When Peacemaker took over Nova during San Diego Comic-Con 2025, fans were invited into something far more rockin’ than your average offsite. Blending neon lights, custom video content, a live eagle, and multiple concert sets a day, PeaceFest wasn’t just an activation — it was a full-blown music festival from another dimension.

We spoke with Russell Maclin, Creative Director at NVE Experience Agency, about how the idea came together, what it took to pull off, and the moments he and his team will never forget.

“What if there’s an alternate dimension where Comic-Con is actually a hair metal music festival?”

That simple question was the spark.

“In Peacemaker Season 2, a second dimension opens up. HBO Max wanted to somehow create a second or alternative version of SDCC,” Maclin said. “If you know Peacemaker, you know that the hair metal soundtrack is a huge part of the show. Celebrating that music felt like the perfect way to excite both diehard fans and newcomers.”

So they asked themselves, what if there’s an alternate dimension where Comic-Con is a hair metal music festival, and what if the 11th Street Kids helped to make it?
From the start, the team set out to build something immersive and out of bounds — literally.

The Look, The Sound, The Vibe

The creative direction took heavy inspiration from ’80s hair metal posters, stadium concerts, and Peacemaker’s own opening credits. “Hair metal music is a key part of Peacemaker, so we knew fans would love it. But really, who doesn’t love high-energy rock n’ roll?” Maclin said. “[That] iconic opening sequence, with its neon lights, was a big inspiration for our stage design and the general vibe of the space.”

The main floor pulsed with rock energy, but tucked into its corners were layered, character-driven details — a concert-meets-activation fusion that was the biggest creative challenge of the entire event. Blending a functioning live show with a space themed to the 11th Street Kids was a top priority for HBO Max, and it had to feel like something that Peacemaker and his team had actually built themselves.

“The way we approached it was really thinking about who each character is at their core,” Maclin said.

That meant the merch station became “Vigilante’s Hero Sh*t” — a full-blown fanboy booth packed with exclusive swag — because “no one could be more obsessed with Peacemaker’s merch than Vigilante”. Harcourt got her own biker-bar-inspired beer counter called “Knockout,” while Economos’ tech-savvy vibes transformed into a full gaming lounge dubbed “Economos Ops Station,” where fans could play Mortal Kombat 1 as Peacemaker himself, perched above the stage with a perfect view of the concert below.

Adebayo was trickier. “She’s the emotional core of the story, but she doesn’t have a “thing” about her the same way Vigilante has his obsession with Peacemaker or Harcourt has her badass-ery,” Maclin said.

So the team created “Adebayo’s Hero Test,” a personality-style experience that let guests discover what kind of hero they’d be — and walk away with a collectible hero card to prove it.

It was a careful balancing act between functionality and fandom. “It was an interesting puzzle figuring out how each character’s personality could align with the different experiences we needed to create,” Maclin said. “But in the end, it made everything feel genuine to the show.”

It’s All in the Details

From a distance, PeaceFest looked like one big party — and it was. But underneath the roaring music, free-flowing beer, and fully immersive sets was a carefully crafted love letter to fans of Peacemaker.

“Superfan or not, anyone can get into the spirit of the show when you’re hit with that energy,” Maclin said.

But if you were a superfan, there was so much more to notice. “Look deeper, and you’d notice the menu boards written in Peacemaker’s tone, or video from the first season playing in the background. One of my favorite details in the Knockout were the dartboards. We had villains from season one as targets, including a butterfly and Charlie the Gorilla. That was a fun wink to fans, but you can still play darts even if you don’t realize you’re aiming at characters from the show,” Maclin said.

(Side note: Those dartboards were stolen within hours. “When you design for SDCC, you know you’ve succeeded when things get stolen,” Maclin joked. Don’t steal, kids. Please.)

Music, Live and Loud

Live music was always a must, and it was equally important that the bands feel in-world to Peacemaker.

“It really made the experience special,” Maclin said. “At most offsites, there’s a very structured flow. You come in, go through the activations, and get your takeaway. Since Peacefest was a concert, it felt different. Fans were able to explore the space, settle in, dance to the music, and really enjoy themselves.”

Local band The Doves of Peace — formerly known as Way Cool, but they changed their name after performing at Peacefest, in honor of the activation — performed six sets a day, five songs per set — for two full days. “That takes a lot of stamina,” Maclin said. “They brought the energy every single time.”

VIP night brought something even bigger: live performances from several bands featured on the Peacemaker soundtrack, including Steel Panther and Foxy Shazam — who debuted Season 2’s new opening theme, “Oh Lord,” live.

