Did you watch “Superman” and wonder what was up with the John Cena cameo where he’s on a talk show wearing a bucket on his head? That’s Peacemaker.
He’s the titular character of James Gunn’s HBO Max original series: “Peacemaker,” which released its first season in 2022, and dropped the first episode of its second season on Thursday, Aug. 21.
Season one of “Peacemaker” follows Christopher Smith — aka Peacemaker — joining a black ops mission fighting off an alien invasion in order to avoid being sent back to Belle Reve prison. Smith, a trained killer, was raised from birth to kill by his father, a neo-Nazi supervillain known as the White Dragon. Smith battles with the way he was raised, the trauma he endured, and his growing desire to be a better person and a real hero.
He’s joined by a dysfunctional team including Emilia Harcourt, played by Jennifer Holland, John Economos, played by Steve Agee, two former members of the staff of Amanda Waller, the head of Belle Reve prison and the leader of the Suicide Squad — which Smith was previously a member of — as well as Danielle Brooks’ Leota Adebayo, Waller’s soft-hearted daughter who’s fallen on hard times and takes the job out of desperation. Along for the ride is Freddie Stroma as “Vigilante,” aka Adrian Chase.
The last member of the team — but certainly not least — is Smith’s best friend Eagly, his pet bald eagle.
John Cena brings an incredible tenderness to the role of Christopher Smith; his performance is absolutely heartwrenching. He manages to perfectly toe the line between a total jag-off, who is funny to watch as he trips and falls through life, and a very genuine but damaged man that just wants to be loved and do good.
Gunn’s writing swings effortlessly between tragic and comedic with each episode being an emotional roller-coaster that I, personally, am happy to ride until I get sick.
One of the most iconic aspects of the first season is the dance number that serves as the opening credits. Set to the song “Do Ya Wanna Taste It?” by Wig Wam, the sequence features the cast doing a ridiculous, puppet-esque dance with entirely blank, unmoving expressions. No matter what the opening of a given episode is, even if it’s one of the darkest scenes in the show, it will be punctuated with the jarring opening line of the, quite frankly, underrated glamrock song.
Season two has a dance number of its own, set to the far more soulful and soft “Oh Lord” by Foxy Shazam. The number features new cast members and a smoother choreographic style, though it is still notably stone-faced. It sets a more introspective tone, indicating a season more marked by growth and interpersonal conflict.
The second season seems to center the potential romantic relationship between Smith and Harcourt far more than the first season did — a choice that worried me at first. “Here we go again,” I thought. “The same duo in every superhero movie ever.”
But then I thought about it for more than a second, and realized I was wrong. Sorry for doubting you, Gunn.
It’s tempting to label Harcourt as a femme fatale, but I think doing so does a profound disservice to her character. She’s not a femme fatale; she’s just a woman in the action genre. She prefers hand-to-hand combat rather than seduction and secrecy. In fact, she’s kind of a brute.
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James Gunn seems to be gearing up to tackle toxic masculinity, one of the major themes of season one as well, in a very interesting way with these two.
Harcourt picks bar fights, she punches her dashboard ‘til her knuckles bleed, she avoids and snips at her love interest when he wants to have the “What are we?” conversation. It is literally spelled out for us that Harcourt behaves like a toxic man; the man doing her psych evaluation tells us that on no uncertain terms.
Gunn’s choice to make Harcourt, as well as Smith, grapple with toxic masculinity, and have this slender blonde woman exhibit the traits typically reserved for angsty, brooding male leads creates just enough dissonance to let us see toxic masculinity for what it is: frightening, pathetic and most importantly, self-destructive.
I’m excited to see where this next adventure will take us. I trust Gunn to develop his characters and his world with his wit and heart. New episodes drop every Thursday; until then, peace out.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
