Peacemaker showrunner James Gunn has revealed that there's a "very good chance" the superhero show will get a second season.
Speaking on Deadline's Hero Nation podcast, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad director believes it's only a matter of time before the John Cena-starring spinoff series gets renewed for HBO Max.
When asked if he thinks Peacemaker season 2 will be greenlit, Gunn responded, "There's a very good chance that will happen. We are the biggest show in the world right now. The show is going extraordinarily well, and we're excited, we all love doing it, we just have to cross some T's and point to some I's, which is basically me.
"A very good opportunity" is an understatement. According to data sent to TechRadar by global audience demand firm Parrot Analytics, Peacemaker was the most requested TV show across all streaming platforms as of January 22.
According to the company's latest figures, Peacemaker was 69,5 times more in demand than the average TV show, beating The Witcher on Netflix and The Book of Boba Fett on Disney Plus. For context, The Witcher season was 67,7 times more popular than the average TV series, while Boba Fett's small-screen adventure was 66 times more popular than the average show.
It's unclear when filming on Peacemaker season 2 would begin if WarnerMedia and AT&T renewed the show for another outing. For now, however, there are still three episodes of Peacemaker to be released, including the season 1 finale on February 17. So fans of Cena's Christopher Smith will have more content to consume in the meantime.
Analysis: Launching a superhero show at the right time
It's no surprise that Peacemaker has done very well on HBO Max.
For one thing, John Cena's charismatic, humorous, and emotionally resonant anti-hero is extremely relatable. Yes, he is an arrogant and brash individual on the surface; however, it is implied that he is a complicated character with his own issues and repressed traumas. This means that viewers will warm to him, regardless of his sometimes abrasive, "act first, think later" personality. The brilliant supporting cast of the show was also another major positive factor as to why Peacemaker season 1 was well received by audiences.
But the DCEU series' early 2022 release date has been its biggest draw. The release of The Suicide Squad spinoff on January 13 turned out to be a coup, with little competition from other streaming shows, superhero-focused or not.
Of course, there hasn't been a total shortage of great shows to watch. Netflix continues to provide great content, including Ozark Season 4 and Archive 81. Meanwhile, Prime Video subscribers were able to enjoy As We See It, along with other highly anticipated TV series like The Legend of Vox Machina, which will be released sooner than later. of the end of the month.
But some of these shows, including Vox Machina, will have specific audiences. Others, like Archive 81, have also become popular through word of mouth.
By contrast, Peacemaker was already established as a character, with Cena starring in The Suicide Squad in the summer of 2021. Throw in the fact that Gunn, whose Guardians movies have been a breath of fresh air in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). – is the show's lead writer and lead director, and Peacemaker already had a head start on the competition.
Speaking of Marvel, Peacemaker will also have benefited greatly from the lack of new MCU content earlier in the year. By the time Moon Knight lands on Disney Plus, there will have been a three-month gap between the latest Marvel Studios production and the next. With no MCU movies or TV shows to compete with, Peacemaker has had free rein in the popular and profitable superhero market.
In short, releasing Peacemaker so early in the year was the right decision: for HBO Max, for Gunn and Cena, and for the future of the series. So expect to see more adventures starring Peacemaker and the ARGUS team in the future.