“And then Saturday morning, our general admission crowd got a surprise: Clark Kent’s favorite band, The Mighty Crabjoys, headlined. That was a special DCU touch.”

“Crazy, but that’s how it goes…”

Maclin’s favorite moment?

“At the end of our first night, our band, the Doves of Peace, finished their last set,” Maclin said. “The fans were so excited they started chanting for one more song. We hadn’t planned for an encore, but they came back on and did a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who had actually passed away as we were loading in the experience.”

They band played “Crazy Train”, and the memory remains truly special to Maclin.

“I’ll never forget seeing the lights come up during that first major chord, and hearing a packed house of true Ozzy fans singing, “Crazy, but that’s how it goes.” Our band called it “collective therapy” on stage, and that’s exactly what it felt like. Creating this space, seeing it come alive with fans, then watching it become a tribute to a legend – that was something I’ll remember forever,” Maclin said.

A Live Eagle. Yes, Really.

One of the most memorable moments of PeaceFest came courtesy of Eagly — or rather, a real live eagle stationed on the rooftop. But this wasn’t just a random animal appearance; it was a carefully orchestrated HBO Max moment.

“It turned out that HBO Max and their partners at MAP360 were contracting with the American Eagle Association to get a real-live Eagly to be part of the Season 2 campaign. So we were able to bring Eagly himself to Comic-Con!” Maclin said. “That really reflects how much we were in lockstep with the HBO Max team – they were amazing to collaborate with.”

Bringing a live animal into a Comic-Con activation, however, came with logistical challenges — breaks were required, noise and crowd levels had to be controlled, and Eagly’s well-being came first.

To accommodate, the team designed the rooftop like a hidden speakeasy. Fans were quietly invited up when Eagly was available, with priority given to Peacemaker cosplayers and superfans. “Comic-Con experiences really benefit from a speakeasy component, and it’s great when an activation rewards cosplayers,” Maclin said.

The moment paid off. Eagly’s surprise appearances were met with joy, long lines, and a flurry of social media buzz throughout the weekend. He even earned a rockstar send-off — spotted and recognized by fans at the San Diego airport as he headed home to his sanctuary in Tennessee.

SDCC: The only place where this could happen

Peacefest was a bold swing—live music, immersive design, and character-driven zones all packed into one offsite. But if there’s any audience willing to embrace that kind of chaos and creativity, it’s San Diego Comic-Con attendees.

“The fans who attend San Diego Comic-Con are unlike anyone else in the world,” Maclin said. “Unlike other audiences, they don’t have to be convinced to care. Comic-Con attendees are incredibly passionate and ready to be immersed in the worlds they love. You just have to hold up your end of the bargain and make something special for them.”

That sense of respect for fandom shaped every inch of PeaceFest. From the beginning, the creative team set out to give Comic-Con attendees something they’d never seen before: a fully immersive concert experience tucked into an offsite activation. Live music isn’t new to Comic-Con, but integrating it directly into the offsite environment — with fans dancing and headbanging in a stadium-style venue while characters from Peacemaker cracked jokes on a giant screen overhead — was a bold new move.

And it wasn’t just the music that made the experience shine. The team worked closely with the Peacemaker show creators and HBO Max to develop custom video content filmed exclusively for PeaceFest.

“Our team put together this pretty ambitious script — it was a wish list, really,” Maclin said. The videos featured Peacemaker welcoming fans into an alternate dimension as they passed through the Quantum Portal, hyping up crowds before each live band set, and even cracking jokes to usher people out as the dimension “collapsed.”

“It’s rare and special to have experience-specific content for a Comic-Con offsite,” Maclin said. “And it was Peacemaker himself, in costume!”

But above all, PeaceFest was built to reward the people who make Comic-Con what it is. The activation offered real moments of relaxation, fun, and connection amid the hours of walking and waiting in lines. Not only was it a 45 minute experience (basically unheard of in the world of SDCC offsites), but they were able to accommodate not only their ticketed reservations (the crash was due to an unexpected technical issue with the server, we know you’re wondering), they were able to accommodate almost their entire standby line during the con.

For the VIP party, the team made a point to invite fans straight from the crowd — people who had brought incredible energy, commitment, and love for the show, as well as great cosplayers.

Because at the end of the day, PeaceFest wasn’t just for fans—it was built by fans, for fans. And that’s what makes SDCC unlike anything else in the world.

“Designing Comic-Con experiences is one of my favorite things, because you know that people are going to dig in deep and get excited about the vibrant, detailed world you’re making. It justifies all the hard work,” Maclin said.

 

Photos by David Jon for HBO Max.