HBO gives Peacemaker a second chance with a second season order

Ahead of the season one finale tomorrow night, HBO is giving peace another chance. The HBO Max series Peacemaker, a spin-off of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, will be returning for a second season of violence, comedy, and John Cena in a funny helmet. Despite being imperceptible to the eye, Cena has proved himself a fan-favorite in the role, bringing new depth and attitude to the DC superhero landscape.

“Creating Peacemaker has been one of the true highlights of my life, both professionally and otherwise, with John Cena and the incredible creative team around me, as well as our partners at HBO Max,” Peacemaker writer/director Gunn said in a statement. “To have something we all love so much be loved by the audience, in turn, has been a wonderful experience. I can’t wait for folks to see where Team Peacemaker goes in Season Two!”

The eight-episode first season of Peacemaker wraps up on HBO Max this Thursday and was something of an unlikely hit. In past weeks, Gunn has let fans into just how successful the show has been, both creatively and for HBO, calling Peacemaker “the biggest show in the world right now.” But it wasn’t always a safe bet. Released last August, The Suicide Squad, a splashy, big-budget do-over of WB’s 2016 supervillain team-up, seemed to tank at the box office. However, over time, the movie turned into an old-fashioned sleeper.

“I wasn’t happy about Suicide Squad going to TV day and date, we also happened to come out at the absolute peak of Delta, so it was a difficult decision,” Gunn told Deadline from the set of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. “For the sake of Peacemaker, I’m really glad: It got more subscribers for HBO, billions of people saw it on HBO; for Peacemaker it worked out really well.”

Peacemaker has been a hit with A.V. Club reviewer Jarrod Jones, who gave the penultimate episode an A. Will the show season stick the landing? We’ll find out tomorrow night.