The first season of James Gunn’s Peacemaker has wrapped up, and superhero television shows will never be the same again. For those who have watched the Arrow-verse shows, or the MCU TV entries, or the various other comics-based television adaptations out there, none of those has quite prepared you for this show. It does have some of the self-mocking humor of Legends of Tomorrow. It does have the violence and R-rated themes we saw in Daredevil and the other former Netflix MCU shows. And it does have some WTF moments similar to Legion and other boundary-pushing shows. But Peacemaker is pretty much a show that stands in a category by itself, and that is a good thing. (Minor spoilers to follow.)
This one starts out with Christopher Smith (aka the Peacemaker) in the hospital recovering from injuries he sustained in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad (this is a direct spin-off from the movie). He is released from the hospital and at first thinks he can go on with his life as Peacemaker, pursuing peace and killing anyone who stands in the way of his goal. But he quickly learns that he is still on Amanda Waller’s leash (played again by Viola Davis) and he is informed that he will participate in an A.R.G.U.S. black ops seeking out and killing “butterflies”. Two other carry-overs from The Suicide Squad are part of the team with Jennifer Holland returning as Emilia Harcourt and Steve Agee reprising the role of John Economos. The team also includes Waller’s daughter Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) and mercenary turned team leader Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji). The Peacemaker’s “BFF”, the anti-hero Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), also gets drawn into this team of misfits as they face off with what turns out to be an alien invasion.
Peacemaker starts out seeming like a rather grounded action/espionage show that has its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, but coming from the guy who threw a Kaiju-sized starfish at us in Suicide Squad, you should not be surprised that it quickly takes many twists and turns into the unpredictable. The entire first season is essentially an exercise in sustained chaos, laughing out loud at superhero tropes while also employing them as integral to the plot. Gunn manages to pull it off, but he treads a very fine line. The show delivers plenty of laughs, and a fair amount of raunchiness, probably too much for some people’s tastes. But at the same time, he delves into his characters and really gives us a look at what makes them tick. That is especially true of the lead character who gets to reveal some pathos to counterbalance his rather extreme worldview (we also learn where some of that came from). It’s a hell of a wild ride, with some cringe-worthy moments along the way, but it rewards you in the end.
The cast is a key element in the success of this show, with pretty much every character (even the bit roles) standing out and making an impression. John Cena delivers an excellent performance as the title character, delivering great comic timing along with the ability to pull off the more dramatic parts that the show demands. And his supporting cast helps kick this one up to the next level with Brooks, Stroma, Iwuji, Holland, and Agee stepping up as the main team and delivering that rare, perfect chemistry. Plenty of credit should go to James Gunn as well who brought everybody together and wrote and directed every episode. Even the music that he chose to accompany the show helps add to the mix, though that shouldn’t be a surprise considering his spot-on music choices in the Guardians of the Galaxy films (and then there’s that batshit crazy opening dance segment).
Peacemaker has been renewed for a second season, which comes as no surprise seeing as it has proven quite popular so far. Whether Gunn and his crew can continue to tread that fine line and match the first season remains to be seen. But he has put together a stellar cast, and he has a storyline that can carry into multiple seasons (though the first season wraps up quite nicely), so all the pieces are in place. I definitely enjoyed this one and I will be looking forward to a second season, hoping that it can maintain the uniqueness and snarky energy it demonstrated in its first year.
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