At first starting as a spinoff to 2021’s The Suicide Squad, James Gunn’s Peacemaker has become one of the most acclaimed superhero shows of the 2020s.
“I’ve enjoyed the show a lot!” said OH senior and comic fan Daniel Valentin. “I enjoy it for its humor, but [also the] vulnerable heart it wears on its sleeve.”
The second season has picked up a new story line, where Peacemaker (aka Christopher Smith) goes to another universe, living out the life he’s always wanted.
“I missed the story line about the Fireflies,” said OH Critical Interpretation of Literature & Composition teacher Amy Severinski. “However, once it picked up and Chris went into Earth 2, I liked where the narrative went. I have really enjoyed the last two episodes.”
While to many on the outside, the show appears to be simply mindless gore and crass humor, it actually tells a deeply moving and tragic story about trauma and redemption.
“He is in an existential crisis, and he doesn’t know who he is anymore,” Severinski elaborated. “Whereas in Season 1, he had a purpose with the mission of the Fireflies.”
The titular character undergoes significant development after killing Rick Flag Jr. in The Suicide Squad. Despite claiming he’s willing to do anything for peace, this was the first person he killed whom he knew, and it profoundly impacted him.
“Psychologically, that can be obviously very traumatic to … realize that, ‘oh, all of these … things that I had been doing were not so great’,” OH psychology teacher Anne Sweeny said. “That may put someone in a tailspin in terms of … ‘well, now I need to question my entire … being and livelihood.’”
The first season is about him realizing the flaws in his philosophy. In the finale, he’s confronted by an alien race that wants to take away humanity’s autonomy to prevent them from destroying the Earth. Essentially, doing whatever it takes to achieve peace: Chris’s entire philosophy taken to the logical extreme.
“A lot of psychologists say that … it’s easier to create a belief than to change a belief,” Sweeny said. “So being … made to be part of an out-group … could definitely … make you question your own worldview.”
The second season of the show challenges Chris in a different way, with a character who doesn’t recognize the change he went through in the past season: Rick Flag Sr, the father of the man he killed.
“You can’t really control what other people view or perceive you as. So, I mean, that can obviously be hard to grapple with.” Ms. Sweeny said. “That can be upsetting to someone.”
The second season has proven to be just as good as the first, and equally as unafraid of presenting complex moral dilemmas and the consequences of personal growth.
“Showing his brash personality, traumatic childhood, and close friendships make sure that this change is front and center throughout the season,” Valentin said.
With hilarious jokes, topical subject matter, elevated acting performances, and a brilliant story, Peacemaker has no doubt joined the repertoire of great TV anti-heroes.
“I think any show with a character in an ethical/moral dilemma would compare to Chris – Walter White in Breaking Bad, Don Draper in Mad Men,” Severinski concluded.
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Do you feel like this show would be worth giving a watch because I’ve heard a lot about it recently.