Warning: Contains spoilers for Peacemaker episode 6.
In a passing comment, Peacemaker episode 6, “Murn After Reading,” confirms the existence of Dracula within the DCEU, one of DC’s most powerful villains. While Dracula first appeared in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula, the fact that the character is now public domain has led to him being introduced as a villain in both DC and Marvel comic books. This reference, along with others, helps to define the wider landscape of the DCEU and the possibilities for James Gunn’s Peacemaker season 2.
Peacemaker episode 6 represents an important turning point in Peacemaker’s (John Cena) journey as he reaches an emotionally distraught period and is pushed over the edge by seeing Locke (Christopher Heyerdahl) kill unconscious police officers. While he later opens up to Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) about his new position on killing, he releases some pent-up frustration in the form of anger at Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) first. When Vigilante asks him about what is up with him and says, “your face looks really weird when it goes into all those various angry positions. It’s like I’m looking at a Dracula.”
While it could be argued that Vigilante might simply be referring to the Bram Stoker Dracula in Peacemaker, and not a character within the DCEU, his choice of phrasing to say “a Dracula” rather than simply “Dracula” suggests otherwise. Multiple iterations of Dracula have appeared in DC Universe, both Pre and Post-Crisis, and the indefinite article here appears to be James Gunn’s nod to the fact that there have been so many Draculas within the DC comics. In each of his iterations, he is a particularly powerful villain whose multiple superpowers enable him to take on some of the biggest heroes. In the most recent Post-Crisis story, Dracula was able to mind control even Superman and get in to bite him, only to be thwarted by the fact that Superman’s blood is supercharged with solar energy, meaning that it was ruled akin to him drinking sunlight, something vampires famously shouldn’t do.
The reference to Dracula in Peacemaker episode 6 is big news because it confirms Dracula within the DCEU, but it also hides a bigger reveal. Dracula is one of the truly immortal characters within the DC Universe, and this marks the first time that immortality has been teased as existing within the DCEU. While some characters are able to prolong their lives through the use of things like the Lazarus Pit or are invulnerable to certain kinds of damage, true immortality is relatively rare and is represented by being entirely unaffected by the progression of time and only dying through non-natural means.
This is far from the first unseen DC character James Gunn referenced in Peacemaker. Gunn has become known for pulling obscure comic characters from the pages and bringing them to live-action adaptations, both for DC and Marvel. To name only a few, Peacemaker has confirmed that Bat-Mite and Matter-Eater Lad exist in the DCEU and teased the possible existence of Redemption. Even if Dracula and the rest of these characters do not appear in Peacemaker, the confirmation of their existence can still help to shape the future possibilities for the DCEU.
Peacemaker releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO.
