Peacemaker has finally returned, and with it, further context and exploration within James Gunn’s DCU. Of course, the timing of this series would still be important had it remained in the DCEU, and we’d be wondering where and when it was set, but these circumstances call for a closer look at this season and just when it happens.
The shifting from one universe another puts Peacemaker in a very unique spot, considering its the only project to survive the plug pull, emphasis on project and not character, as a character can transition to this universe with a few bits of lore intact but an entire show is a different story, especially when your first season premiered over 3 years ago. So when exactly does Peacemaker Season 2 take place?
When Does ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Take Place?
When we land in the second season, we’re immediately greeted to a sleeping Peacemaker and an antsy Eagly whose dying to spread his wings a little bit, Chris is reluctant to wake up to let him out due to the weather and we can view through the windows that it is snowing pretty heavily, confirming a winter month at first. Later on, this is confirmed when it is mentioned that Chris first entered the quantum unfolding doorway in January of that year, prior to the 6-month time jump that immediately follows the incident.
Following the 6-month time jump and in a drunken stupor, Chris yet again activates the quantum unfolding room and enters it, alerting ARGUS due to the energy being emitted resembling that of Lex Luthor’s portal to the pocket dimension that caused Metropolis to be ripped in half during the events of Superman. Sasha Bordeaux informs Rick Flagg Sr. of the alert, to which Flagg addresses it as the same kind of readings that match the “Luthor Incident” that Bordeaux recalls happening “this summer.”
Taking into account the timing of the opening scene being in January, the 6-month time jump, and the timing of the Luthor incident being referred to as the current summer, we can deduce that this season primarily takes place around the end of June 2025, possibly into July of that same year. For those that may not recall the timing of Superman, the film is all but entirely confirmed to take place in May of 2025, with some Daily Planet newspapers from around set being dated for May 20th of that year. While the first day of summer isn’t technically till June 21, many consider May to be a part of summer due to the longer days and hotter temperatures.
Has James Gunn Confirmed This?
James Gunn is notorious for how open he is about his work and how responsive he can be with fans, but this particular answer actually comes from the Peacemaker Season 2 panel recently held at San Diego Comic-Con. At the panel, Gunn did confirm that this season does take place a month after the events of Superman, referencing the appearance of characters like Guy Gardner and Maxwell Lord. The detail that Gunn did of course, omit is the exact month in which the season takes place, but that detail isn’t hard to come by if you just watch the first episode of the season.
“The show happens a month after the events of Superman… a lot of the characters return… in the first episode we have Guy Gardner and Maxwell Lord” – James Gunn at San Diego Comic Con
It does currently feel as if we are watching these events within the DCU play out in real time, more so Peacemaker than Superman but these projects remain very close to the dates in which we believe them to be set and relative to our own. It currently remains unknown as to how long the events of this second season will last. Season 1 arguably takes place within just one week, and it’s possible that Season 2 will take place in a similar amount of time. Nevertheless, the show is slated to continue airing weekly throughout September and the first half of October, wrapping up its 8-episode run on October 9.
The first episode of Peacemaker Season 2 is streaming now on HBO Max. Check out our review and the trailer below:
