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While the sprawling world of James Gunn’s new DC Universe unfolds both on the big screen and small, some heroes are more super than others. In Peacemaker, longtime comic actor Steve Agee has returned as office stiff John Economos, a normal guy who, nonetheless, is wrapped up in multiverse dilemmas, all because he’s basically, at his core, a good friend.
Known for his work in Rick and Morty and The Sarah Silverman Program, since 2021, in The Suicide Squad, Agee has become most closely associated with his role as Economos, a down-to-earth guy who works at A.R.G.U.S. and was a member of the 11th Street Kids, the hardscrabble group of heroes who saved the world in Peacemaker Season 1. He’s since gone on to play Economos in the 2024 animated series Creature Commandos, and now, again in 2025’s Peacemaker Season 2. Is it Economos’ world and we’re just living in it?
As Peacemaker Season 2 revealed its biggest twist (so far) in Episode 6,Men’s Journal caught up with Agee to get a sense of his journey this far, his desire to meet Superman on screen, and why Economos is the regular dude we all relate to in the bonkers DC universe. Spoilers ahead.
Steve Agee in Peacemaker Episode 6.
Men’s Journal: When James Gunn brings you back for Creature Commandos, and it’s been a second since Peacemaker Season 1, does he say to you: This is a reboot of the DCU? This is a new universe? Was there any of that kind of talk?
No. Uh-uh. I learn everything as I get the scripts. For me, there wasn’t a lot of change going on after the first season. And, really, the only big change was that retcon ending of Season 1 where he switched out the Justice League with the Justice Gang. Other than that, it’s been pretty much the same for me.
So, you don’t view this as a different version of John Economos from before?
Nope. He’s the same cowardly guy as before.
Steve Agee. Credit: Robyn Von Swank
Speaking of that, Economos is a rare character in superhero narratives. I feel like he represents how most people would behave in these situations. Does he constitute regular-guy representation?
I’ve never thought about it that way! But it’s always just me. I get the scripts and I read it and I’m like, yep, that’s exactly what I would do. I think the longer this character goes on in this world, the more James is actually writing him in my voice. Economos is like a mirror image of me. Like, in Episode 6, I reluctantly would’ve gone into another world, really dragging my feet. That’s how I am in real life.
When I was in my twenties, when I was younger, I would do anything. I didn’t care. I was so unaware of my mortality. I would do anything at a moment’s notice. And now that I’m in my mid-50s, it’s like there’s repercussions possibly for doing this — and possibly death! I’ve got to look out for myself. I love my friends, but I also don’t want to die. So yeah, Economos and Steve Agee are really very similar.
At the end of Peacemaker Episode 6, Economos is really revealing a lot of secrets. Can you keep a secret in real life?
In my job, especially in this world of comic books and superheroes, secrecy is so key. You don’t want to spoil anything, and there are people who accidentally spoil stuff. I never want to be the person to spoil stuff for anybody.
Before it happened, I was one of the few people that knew James [Gunn] was up for co-head of the DCU part of Warner Bros. I was at his house, and he was like: “I want to tell you something, but I swear to God, man, you cannot tell anybody this.” So, I sat on that for months and months and months. I’m really good at keeping secrets.
Steve Agee and Robert Patrick in Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 6.
Let’s unpack that huge twist in Episode 6. Did you see it coming?
The thing that got me was that I really love seeing people’s breakdowns of the episode. I am not a fan of watching myself, but I love going online and watching people’s theories and the breakdowns. And pretty early on, a lot of people were like, “This is called EARTH-X” or whatever in the comic books. A dimension where the Nazis won. I was like, Wow, man. I didn’t see that, because I’m just reading the script. And in the script, there’s no direction saying: “Everyone you see in the background is white.”
So, I had no idea. I was probably more shocked than a lot of viewers, because I was just reading it, and I got to the end of this episode, and it’s just Adebayo running down the street, and people start chasing her. I was like, Oh my God! I love that aspect of surprise, but there are a lot of comic book nerds who have a lot of deep knowledge who saw it coming, and hats off to them.
Without revealing any secrets, what do you hope for your future in the DCU?
I am obviously down for whatever James has in store for this character. We haven’t really talked much moving past this season, but I mean, I would love to go into other movies, other characters’ movies, or TV shows. The idea of that is really thrilling. Is it going to happen? I don’t know yet, but oh my God, I would love it.
But it’s really weird. After I saw that cameo with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) in Episode 6, I can see more happening. The idea that me, Steve Agee, John Economos could show up in Metropolis and actually interact with Superman is so insane to me. Would I love it? Absolutely. Can I see it happening? Honestly, I can’t. But, technically, it can.
Peacemaker streams on HBO Max. Season 2, Episode 7 streams on Thursday, October 2, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.
This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.