Steve Agee On Peacemaker Season 2, Multiverse, & Insane Final Episodes

Steve Agee on his character Economos, working with James Gunn, and the insane final episodes of Peacemaker season 2.

Peacemaker‘s second season brings back the team we all love, including John Economos, played by Steve Agee. As the Argus tech expert, we see him tasked with surveilling his friend and teammate, Peacemaker, while still trying to protect him. This season truly dives into the complexities of Economos’ character, highlighting his internal struggle between loyalty to his job and loyalty to his friends. The show masterfully blends intense action with heartfelt moments, showcasing the unique dynamic of this found family.

Mama’s Geeky had the opportunity to sit down with Steve Agee and talk all things Peacemaker. We chatted about the show’s incredible dance numbers, his working relationship with James Gunn, and the emotional journey of his character in the new season. Here are some behind-the-scenes insights and some teases about what’s to come.

Reuniting On Screen With Michael Rooker

Mama’s Geeky: What was your reaction when you read about Michael Rooker’s character?

Steve Agee: Oh my God, I love it. I mean, James is constantly introducing the most eccentric, insane characters. So I was in, the second I read it. An eagle hunter? Of course. We’ve got an eagle hunter, and we have a guy with bird blindness; it couldn’t get any more insane. Well, it actually can and will get more insane. It gets a lot more insane, but I love the idea, and I loved the fact that I got to work with Rooker again. He’s always a treat and didn’t disappoint.

Economos’ Complicated Journey

Mama’s Geeky: I do want to talk about Economos’s journey this season because I feel like you’ve always been a big part of the stories you’re in, but this season you’ve got this struggle of, do I help my friend because I still have this job I’m trying to do? What was it like tackling that?

Steve Agee: I mean, it’s a fine line Economos is walking. He’s the only one left working for Argus, and I don’t think he particularly loves it. But also, he’s a little on the spectrum and kind of set in his ways. So, it’s still a job to him, and he wants to do his job, and he’s really good at it. But part of this job now is to surveil his friend, and there’s a lot of guilt that comes with that. Also, the fact that he’s in a position where he can help his friend and keep his friend a step ahead of Rick Flagg. Yeah, it’s a complicated world for him, and a world that I’m sure is very stressful for him.

Mama’s Geeky: When I was watching the first couple of episodes, I’m like, don’t tell on your friend. And then I was so happy when he would be like, “Oh, nothing is going on here.”

Steve Agee: Yeah, his loyalty is, it’s a fine line, but his loyalty is definitely with this new family. His friends.

Coming Back to Film Season Two

Mama’s Geeky: How fun was it getting to come back and film season two?

Steve Agee: I mean, after three years, it was amazing. We shot season one in 2021. That was four years ago. The very first thing we shot for this season was from episode two. It was the roof party with all of us. And I think James [Gunn] did that on purpose because it was really emotional. It was the first time all of us had been in the same room since like 2021. So it was great. We’re all huge fans of each other and friends, and have text chains. It was great being back. It was difficult shooting in Atlanta in the summer. It was super hot. We shot season one in Vancouver, which was delightfully comfortable as far as the weather goes. But yeah, it was incredible. It was awesome.

Mama’s Geeky: Did he keep you in the loop as to what he was thinking for season two in that downtime?

Steve Agee: Not really. For a lot of that time, he hadn’t even written it yet. He definitely knew where he wanted the story to go, especially in how it fit into the new DC universe and the new timeline. But he doesn’t share a lot. He wants you to experience it when he gives you the scripts for the first time. They come complete with all the scripts at once and then a playlist for each episode. So the music you’re seeing on the show was the music that was intended when he was writing it. It’s such a fun experience reading the scripts for the first time.

Steve Agee Steps Outside Of His Comfort Zone For The Epic Opening Dance Sequences

Mama’s Geeky: Speaking of music, I want to ask you about these dance scenes because I remember watching the first episode of the first season and being like, “What is happening right now?” What is it like filming those?

Steve Agee: It’s honestly horrible. No, it’s, I mean, it’s fun because it’s one of the few moments where the entire cast is together and not just the main five of us, but like the entire cast for the whole season, like the alien and characters you haven’t met yet are in the opening dance number and people are keep asking me, who the fuck is this person? And I’m like, just wait, you’ll see they’re in the show. So that’s why they’re in the dance number. Yeah, it’s a lot. It’s exhausting. This new one took us two days to shoot. A lot of rehearsals. I came into this world to be an actor, not a dancer. So it’s really outside my comfort zone, as it was for like probably four or five other people in the cast.

Mama’s Geeky: I don’t know how y’all keep a straight face. There must be so many takes where you all lose it.

Steve Agee: There’s a few. There’s definitely a few. There’s a lot of times when James has to yell cut and tell specific people, stop smiling. You have to be like, no emotion in your face.

Mama’s Geeky: I feel like I would just be cracking up the whole time, especially when John and Jen get together. It’s insane.

