James Gunn said the reason Superman was released early on VOD was because he wanted it out before Peacemaker Season 2, which he described as a direct sequel to his Superman movie. But the numbers tell a different story.
Reported Boost Doesn’t Match Reality
It was reported that Peacemaker Season 2 opened strong with a 22% boost in viewership compared to Season 1. But despite that supposed bump, not a single episode has shown up on the Nielsen streaming charts. That’s the real metric used across the industry, and its absence suggests the show’s ratings are weak.
If Superman fans were actually tuning in, the series would be charting weekly. Instead, the silence is hard to ignore.
What are the ratings?
Peacemaker‘s ratings are actually so low, they don’t make the charts.
Nielsen released its streaming ratings for the week of September 1–7. During that period, Peacemaker Season 2 had three episodes available (along with Season 1, since Nielsen counts all episodes of a series). At the bottom of the chart was Peacock’s The Paper with 342 million minutes viewed. That means Peacemaker came in below that mark.
Superman Connection Falls Flat
The logic behind the early Superman release was that fans would want to transition into Peacemaker Season 2.
But if the show isn’t even registering on Nielsen, it shows there’s no real demand. Gunn’s Superman may have made headlines and an okay box office, but it doesn’t appear to be driving subscribers or viewership for DC content on streaming.
The explanations that Superman was released early on VOD for Peacemaker Season 2 don’t add up.
A Political Platform?
What Peacemaker does seem to be is a vehicle for Gunn’s political commentary. The second season has leaned into divisive messaging, and instead of being a Superman sequel that carries forward the DCU, it feels like a personal project aimed at pushing Gunn’s views.
For fans expecting Peacemaker Season 2 to build momentum for the DCU, the weak ratings point to the opposite. Superman doesn’t matter when the follow-up show can’t keep an audience.
