I started watching Peacemaker because of a promise to a friend, but then I began to really enjoy the show and got hooked on after the first few episodes.

Peacemaker is a show created by James Gunn as a spin-off of his other project in the DCU, The Suicide Squad (2021). Peacemaker stars John Cena, Jennifer Holland, Danielle Brooks and others. John Cena’s acting doesn’t get to its full extent until the second season. 

Judging from John Cena’s background it’s easier to see him play Peacemaker because the character of Peacemaker, Christopher Smith is written to be very arrogant and self-centered which seems like a suitable role for an ex pro wrestler. The show itself does a great job transitioning from a more action based show in season 1 to becoming more dramatic and emotional in the following season. The first season is more attention grabbing compared to the second season because it focuses on an action-based plot. The second season is more boring and some scenes are very forgettable but it does a greater job showing the character’s growth and feelings. I prefer the characters in Season 1 rather than season 2 but all together I’d prefer the second season over the first one. 

Some honorable mentions that I do like about the entire Peacemaker franchise is the character that haunts the narrative troupe, which means that if a character is dead or absent their presence still lives on and has a major impact on the plot and characters. Since Peacemaker is a direct spin-off of The Suicide Squad, Rick Flag Jr, played by Joel Kinnaman haunts the narrative of the entire show. Rick Flag Jr’s presence has a major influence on Peacemaker throughout both seasons which affects how Peacemaker grows as a character. This lore that is in Peacemaker I really enjoy because in most shows that are a spin-off of movies they either don’t mention the movie or lightly sprinkle it in and it sometimes gets to the point where you think why is the tv show or movie even relevant.

I also enjoy the fact that the show doesn’t try to make you feel bad for Peacemaker. It does make you feel bad but based on the writing and directing it seems like it was not the intention. Whenever Peacemaker feels horrible about himself the scene will most likely cut to Peacemaker killing Rick Flag Jr. These types of scenes almost feel like James Gunn wants you to feel sorry for Peacemaker but at the same time think to yourself, is he worth feeling sorry for? 

The first episode of the second season is called “The Ties That Grind.” The episode consists of Peacemaker trying to do work that is more centered around superhero work and he essentially wants to become a good guy. It also focuses on Emilia Harcourt played by Jennifer Holland, and her struggles going as far as finding a job and struggles with feeling any physical emotion. 

Jennifer Holland’s portrayal of Emilia Harcourt is an accurate portrayal of having anger issues and being someone who is so hard on themselves they refuse to reach out and ask for help. Her acting is so good that she is just overall one of the best written characters in the show. I think Emilia Hartcourt’s character has a lot of growth in the second season compared to the first season which some wouldn’t agree with because she does become more aggressive in season 2 she’s also more expressive as well which I think shows growth that she’s trying not to keep her feelings down as much like in the first season. 

The beginning and end of the episode are the only important parts and only the ending makes you actually pay attention. In between that the episode is just forgettable and there’s not much more that stuck out to me. The ending shows Peacemaker returning to an alternate world using his Quantum unfolding chamber; he gets caught by a version of himself that lived in that world. They start to have a physical fight which ends in the alternate Peacemaker getting killed by the Peacemaker we usually see.

The action shots of this fight weren’t too quick and fast which I prefer because when action shots are more fast paced and quick it feels like you’re on a really bumpy roller coaster which I’m sure isn’t the vibe directors want.

The second episode titled “A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird” is focused on Rick Flag Sr, played by Frank Grillo, and his intentions for tracking Peacemaker and making it a big deal at ARGUS. 

The show makes it seem like Rick Flag Sr’s intentions for hunting down Peacemaker are this big grand reveal but you could figure it out after watching the first episode which makes the grand reveal not really a reveal at all. The thing that upsets me with the plot of revenge is that James Gunn waits till the very last episode to show what Rick Flag Sr was really doing which really annoyed me because most of the episodes were about Rick flag Sr and I honestly did not really care about him because he’s not an exciting character and he’s actually really boring. 

The rest of the episode is slower and not really as important as the rest of the episodes but it does have a few key factors that matter in the plot.

In the third episode titled “Another Rick Up My Sleeve” dives into Peacemaker becoming more involved in the alternate dimension and it slowly messes up with the way he thinks and sees his relationship with Emilia Harcourt. I enjoy the fact that the episode makes it clear what Peacemaker wants in life, which is to just be a superhero and help people. Knowing what Peacemaker goes through in this part sounds very sad knowing that killing Rick Flag Jr basically ruined everything for him and even Peacemaker regrets it in the movie, before the effects of his death hit him yet.  

I like this episode the most because it reveals a lot of hidden lore within The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker and it just really connects the dots and it serves as a major puzzel piece as the show progresses. For example, it’s revealed that Emilia Harcourt and Rick flag Jr were having an affair. This knowledge connects the dots to why Harcourt immediately took a dislike to Peacemaker without even personally knowing him in season 1. 

The first thing I noticed going into the second season of Peacemaker was the character development. A notable episode of this is “Back to the Suture” Season 2 episode 5. In this episode Peacemaker encounters Rick Flag Sr and starts a physical fight with Peacemaker. He decides not to fight back because he wants Flag to  know how wrong he was for taking his son’s life.

If Peacemaker didn’t kill Rick Flag Jr the show could have been completely differently or Peacemaker could be a completely different person. Throughout both seasons the scene where Peacemaker kills Rick Flag Jr is shown a lot which shows that it lingers in Peacemaker’s head and has a deep effect on him still. Peacemakers character in the movie ‘The Suicide Squad’ was extremely different from the Peacemaker we see now. The old Peacemaker probably wouldn’t have ever been sorry for killing Rick Flag Jr like he is in the show. Peacemaker’s character is very complex but that is what makes him special and more relatable. 

In conclusion the way James Gunn DCU is humanizing these superheroes is saving the DCU one movie or tv show at a time. The way Peacemaker is written and directed, shows that Peacemaker is still a human being with feelings and struggles and can be someone of change despite all the bad he has done/caused. Another good example of James Gunn’s work is the new Superman movie. Superman’s speech about being human and what being human means to him just shows a new side of what Superman could truly be.