The darkest show in the DC Universe is receiving a sequel in only eight days. From a theatrical standpoint, the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters got off to a bright start. By the time of Superman‘s ending, it was clear that the film had a bright, hopeful tone for the DCU’s last son of Krypton.

However, the best thing about the franchise, be it with both upcoming DC movies and TV shows, is the freedom of tone that James Gunn’s leadership allows for.

Creature Commandos was proof of this, as was the now-canon The Suicide Squad. To further emulate how Gunn can freely play with tone, an upcoming DC TV show that is the sequel to the franchise’s darkest yet will be released in only eight days.

Peacemaker Is DC’s Darkest Live-Action Show Despite Being Part Comedy

The show in question is Peacemaker. The first season of Peacemaker was released in 2022 as a spin-off to The Suicide Squad and followed the tone of that project. In this sense, Peacemaker was an action-comedy. Despite this, Peacemaker is the darkest live-action show DC has ever released.

Although the show often played things off with comedy, the overall vibe of Peacemaker was dark. For one, the alien invasion storyline involving the ʙuттerflies led to several likable characters being unceremoniously killed. The core cast of Peacemaker then spent their time trying to defeat these aliens, including killing children who had been infected.

Beyond that, the тιтular character had to reckon with his dark backstory that involved his upbringing by a neo-Nazi. This also included the unintentional murder of his own brother, and the eventual murder of his father and a bunch of neo-Nazi followers. This is not to mention the intensely gory action sequences of Peacemaker, either.

The first episode includes Peacemaker literally blowing up a woman’s body as she had been infected by a ʙuттerfly. Other gory scenes include smashing through “the Cow,” which produces the ʙuттerflies’ nourishing amber fluid, and cutting a gorilla in half with a chainsaw. This all proves how dark Peacemaker truly is, despite the comedic elements of the DC show.

Peacemaker Season 2 Is The DC Universe’s Next Release

Only a few weeks after Superman‘s hopeful introduction to the DC Universe, Peacemaker season 2’s story marks the franchise’s next release. Peacemaker season 2 will be released on August 21, 2025, on HBO Max with its premiere episode. Ensuing episodes will then drop weekly, with the finale coming on October 9.

Peacemaker season 2 is expected to be the next major story point in the DC Universe after Superman. James Gunn himself has teased the story’s importance to the wider DCU, but that does not mean Peacemaker season 2 will have the same tone as Superman.

The show is expected to be continually dark and overly humorous in a way Superman was not. The trailers have hinted at this, with August 21 being the date audiences can tune in to Peacemaker season 2 and see the sequel to the darkest DCU TV show for themselves.