As seen in trailers for The Suicide Squad, John Cena's character Peacemaker may seem like an MCU Captain America clone — but given the characters' respective histories and what's been seen of Peacemaker so far, there are some key differences. Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Peacemaker was first introduced in 1966, as a pacifist diplomat so committed to the ideals of peace that he would fight (nonlethally) to defend them. Captain America, preceding Peacemaker in his first comics appearance in 1940, was always a soldier — and these differences appear to also impact the characters' cinematic portrayals.
Peacemaker, per his appearance in the trailers for The Suicide Squad, is hawkishly committed to the ideal of peace, and willing to kill for it — an apparent contradiction that leaves his teammates questioning his sanity. Captain America, in his MCU appearances, is a patriot and soldier; the MCU may have a problem with violence, but hypocrisy is not the issue at hand. Captain America may seek a peaceful resolution to issues, he's by no means a pacifist. The Suicide Squad trailer also suggests that Peacemaker may have been imprisoned for his vigilante actions, compared to Captain America's more socially accepted use of violence in service to his country and its ideals.
Aesthetically, the characters' appearances are only similar on a very surface level. Both Peacemaker and Captain America (in his Steve Rogers incarnation) are heavily muscled men wearing helmets, with a broad-shouldered frame. In terms of their equipment, however, the characters differ significantly: Captain America wears body armor, versus Peacemaker's short-sleeved t-shirt. It's possible that Peacemaker's shirt offers some advantage, but by all appearances, it doesn't offer quite the same level of protection as Steve Rogers' Captain America suit.
The Characters Fill Different Roles In Their Worlds
In the MCU, Captain America is a soldier and often a representative of the US government — his reason for violence in service to the ideal of patriotism is clear. While Peacemaker's character history is not extensively revealed in the trailers, it is implied that he is a former diplomat, whose violent pursuit of peace at any cost took the form of vigilante action. Consequently, his appearance in The Suicide Squad shows him to be a current prisoner of the state, suggesting his actions were not sanctioned by the government. The most direct comparison between the characters — their activities as superheroes — therefore differs them considerably.
Peacemaker also isn't a 'superhero' in the traditional sense of the word. In addition to his zealous disregard for the lives of anyone who stands between him and peace, Peacemaker's origins don't include any superpowers, or even especially advanced technology. While described as being at 'peak human physical fitness', Peacemaker attained this by regular exercise in pursuit of his goal, as opposed to Captain America's super-soldier project origins. This means that while Peacemaker may be capable of helping to attain the Suicide Squad's goals by dint of skill and determination, he's not likely to be showing any feats of super-strength.
Their Equipment Is Different
Captain America's iconic shield is the result of advanced metallurgy and careful design, making it nigh unbreakable and able to absorb impact damage without passing it along to its wielder. Peacemaker's iconic helmet appears to be made of stainless steel, and is hopefully padded — otherwise, it would provide very little protection from head injuries. This distinction is striking, especially since Peacemaker's other physical protection is scant at best; while it might be possible to destroy Captain America's shield, it would take a lot more doing than it would to puncture Peacemaker's helmet or t-shirt, to say nothing of his bare arms.
Although Peacemaker's helmet and chest emblem both have doves on them, a shield might have been more in keeping with his peaceful ideals; instead, his go-to weapon is a long-barrelled pistol, sometimes equipped with a silencer. While Captain America has used a gun before — he shows considerable proficiency in Captain America: The First Avenger — it's not the signature weapon with which he's most immediately associated (and he uses guns less prominently over the course of his solo films). Although quite capable of using his shield offensively, it's somewhat ironic that Captain America's weapon of choice is defensive, and the Peacemaker's is decidedly not.
Their Goals And Outlooks Are Opposites
John Cena has described Peacemaker as "douchey Captain America", a sentiment highlighted by Captain America's history of selfless actions, and Peacemaker's generally homicidal inclinations. While both characters are defined by their driven commitment to a cause — Peacemaker's love of peace and liberty, and Captain America's idealism for the values of the United States — it seems safe to assume that Peacemaker's hypocrisy as an ultraviolent pacifist (an inherent contradiction) defines him just as much as Captain America's candor. In The First Avenger, Captain America mentions not wanting to kill anyone — and in the Suicide Squad trailer, Peacemaker reaffirms his commitment to cutting a bloody swath through anyone who threatens his idealized peace.
This difference in outlooks suits their relative positions in the world, and the films that they star in. Captain America was first put on a pedestal as a wartime hero of the American ideal, and Civil War showed what he was willing to sacrifice for his ideals. The Suicide Squad characters will die for an ideal — but not necessarily one of their choosing. While Peacemaker's fervent drive for peace may match up with the Suicide Squad's goals within the film, it's a fair assumption that he probably resents the restrictions that being a member of the infamous team puts on his freedom to pursue them.
Captain America and Peacemaker have a very shallow set of similarities — but they've been very different in their means, motives, and opportunities from the characters' respective inceptions. Peacemaker could reasonably be considered a parody of Captain America and serves that role fairly well, but he has enough of his own character that he's not just a copy or a clone reduced to the absurd. It's possible that further trailers won't reveal much more until the film or upcoming Peacemaker TV series comes out. For now, it looks like The Suicide Squad doesn't quite have a Captain America clone in the cast.
