A new Peacemaker trailer description reveals how the upcoming John Cena-led series ties into The Suicide Squad. Directed and written by James Gunn, the upcoming HBO Max show is the first spin-off show from Gunn's film, starring the new members of Task Force X. In it, the former pro-wrestler-turned actor plays Christopher Smith (aka Peacemaker), an extremist who will stop at nothing to preserve peace.
The events of The Suicide Squad effectively serve as the launching pad for the new show. After Peacemaker successfully stopped Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) from publicizing America's real involvement in Project Starfish, he went after Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) next. However, Bloodsport (Idris Elba) arrived just in time to neutralize him. The surviving members of Task Force X left Corto Maltese, presuming that Peacemaker was dead. It was revealed later in the post-credits scene, however, that not only did Peacemaker survive, but that he is also under the care of the Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans (A.R.G.U.S.), which has him lined up for a new mission.
As reported by THR, during the Television Critics Association press tour panel for Peacemaker, the team debuted the first official trailer for the show. The clip sees Peacemaker in the hospital as per the The Suicide Squad cliffhanger. He explains to an orderly that he's meant to be in jail for "superhero sh*t," and identifies himself as Peacemaker. The orderly simply brushes him off, laughing at his claims and countering that there's no superhero with that name. The video also shows a glimpse of Smith's unpleasant father, played by Robert Patrick. Finally, the trailer also features some playful banter between Peacemaker and Jennifer Holland's Emilia Harcourt, who appeared in TSS as an ARGUS agent. Harcourt tells him, “Just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean you’re not a piece of sh*t,” to which Peacemaker retorts, "You think I'm handsome?"
Interestingly, the exchange between Smith and his orderly is reminiscent of the modern-day opening scene for Guardians of the Galaxy, which Gunn also directed. In the 2014 MCU film, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) cockily tells Korath the Pursuer (Djimon Hounsou) that his superhero name, which he may be more popularly known by, is Star-Lord. Unfortunately, his moniker didn't ring a bell for the Pursuer, resulting in a disappointed Quill. However, despite this fun parallel with Gunn's Marvel project, it seems like Peacemaker has more time to spend in the hospital before he can go back into the field and take on whatever new mission Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has in store for him. In The Suicide Squad post-credits scene, the character is revealed to be bedridden and unconscious, so it's unlikely that he will be back to his misplaced peace-making ways anytime soon.
Prior to the TCA tour, the first footage for Peacemaker was revealed as part of HBO Max's fall line-up promo clip. The video features brief snippets of the show, but not enough to give fans a detailed idea of what to expect from it. While the trailer has been released as an event exclusive, it could also be an indication that the marketing campaign for the series will soon kick into gear. Assuming that this is the case, it's likely that a public version of the video will be rolled out sooner rather than later. In the mean time, The Suicide Squad fans will be hanging on James Gunn's every word to learn more about what's next for the complicated anti-hero.
Source: THR
