Warning: Contains spoilers for Peacemaker episode 5, "Monkey Dory."
In Peacemaker episode 5, “Monkey Dory,” a conversation references the country of Nyasir, which hints at the existence of a metahuman named Redemption who is powerful enough to fight Superman. James Gunn’s Peacemaker has already contained some references to obscure comic characters; for example, the show has made both Bat-Mite and Matter-Eater Lad part of DCEU canon. This wouldn’t be the first significant place that James Gunn has pulled from the comics since The Suicide Squad took place on Corto Maltese, an island nation with a storied DC history.
After Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) and Peacemaker (John Cena) complicated issues surrounding White Dragon’s (Robert Patrick) imprisonment, Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) reaches out for assistance in covering up their cover-up. The man that helps him is Caspar Locke (Christopher Heyerdahl) who is sent on the orders of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). Murn’s dark history has been alluded to as something that he has put behind him, but Locke seems to still be in touch with his darker side. In their conversation, they talk about the violence they witnessed and were part of in the jungles of Nyasir.
The fictional country of Nyasir in northeastern Africa is a particularly obscure DC comics reference to make in Peacemaker. The nation only appeared in two issues of Action Comics in 2007, issues #848 and #849. The story follows Superman as he explores the possibility of a metahuman connected to religious missionaries in the area. When missionaries were attacked by soldiers, the metahuman Redemption (AKA Jarod Dale) used an energy blast to kill them and destroy several buildings while leaving the missionaries unharmed. Superman tracks him down and finds Redemption destroying a city after soldiers killed the missionaries, the two engage in combat and find themselves near equally matched. Redemption can take Superman’s punches easily, can draw blood from the Kryptonian, and even survives in space without any assistance. If James Gunn is telegraphing Redemption’s entry into the DCEU, it could be a game-changer for future storylines.
The reference Nyasir, as a place tied to Redemption alone, helps to highlight some of the narratives in Peacemaker. Redemption’s powers are faith-based, being fueled by a preacher in Colorado, and Superman is able to defeat him because that power sometimes fluctuates. The two issues of Action Comics center around questions of faith, morals, and Superman’s own crisis of faith. The Peacemaker TV series has little to do with religion, but this reference does provide an additional dimension to Peacemaker’s own crisis of faith related to his vow to make peace no matter who he has to kill and his faith in his father.
Given that James Gunn enjoys flexing his comics knowledge, the Peacemaker reference to Nyasir could simply be another deep cut for fans. Peacemaker episode 5 also included the reveal of Charlie the Gorilla and the creature’s death, denying fan theories that the telegraphed gorilla in episode 4 might be Gorilla Grodd (or any number of other DC gorillas). But even if this is not a setup for a future appearance of Redemption, the Nyasir reference remains meaningful because of the important connection to faith in ideals in Peacemaker.
Peacemaker releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO.
