Is Chris Smith headed for an ambush in Peacemaker Season 2 episode 4? Explained

The latest chapter of James Gunn’s gritty DC series arrives with Peacemaker season 2 episode 4, pushing Christopher Smith closer to a breaking point. The show, which spun out of The Suicide Squad and stars John Cena as the morally conflicted vigilante, has earned acclaim for blending outrageous humor with heartfelt storytelling. Co-created by Gunn and developed under DC Studios’ new vision, the series explores how Chris struggles to escape the shadow of his violent upbringing while trying to redefine what it means to be a hero. 

As Peacemaker season 2 unfolds, the stakes have grown heavier, with new threats from A.R.G.U.S., the resurfacing of family trauma, and questions of loyalty among the 11th Street Kids. Episode 4, in particular, raises the chilling possibility of Chris walking straight into a trap.

Chris Smith’s dangerous path and the looming trap

The Peacemaker season 2 episode 4, titled Need I Say Door, opens with a harrowing flashback that sets the tone for everything to come. Thirty-five years ago, Chris’s father, Auggie Smith, dragged his sons into the woods for a hunting trip, only to shoot down a bewildered alien and steal its mysterious device. This artifact, later revealed as the quantum unfolding chamber, becomes the centerpiece of the episode’s escalating conflict. From the beginning, violence and cruelty are baked into Chris’s family legacy, making his attempts at self-reinvention feel like a nearly impossible climb.

Fast forward to the present, and Chris and Adebayo are desperately trying to relocate the chamber before A.R.G.U.S. can exploit it. Their frantic mission is intercut with moments of absurd comedy — particularly Economos’s bumbling stalling tactics — but beneath the laughs, a darker truth unfolds. Chris finds himself tempted by the alternate life the chamber seems to promise: a world where his brother is alive, Emilia loves him, and his pain is erased. Adebayo grounds him with a sharp reminder that happiness can’t come from running into another dimension, no matter how “green the grass” looks on the other side.

Meanwhile, Harcourt faces a dilemma of her own. After being blacklisted by Amanda Waller, she’s approached by Rick Flag Sr., who offers her reinstatement in exchange for betraying Chris. It’s a chilling setup, because while Harcourt has long been one of Chris’s anchors, desperation can push even the strongest allies toward treachery.

As the episode ends, Chris is on his way to meet her — unaware that A.R.G.U.S. may be lying in wait. The haunting shot of him driving off, paired with the soundtrack’s mournful edge, suggests that he senses the danger but might be resigned to it anyway.

What happened in Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4?

The Peacemaker season 2 episode 4 structure is part thriller, part tragedy. After the flashback to Auggie’s brutal first contact, the story races forward. A.R.G.U.S. storms Chris’s house in search of the chamber, forcing him and Adebayo to flee to the Smith family’s hunting cabin.

There, they successfully relocate the device, narrowly staying ahead of their pursuers. Eagly provides comic relief, but even his antics are tinged with a sense of foreboding as new characters, including the eccentric Kline, track Chris with increasing intensity.

Harcourt’s subplot heightens the tension. Bloodied and weary after a fight in a neon-lit alley, she’s confronted with the crushing news that her career is over unless she turns Chris in.

Rick Flag Sr. plays on her grief and guilt over his son’s death, twisting the knife by suggesting she owes it to his memory. Whether she’s truly convinced or playing her own long game remains to be seen, but the episode sets up a dangerous collision course.

By the time the credits roll, Chris is barreling toward what looks like a betrayal. The episode closes not with triumph, but with unease — the sense that the ambush waiting for him could undo the fragile bonds he’s built since his violent childhood.

In Peacemaker season 2 episode 4, Chris Smith’s journey feels more precarious than ever, caught between the ghosts of his past, the promise of an alternate life, and the looming threat of betrayal from someone he trusts.

Whether Harcourt truly delivers him to A.R.G.U.S. or helps him turn the tables will define not just the next chapter, but Chris’s future as a hero — or as the “joke” his enemies insist he is.