Steve Agee: That’s all Charissa Barton putting that together. She’s a brilliant, mad scientist.

Economos Is the Closest To Himself Steve Agee Has Ever Played

Mama’s Geeky: I love that you’ve gotten to be Economos in other places, too. Do you feel like you relate to him at all after playing him for so long?

Steve Agee: I do because of all the stuff I’ve done over the years, it’s the closest to actually me. I am kind of a guy who’s most comfortable sitting in front of his computer, loves the idea of going out and getting into adventures. But like when it comes down to it, it’s just like, oh, that’s, that sounds horrible. He’s very much like me. I think as the show has gone on, James has really tailored the writing towards my own voice. So it’s been an absolute joy. And like, honestly, for the most part, other than anything where I have to run or fight or do stuff like that, that stuff’s outside my comfort zone and stuff I’m not great at. But other than that, it’s been a fairly easy ride for me because he’s very much like myself.

Mama’s Geeky: Except you don’t dye your beard, I see.

Steve Agee: I do dye it. I dye it a lot. I haven’t been working. So this has just been going gray. But I have to go to a few Emmy parties this weekend. So it’s going to get dyed on Saturday, probably. But at least I dye it to look normal.

Dye Beard Shows How Sadistic James Gunn Can Be

Mama’s Geeky: That’s true. His is very, very clearly dyed.

Steve Agee: James loves that. James loves making me look like a psycho.

Mama’s Geeky: I feel like he must laugh at certain things. Because I’ve seen the clips of him talking about Nathan Fillion’s hair in Superman.

Steve Agee: Part of it is also this sadist thing in him where it’s like, if you look at Economos in The Suicide Squad movie, the beard is just dark. It’s just obviously dyed. But there’s no roots. It’s just a bad dye job. When we started season one, I noticed right away, first episode, I’m being called dye beard. I’m like, what? And so when we showed up to Vancouver to start shooting, he was like, I want it to be so dark, but I want to see gray roots. And I was like, oh, I was like, it’s really funny. But I’m in Vancouver for seven months looking like that when I’m not working. It’s not a fake beard. That’s my actual beard. But it completely paid off and was totally worth it.

Mama’s Geeky: What is it like working with James Gunn?

Steve Agee: It’s the best. I mean, he’s one of my best friends. So just imagine working with any of your friends. It’s fun. James and I are almost the same age. I think of him like a brother, like a really close friend. But when we’re on set and we’re shooting, it turns into more like a father figure thing where I’m like, this guy is so good at his job and has such a specific vision that I feel like a little kid. The few times when I can’t remember my lines, I get really self-conscious and like, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. But it’s the best. It’s the best.

Working with Tim Meadows and Insane Final Episodes

Mama’s Geeky: When you first got the scripts for this season, is there one maybe episode or scene in particular you were so excited to film?

Steve Agee: Honestly, one of the things I was most excited about was the first time meeting Tim Meadows in the van. That whole scene I knew was going to be a blast because I already knew Tim before we started shooting. I’ve known him socially for a while, but I had never worked with him, and it was a dream come true. I was really looking forward to that. Maybe more than anything else. Although there’s some stuff in, oh my God, there’s some stuff in the last three episodes which no one’s been able to see yet, which are insane. I can’t talk about those.

Mama’s Geeky: I’m telling you, when I saw we didn’t get them and then when James fully was like, oh no, we’re not giving them to press. I was like, oh these are going to be crazy.

Steve Agee: Two more weeks till you get to start seeing those. Just wait, it’s absolutely crazy.

Diving into the Multiverse

Mama’s Geeky: With different dimensions and the multiverse, it can be done so wrong that viewers can end up just confused. I think how James did this is brilliant. What was your reaction when you first read about how he was diving into that?

Steve Agee: When I read the scripts, it all made sense. There’s so much multiverse stuff that just seems like it just within the past 10 years, like everything has a multiverse. So I was like, oh boy, we’re going there, huh? I didn’t realize though that there was multiverse in the old comic books. Like it’s nothing that they’re making up. So this is well-worn territory. But I’ve watched some movies with some alternate timeline shit that I was just like so confused and like, wait, what? I, so anything with time travel or body swapping is so like, I can’t wrap my head around it. I did it, I was on a show with Sarah Silverman, and I had a boyfriend in the show, and we were the exact same type. We were just these big stoner slobs, and we did a body swap episode and I came to work the next week ready to shoot, and I had learned all the wrong lines. I learned the other one because I couldn’t wrap my, the way they had us named, I was like, day one, they’re like, you learned all the wrong lines. I can’t wrap my head around it. James’s scripts, reading them right off the bat, I was like, okay, he goes into this doorway and he’s in another world where everything’s better. That makes sense to me.

Be sure to tune into Peacemaker on Thursday nights to see what happens next with John Economos and the rest of the gang. To watch the full video of this interview, be sure to visit Mama’s Geeky on YouTube.

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