The Only Recap You Need Before ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Hits HBO Max This Month

The second season of Peacemaker is set to arrive on Max on August 21, 2025. The first season introduced viewers to a strange corner of the DC universe, full of violence, humor, and surprising heart. Before the next chapter begins, here is a straightforward look at the key events and characters from the first season.

The show begins after the events of the movie The Suicide Squad. Christopher Smith, also known as Peacemaker, has recovered from his serious injuries. He is a man who wants to achieve peace, and he is willing to kill anyone to get it. This core belief was shaped by his difficult childhood.

His father, Auggie Smith, was a racist and abusive man who trained Chris to be a killer from a young age. This upbringing left Chris with deep emotional trauma, including guilt over the accidental death of his brother during a forced fight. Throughout the first season, Chris struggles with the memory of killing Rick Flag and the idea of what it truly means to be a hero.

Upon his release from the hospital, Peacemaker is not free. He is forced to join a secret A.R.G.U.S. black ops team. The mission is called Project Butterfly. The team reports to the formidable Amanda Waller, though she rarely appears directly.

The team leader is a stern mercenary named Clemson Murn. The other members include agent Emilia Harcourt, a highly capable and serious operative, and John Economos, the tech and logistics expert. A new addition to the team is Leota Adebayo, who is secretly Amanda Waller’s daughter. She acts as the audience’s perspective, an ordinary person thrown into a world of spies and aliens.

Rounding out the unofficial team is Adrian Chase, also known as Vigilante. He is a goofy and psychopathic crimefighter who sees Peacemaker as his best friend and mentor.

The team’s assignment is to hunt and kill mysterious targets called “Butterflies.” At first, the team doesn’t know what they are. Peacemaker discovers their true nature after a mission to assassinate a U.S. Senator. When he kills the target, a small, butterfly-like alien creature emerges from the body. These aliens are a parasitic species that take over human hosts.

The Butterflies have a secret food source: a massive alien creature they call the “Cow.” This Cow produces a special liquid that the Butterflies need to survive. Their main goal is to protect this Cow and continue their infiltration of Earth.

A major twist reveals that the team’s leader, Clemson Murn, is actually a Butterfly himself. His name is Ik Nobe Lok, and he is a rogue member of his species. He turned against the other Butterflies because he disagreed with their plan to take over humanity.

The season is filled with internal and external conflicts. Peacemaker constantly clashes with his father, Auggie Smith, who is also the white supremacist supervillain known as the White Dragon. After being framed for one of his son’s actions, Auggie is sent to prison where his status as the White Dragon is revealed. Later, he escapes and hunts down the team in his powerful armor. In a painful confrontation, Peacemaker is forced to kill his own father.

Another source of conflict is Leota Adebayo’s secret mission from her mother. Waller tasked her with planting a fake diary in Peacemaker’s trailer to frame him if necessary. When Peacemaker discovers this betrayal, it deeply wounds him and shatters their growing friendship.

The team also faces threats from within their own ranks when they learn Murn is a Butterfly. However, he proves his loyalty by fighting against his own kind.

The season finale sees the remaining team members launch an attack on the farm where the Butterflies are hiding their food source, the Cow. The battle is intense. Harcourt and Vigilante are severely injured. The Butterfly leader, now inhabiting the body of a police detective, reveals their motive to Peacemaker. Their home planet was destroyed because its inhabitants ignored warning signs, much like humans are doing to Earth. Their goal is to save humanity from itself by taking control.

Peacemaker rejects their offer. With help from Adebayo, he successfully kills the Cow, destroying the Butterflies’ food supply. In the aftermath, the team recovers from their injuries. Feeling guilty, Adebayo holds a press conference. She clears Peacemaker’s name and publicly exposes the existence of Project Butterfly and her mother’s secret operations.

The season ends with Peacemaker back at his trailer. He is now the caretaker of the last remaining Butterfly, the one he captured from the senator. He is also haunted by visions of his dead father, showing that his internal struggles are far from over.

What are your thoughts on the first season, and what do you hope to see in Season 2? Share your opinions in the comments below.