Peacemaker Season 2 Star Nhut Le on Judomaster’s Big Return to James Gunn’s New DCU

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In Season 2, Episode 3 of Peacemaker, Judomaster reappeared and it was unveiled that this persistent problem for Peacemaker has allied with ARGUS to bring down John Cena’s character. This time around, they find themselves reluctantly paired together, a situation neither character seems overly excited about, partnered with Steve Agee’s John Economos.

Actor Nhut Le, famously known for his role as Judomaster in the series and the broader DC Universe, had a chat with Russ Milheim from TopMob. They discussed Judomaster’s comeback in the show and the current state of the villain. Le mentioned that since we last watched Judomaster, he has been operating somewhat independently, like a rogue operative. In Episode 3, we find out that Judomaster is drafted into ARGUS, which means he’ll be joining forces with them to take down Peacemaker.

In the trailer for Season 2, Le hinted at an upcoming fight between Judomaster and Peacemaker. He noted that while Judomaster is indeed a highly skilled martial artist, Peacemaker’s strength is extraordinary. This suggests that their match might resemble more of a contest between brute force and intellect.

Regarding Judomaster’s driving force, the star shared that each mission his character embarks on holds significant weight in shaping his vision of a more improved world. Following the failure of Project Butterfly in Season 1, Judomaster chooses to act according to what he believes is right, which translates to aligning with ARGUS in Season 2.

One aspect of Judomaster is his intense affection for Cheetos, as he shared that the variety department offered him a selection of “eight or ten distinct Cheeto flavors” to pick from. Eventually, he opted for the least flavorful option, understanding it would be the one he’d have to consume in large quantities throughout the day.

Read the complete conversation held with Nhut Le, star of Peacemaker, further down this post. Peacemaker, a series brimming with anticipated DC Universe appearances, is now available for streaming on HBO Max.

Peacemaker Star Nhut Le Talks About Judomaster’s Big Return With ARGUS

Judomaster Teams with ARGUS to Take Down Peacemaker.

  • TopMob: “Where has Judomaster been since we last saw him. Like off camera, what has he been doing?”

Nhut Le seems to have shifted careers since we last encountered him. Given his inability to save Project Butterfly from the 11th Street gang, it appears that he has taken up a role as a freelance mercenary now. Post episode three, he gets recruited by ARGUS and is set to join their team with the objective of taking down the Peacemaker.

  • TopMob: “He does seem to have a little bit of a hatred for Peacemaker, which makes sense. I think that’s a good segue into, we haven’t seen this yet in the show, but it is in the trailer, you guys do get to throw fists. You get to have another little fight. Can you talk about filming that scene, and then just also tease the clash that you guys get to finally have a little rematch?”

Nhut Le: It’s always exciting to see Judomaster face off against Peacemaker, as Judomaster is an exceptionally skilled martial artist, and Peacemaker appears to be incredibly strong. While Peacemaker’s martial arts skills might not match up with Judomaster’s finesse, he towers above him in size. So when these two clash, it’s more like a test of brute force versus intellect. However, we practiced the fight sequence prior to filming, and we shot it during the hottest summer in Atlanta. Therefore, it was a bit challenging, but the end result looks fantastic.

  • TopMob: “Obviously, there have been a lot of changes to the DC Universe since we last were with these characters. There’s been this big reset. But, with all of that, would you say that coming into this to Season 2, due to that reset, are there any notable differences or changes to Judomaster since we last saw him, or is he pretty much the same as everything we have seen up to this point?”

Nhut Le: I believe the reset in Episode 1 kept most of Season 1 events as canon. So, except for a few minor adjustments, Judomaster’s character hasn’t undergone significant changes when transitioning from one episode or season to another.

  • TopMob: “Back when James Gunn was brought on board to do this new DCU, did you have any worries? Just personally, were you like, ‘Oh no, what’s going to happen to Judomaster?’ What was that like behind the scenes for you, as we were all waiting to see how they were going to do this?”

Nhut Le: To be honest, I had a bit of apprehension about it behind the scenes. It wasn’t because I didn’t think James would enjoy ‘Peacemaker,’ or that he wouldn’t love Judomaster – in fact, quite the opposite! But, there was still that lingering doubt.

After assuming leadership at DC, he found himself with several pressing matters to attend to, as Superman served as a cornerstone from which everything else expanded. This caused a slight delay in our timeline, but I’m pleased with how things have unfolded because now, the ‘Peacemaker’ narrative is fleshing out nicely. It’s not only about events within Evergreen, but also about events happening across the entire DC Universe.

  • TopMob: “We mentioned Judomaster went through this massive loss last season with Project Butterfly. And he even brings it up in this season. How would you say that huge loss kind of affected him on a personal level, and just who he is? How does he carry that weight with him throughout Season 2?”

Nhut Le: For him, every mission carries significant weight in shaping his vision of a better world. Regardless of whether he’s seen as a hero or a villain, each operation holds great importance to him. So when Project Butterfly fell through, he pondered, ‘Perhaps that method isn’t the key to humanity’s salvation anymore.’ Thus, in his opinion, what was right for Season 2 was aligning himself with ARGUS.

  • TopMob: “Another interesting dynamic you have this season is, and it’s in your first scene this season, with Steve Agee’s John Economos, much to his chagrin. He’s not a big fan of this little twist. What was it like getting to have more scenes with him this season? And can you tease kind of how that dynamic will evolve?”

Nhut Le: The first season was quite enjoyable, despite filming it during COVID-19 in Vancouver. This meant that the cast didn’t get much chance to socialize off-set, and even on-set, everyone worked in their individual tents while wearing masks.

For Season 2, we were all filming in Atlanta, living quite close to one another – a mere five minutes apart. This allowed us to spend a lot of time together off-camera. As I delved into the script for more scenes featuring Steve Agee’s character Economos, it became a joyous experience since it felt like we were just continuing our usual antics on set. I believe some of that camaraderie found its way into our characters, as we constantly joked and teased each other.

  • TopMob: “With Season 2, obviously, they couldn’t drop the Cheeto gag, which is still there in full force. How difficult is it not to get Cheeto dust all over your costumes? And how mad did you make the costumers?”

Nhut Le: One aspect I appreciate about this season is the dedication of the props team, who manage all the Cheetos. They gave me an early look, and presented approximately eight to ten distinct types of Cheetos for me to select from.

Instead of going down the line based on taste and appearance, I selected the option with the least pronounced flavor because I wanted something subtler for a full-day meal. That way, it wouldn’t become overly tiresome or repetitive to my palate. In other words, we opted for one that felt just right.

After considering it, I believe he might be carelessly brushing off the Cheeto residue onto his costume. As for his costume not being provided to me yet, I assume this is an intentional character decision, despite the orange tinge due to the dust. So, essentially, I think it’s a conscious choice he made about his character, even if his costume appears slightly discolored from the dust.

  • TopMob: “Part of this show, particularly Season 2, are the alternate dimensions. And one of those dimensions, we see Peacemaker find basically a perfect reality for himself. So, hypothetically, if Judomaster had his own kind of, like, if we saw the perfect version of Judomaster in one of these alternate dimensions, what do you think that looks like? What is Judomaster’s perfect life, perfect outcome?

Nhut Le hypothesizes that Judomaster, who seems quite solitary in his current world, might surprise us by embracing a more family-oriented lifestyle. One could imagine him enjoying gatherings such as barbecues and pool parties, given his apparent lack of close friends. It would be an intriguing character development for him to experience the warmth and camaraderie that comes with having a supportive network, something he appears to be missing in his current world.

The full interview can be viewed below:

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2025-09-05 19:21