

"A fucking duck attacked me!" lmao

Peacemaker is brilliant. The first two episodes of season two were five star. Don't usually watch these type of things live but have a free preview.

― Bee OK, Saturday, September 6, 2025 7:49 PM (three minutes ago)

These last two episodes have been moving the story along but nowhere near what the quality of the first two episodes. Those were fun.

yeah it’s a little bogged down but I was happy to have Judomaster back again! the fight scene w him & Peacemaker was great

oh also i would happily swap out Rooker’s Eagle Weirdo whatever for like 10% more Adrian/Vigilante

Rooker's delivery on "another eagle?!" was all-time

Just found out Chris Conrad was originally cast as Vigilante and they shot 5 episodes with him. I'm shook lol

I mean, he's in his 50s so would have been a very different dynamic

yeah definitely!

S2 E5: Back to the Suture

Episode is great, had me lol again.

Eagly!

All these Metal songs featured seem fake

yeah he has this baffling fondness for the photocopy stuff, like for every legit Hanoi Rocks or Warrant or whatever there’s like 25 other songs from early 00’s Swedish faux-hair bands & weird 00’s party bands from Ohio or whatever

it’s a little annoying but i imagine it’s cheaper & gives them publicity they would otherwise not have

it’s a little annoying but i imagine it’s cheaper

They were obviously saving up so they could get "November Rain."

I didn't really like the new opening credits song at first but now I love it. And seeing alternate universe Harcourt show up tonight in the outfit she's wearing in the opening credits dance number was funny.

yeah November Rain into …Bad City :/ lol

All these Metal songs featured seem fake

Ha yeah thats why I called it Temu hairmetal upthread. Its weird, it almost sounds like AI music!

I've enjoyed most of this season, but thus far it feels like literally none of them have been given anything to do. It's been like one long episode one, lol.

yeah otm

On twitter, some people have noticed that there are no POC in the other dimension, not even as background characters. They don't know who the Kardashians are. Peacemaker is about to figure out that his "perfect" world is fascist, and that's why his dad is a hero in it.

That sort of payoff would be pretty obvious, so I hope they do something less predictable. Then again, I can imagine Peacemaker and Judomaster teaming up on the inside to get out once they figure out whatever is going on. The fact that Vigilante keeps asking about his potential doppelganger seems to be setting the stage for something too.

Catching up on S2 now, just came here to post that every time Eagly has a little featured part our cats - especially Socks - watch TV like we’ve put on one of those YouTube channels with squirrels and chipmunks and shit

lol <3

Tonight's episode... holy shit. Yes, it was the obvious move, but they handled it really well. Confession: I find Adrian/Vigilante super fucking annoying, the absolute worst character on the show, so the scenes with twice as much Adrian/Vigilante? Not great. (I also don't like Helloween, so that was unpleasant as well.) Still, the whole thing was a great setup and the cliffhanger ending was scary as fuck in a 1970s Invasion of the Body Snatchers way. Really looking forward to the final two episodes.

Helloween/Beatles joke was v good imo

And yeah this was a good episode stakeswise, definitely gaaaah holy wtf ending

Great episode

Also unperson, noooooo

Vigilante and Eagly probably my two favourite characters and loved the back and fore between the two Adrians, which worked well to set up that final few minutes where everything unravels

Not sure we needed six episodes to get to this point but I'm all in now for the final two

I don't get around to seeing these until Friday night. Deducted points for it lacking in laughter but still entertaining. Ending was a curve ball.

The extra scene at the end was funny as hell

loved the completely unsubtle flag reveal and Adebayo's "what the fuck?!" reaction to everyone coming at her

Tonight's episode was really good. The conversation between Adebayo and Judomaster about Peacemaker cracked me up. "He has the musical taste of the next-door neighbor kid from Toy Story." Sadly, I cannot support Adebayo in her praise of Hanoi Rocks, a band I just Don't Get.

On the other hand, some real emotional work from Cena. It really feels like Peacemaker is on the brink of a total mental breakdown at all times now.

Episode was good with everything from the alternative world coming to a head. Should be a good ending.

Anyone know which Vigilante killed his Dad? Alt-Universe one seemed to go full on psycho so possibly him?

This was not what I was expecting, going out on a whimper. The last episode was a look back instead of wrapping up.

Whisper instead of a scream

yeah it was a bit of a “huh. ok”

and we’re featuring Nelson and they’re NOT singing Love And Affection or After the Rain? WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE. (It was still nice to see them & it was an ok song)

neither of those songs are from their 2010 album afaik

This was an overall good show, we definitely like S1 more than S2, don’t see how they could stretch the title character for a 3rd arc (probably just my lack of imagination) but can easily see them including him and/or some of the rest of the gang in future DCU content.

xpost but why are they featuring their 2010 album ~is my point~

The scene is about choosing not to get trapped in your existing conception of your own identity, or your perception of what someone else can be. It’s a crowd of casuals by definition, not hardcore Nelsoniacs, so nobody who’s particularly excited to hear songs from two albums and fifteen years ago, but the talking Nelson presents it as a long-past-fame track that they value and means something to the band. And not only do the crowd accept it on those terms, but Smith’s genuine enthusiasm for being in the moment and having the experience — whether or not he’s one of the few ppl in the audience who know the song — breaks through Harcourt’s cynicism about being there at all, and then through her resistance to opening up in any other way. She lets herself enjoy being in the audience, and in the moment, as light-years from her idea of cool as it is. That works thematically with m/l everyone at the show making the choice to do the same, in a way that also fits with the episode’s drive for fractured members of the 11th St pals and starting-to-doubt ARGUS operatives choosing to come together on shared values — and wouldn’t if it was one of these guys’ only two half-remembered hits, with Harcourt rolling her eyes at the specific cheesiness.

I liked this show, even if I'm not sure about the weird ending. John Cena is great. Gotta love a lunk with comedy chops.

a box with two dots

that flirting was ok and then the boardwalk and the gig was not how people behave. wtf is "checkmate". a co-working space? fleury/vig on spiders was fun but what a big bag of nothing for a finale

Checkmate was another covert agency in the Waller / Yale / Ostrander Squad era, the other main part of the Janus Directive crossover of 1989. James Gunn may be 45-60 years old, if one had to guess for some reason.

it kinda didn't seem like a covert agency was my point?

*"?" not actually a question - just there for tone of voice

economos' extra joke was a hoot, though

By the way, what does Foxy Shazam have on James Gunn? Each time I heard that song I wanted to hear it less. And of course they looked exactly as expected.

Also, for as much as I enjoyed this season, I agree with the review I read that said it basically felt like a two-parter padded out to hit 8 episodes. And this last one specifically was more or less a mess with moments. The cast and quips carried a lot of this second run.

I assume the nature and model of Gunn’s version of Checkmate will be shown in future Gunn-driven projects, and that none of us can draw detailed conclusions from one shot of a sign on a building.

(They may not have been covert, I only read the Janus Directive issues and those only once.)

I'd concur that Gunn's pulling in characters and ideas from comics but loosely interpreting to make a new thing. The Sasha character's from more recent iterations of Checkmate and the DC comics at large.

ACAB (all cops are butterflies).

Also missed opportunity to make Eagly's calls biologically accurate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmYEQ78zS0