The Peacemaker Finale Just Shattered An HBO Max Record

The following article contains spoilers for "Peacemaker" Episode 8.

Marvel may get a fair share of attention when it comes to television shows. With the advent of Disney+, Marvel has released a slew of series, from "WandaVision" to "Hawkeye." DC has its share of shows, even if they aren't as all connected within the same universe as tidily as Marvel. That ended with "Peacemaker," which draws directly from the events of the DC Extended Universe. After all, Peacemaker (John Cena) himself had his debut in "The Suicide Squad," and frequently throughout the show, he references characters from the movies like Aquaman and Batman.

That DCEU connection only became more apparent when the Justice League showed up in the flesh for the "Peacemaker" Season 1 finale. Of course, they're late to the party, so the day's already saved. But amazingly, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller are there to reprise their roles as Aquaman and Flash, respectively. It was an incredible finale that has left fans begging for Season 2. And there certainly are a lot of fans begging if numbers from HBO Max are any indication.

Given its connection to DC Comics and the ever-increasing popularity of John Cena, it should come as no surprise that "Peacemaker" was a hit. But it's safe to say that no one was expecting it to be as massive as it ended up being. The series creator, James Gunn, took to Twitter to share the good news. "Peacemaker finale had the biggest single day performance for a Max Original series ever and finale viewing was up 44% over premiere," he wrote. "Thanks to all the fans who kept showing up more and more every week this season."

While there aren't any hard numbers at this point, it's not difficult to see a situation where "Peacemaker" broke records. It's earned exceptional word-of-mouth praise, and it has earned a rating of 95% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. No doubt talk of a Justice League reunion for the finale helped give it some extra eyeballs, too. 

John Cena also got in on the praise over Twitter, writing, "Just learned from the good folks at @hbomax that the #PEACEMAKER finale had the biggest single day performance for a Max Original series and was up 44% over the premiere episode! That is a F***LOAD of [peace-sign emoji] and does not happen without ALL OF YOU! Truly grateful." "Peacemaker" Season 2 may be a while away, but with that finale, fans won't forget the series any time soon.