Renewed for a second season, Peacemaker explores the continuing story of the character that series star John Cena reprises in the aftermath of executive producer, writer and director James Gunn’s 2021 DC film The Suicide Squad – a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it! Delving into current world issues through the lens of Super Hero/Super-Villain/world’s biggest douchebag, the series extends the world created for The Suicide Squad while bringing to life the soul and wit of Peacemaker and the team.

For in-depth thoughts on Peacemaker: The Complete First Season, please see my colleague Tia Fabi’s reviews of the series:

For additional thoughts, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Peacemaker: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a lovely AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. While this is certainly a “comic book show”, the aesthetic choices made to bring this world to life makes it feel comically paltry. The color palette can seem a bit ruddy due to the environments we are spending time in, but many moments pop up of vibrant colors radiating off the screen. Black levels are nice and deep as they give way to a tremendous amount of detail in shadows. This is not a special effects showcase, but what is on display is really well rendered. There are no unfortunate instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable in this transfer. The levels of detail in this presentation is impressive, as all of the distinct details in the unique production design are easily observed. Skin tones always appear natural across the entire cast throughout the season. The Blu-Ray is a top notch representation of the series.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a pleasantly active DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this world to life effectively. Dialogue is the key to this series, and it comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by the triumphant score or any sound effects. Kinetic sequences are given a nice amount of weight in the mix with a formidable showing in the low end. This track brings the distinct environmental details to life with a full implementation of surround sound speakers. Ambient sounds are accurately placed in the rear channels. The score works perfectly to establish the off-kilter tone for the story, and it never fails to deliver thematically at every turn. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has treated this series well with this track. There are English SDH and Mandarin subtitles provided.

Special Features

Making The World Safe For Violence – Peacemaker’s Team: A 12-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team break down each of the characters that make up this eclectic team.

Bad Daddy Issues – Peacemaker’s Search For Inner Peace: A nearly six-minute piece which explores the deeper thematic issues that make up this story including Peacemaker’s twisted family dynamics and crisis of faith.

Peacemaker – Under The Helmet: A three-minute look at some of the CGI work utilized in this series compared to what we see in the final form.

Project Butterfly Team Member: Each character is given a brief spotlight which gives you a bare minimum overview of their place in the story.

- Peacemaker (1:21)

- Adebayo (1:06)

- Harcourt (1:09)

- John Economos (1:12)

- Vigilante (1:17)

- Murn (1:12)

- Eagly (2:07)

On Set with Steve Agee: A nearly three-minute exploration of the set with the actor in which we get to hear from various crew members.

Dramatic Comic Book Readings with Chukwudi Iwuji: A two-minute oddity with the performer in which he attempts to bring some gravitas to some ridiculous comic book dialogue.

Gag Reel: A nearly ten-minute collection of flubbed lines, malfunctioning props, laughing fits and more.

Unlocking The Quantum Unfolding Storage Area: A minute-and-a-half backstage tour as presided over by John Cena.

Peacemaker and Vigilante – BFFs: A two-minute look at one of the most fun and unique relationships in the series.

So What Do You Really Think Of Peacemaker?: Another two-minute featurette in which the cast members let loose their “true” feelings on the show

Danielle Brooks Explains The DC Universe: A two-minute glimpse at this essential team member’s notable comic books that resonate with them.

Keep The Tweets: An amusing two-minute social media reaction video with John Cena.

Dance For Peace: A two-minute look at the rehearsal and shooting of the opening credit sequence.

How To Properly Give A F*ck: A minute-long video in which the cast helps teach a valuable lesson.

Final Thoughts

The debut season of Peacemaker does an incredible job of building upon the insane world James Gunn created in The Suicide Squad. The balance between the aggressive exterior and the marshmallow soft underbelly never fails to provide compelling narrative possibilities that tackle toxic behaviors head-on. John Cena is a treasure in the title role, and the ensemble that has been assembled to complement him firmly establishes their own dominance in their slice of the story. This is one of the better examples of small screen, comic book-related storytelling we have seen in recent years. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a new Blu-Ray set that offers a fantastic A/V presentation and a great number of fun special features. This is one we will be returning to again and again. Highly Recommended

Peacemaker: The Complete First Season is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.