Warning: Contains spoilers for Peacemaker episode 5.
In Peacemaker episode 5, “Monkey Dory,” the DCEU TV show gave some new clues about what the Butterflies' strange jars of food might actually be. Information about the nature of Peacemaker’s alien villains has been fairly limited, but with the interaction between Murn and Leota at the end of episode 5, more information might be revealed soon. The ominous jars of viscous food have made several appearances in the series, but its true nature is still to be determined.
The jars of viscous amber fluid are first seen in Peacemaker episode 3 as the Goff family of Butterflies prepare for dinner before tucking in with their proboscises. Episode 4 revisits the substance with Peacemaker having stolen a jar for the Butterfly that he has captured and Murn eating it in the ending reveal. Some more attention is given to the substance in Peacemaker episode 5 as the team discussed it for the first time, noting that the fluid has been found near to all dead Butterflies and that tests have shown the genetic structure is “dissimilar to anything on this planet." The team visit the Glan Tai bottling plant where the Butterflies distribute the fluid from, but it does not seem to be made there.
As the alien villains of Peacemaker are referred to as Butterflies, it is possible that their food source would equate to that of earth’s butterflies. This would mean that the fluid is a nectar from a plant. However, given that butterflies eat nectar in its raw, unprocessed form and that the fluid found in the jars is not from Earth, if it was nectar, then it would have to come from an alien plant either transplanted to earth or with shipments of nectar being brought from outer space. Given the relatively large quantity seen and the high amount needed per meal to sustain a Butterfly in a host body, this suggests that their supply might be easily disrupted by tracking the shipments to Earth or finding the place they grow the alien plant on the planet.
Of course, given that Peacemaker’s Butterflies are an alien species, it is possible that the food source does not translate directly. The name Butterflies was, after all, attributed by the uninventive minds at ARGUS who were responsible for referring to The Suicide Squad’s villain as a starfish. In fact, the Butterflies look like a combination of several different insects with a different wing structure from Butterflies.
Given the unclear processing that the fluid goes through in Peacemaker episode 5 at the Glan Tai bottling plant, it is possible that the alien species that Gunn has created from the series borrows something from the structure and behaviors of bees. If this is the case then the substance could be more similar to honey or even royal jelly which, while still derived from nectar, is processed by the bees. This alteration could be enough that the Butterflies could take the nectar from terrestrial plants and transform it into something that appears genetically dissimilar. This would mean that the Butterflies’ food source could be created on Earth without the need to ship anything from space, but would also suggest a large-scale operation to create the viscous Butterfly food substance in Peacemaker.
Peacemaker releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO.
