Peacemaker episode 4 continues the story of Christopher Smith following his debut in The Suicide Squad, raising six questions regarding him and the rest of the DCEU. Created by James Gunn, Peacemaker puts John Cena’s character front and center, exploring the comical vigilante as he rejoins A.R.G.U.S. on a mission to defeat the mysterious “butterfly” aliens. Gunn includes numerous shout-outs to classic and obscure DC Comics characters, cleverly expanding the DCEU’s heroes and villains through humor. These references also provide fascinating insights into the DCEU’s untold stories and an outsider’s perspective of major heroes like Aquaman and Batman. Episode 4 is no exception, raising questions for the show’s narrative and characters as well.
The DCEU has overall been an authentically accurate representation of the DC Comics universes, depicting its major heroes with complexity and passion for their source material. While the Justice League was gradually formed on film, the DCEU expanded its roster of heroes and villains with Shazam!, and James Gunn helped set up the franchise’s first official TV series through The Suicide Squad. The 2021 film tells a complete story with a quirky cast of supervillain-turned-anti-heroes, but Cena’s Peacemaker had relatively less character development when compared to the rest of the film’s ensemble cast. Peacemaker gives Cena another chance to shine as Christopher Smith, giving him a new secret mission that ties to his traumatic past.
Little information was revealed about Peacemaker’s motivation in The Suicide Squad, other than his humorously hypocritical devotion to world peace. The film makes this the source of numerous gags, making Peacemaker easily the most bloodthirsty member of Task Force X and taking his character in a dark direction when his teammates wish to reveal the truth of Starro the Conqueror to the public. This results in Peacemaker killing Rick Flagg and being defeated by Bloodsport. Peacemaker delves into Christopher Smith’s past, including his white supremacist father and fellow costumed crime fighter, Vigilante. “Chapter 4: The Choad Less Traveled” reveals surprising new details about the series and the DCEU.
Are The Legion of Super-Heroes Part Of The DCEU?
Early on in the episode, Peacemaker mentions having worked alongside Matter-Eater Lad, stating that his strange powers redefined his perspective of normality. This isn’t the first time that Peacemaker confirmed a classic Silver Age DC Comics character as being part of the DCEU. In a previous episode, John Economos confirms that Bat-Mite, an interdimensional imp with a zealous appreciation for Batman, exists in the DCEU as well. Since his 1962 debut in Adventure Comics, Matter-Eater Lad has been an extraterrestrial member of The Legion of Super-Heroes, a time-traveling team of heroes who formed in the 30th Century. Given that the Legion’s members often travel back in time to the (relative) modern-day and the confirmation of Matter-Eater Lad, perhaps the DCEU includes his teammates as well.
Does The DCEU Have a Hawkman or Hawkgirl?
The DCEU has gradually built its roster of Justice League members throughout its films, and while the team consists of six heroes thus far, films like Shazam! and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as well as upcoming projects like Batgirl, Blue Beetle, and Green Lantern Corps introduce new DC heroes who are potential future Justice League members. Hawkman and Hawkgirl, who are both famous members of the team, live in Midway City, the setting of much of 2016’s Suicide Squad. Peacemaker confirms that Auggie Smith didn’t just use White Dragon as a nickname, but he had a full, comic-accurate costume as well. With Midway City and one of Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s villains being part of the DCEU, viewers may wonder how long it’ll be before one or both heroes show up in the franchise.
Has Batman Reinstated His No-Kill Rule?
When revisiting his father’s home for more high-tech gear, Peacemaker is confronted by a neighbor, who negatively compares him to Batman. The neighbor mentions Batman’s rogue’s gallery, including The Joker (who has appeared in DCEU films), The Riddler (whose outfit is seen in the DCEU Batcave), and the Mad Hatter (who was previously unmentioned in the DCEU), but he also references Batman’s no-kill rule. Ben Affleck’s Batman, while comic-accurate, broke this famous rule in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice numerous times. This was, however, part of his character arc in the film, and he’s implied to have restored this rule by the end of the movie. The neighbor likely kept up with Batman’s escapades, learning that he’s abandoned his brutality, but he also might not have known about Batman’s body count from the events of Dawn of Justice.
Did Adebayo Shoot Judomaster To Silence Him?
During Peacemaker and Judomaster’s rematch, the two combatants briefly speak, with Judomaster about to reveal an important detail about the butterfly aliens that Smith and A.R.G.U.S. are trying to defeat. Judomaster is cut off, however, by a non-fatal gunshot from Leota Adebayo. While Adebayo may have simply intervened at the worst possible time, she also may have intentionally shot Judomaster at that exact moment to prevent him from leaking details about Smith’s mission to him. Considering the compartmentalization of Smith’s mission and the surprise reveal at the end of the episode, Adebayo could have wanted to silence Judomaster for a variety of reasons.
Was Peacemaker Responsible For His Brother’s Death?
While most details of Christopher Smith’s childhood are unknown in the DCEU, Peacemaker is beginning to delve into them, showing his abusive upbringing under a white supremacist supervillain. Smith had a brother, and his dialogue implies that the two were close friends, though A.R.G.U.S. also reveals that Smith was somehow involved in his brother’s death. Peacemaker includes flashbacks to Smith’s childhood towards the end of episode 4, showing that his brother died as a child, and the circumstances suggest that he might have had died from a head injury or drug overdose. Whichever way he died, Smith’s involvement is unknown, but his anguish over the memory implies that he might have been responsible somehow.
Why Is Murn Trying To Defeat The Butterflies?
Peacemaker episode 4 ends with the shocking revelation that Smith’s superior officer, Clemson Murn, is a butterfly alien. Considering the effort that he’s putting into defeating the other butterflies on Earth, he might not necessarily be a double-agent. Murn might be trying to save Earth from his species, or perhaps work alongside Amanda Waller for a goal just as nefarious as the majority of the butterflies. Murn’s true allegiance and goals remain to be seen in future episodes of Peacemaker.
