James Gunn is a director with a particular style, whose hallmarks survive throughout every project he takes on. With his new show Peacemaker, longtime fans are feeling a bit of nostalgia for the director's 2010 indie action drama Super.
Gunn is currently among the most beloved directors in the industry, but just a few years ago, he was known for low-budget grindhouse-style horror and action films packed with irreverent jokes and gore. Now he does basically the same thing, but with a way bigger budget and the occasional PG-13 rated MCU feature.
Super is Gunn's second project as director, after 2006's Slither. The film centers around Frank Darbo, portrayed by The Office star Rainn Wilson, a fry cook whose simple life is shattered when his beloved wife suddenly leaves him. Beset with grief and deprived of the light of his life, Darbo feels lost, but a message from an unusual source leads him to seek justice by becoming a superhero. Darbo does not have any powers, nor any particular skill-set, but some comic book research leads him to create an alter-ego and a dynamic red costume.
As The Crimson Bolt, Darbo begins violently assaulting criminals with a pipe wrench, which leads to the public almost immediately branding him a sociopath. As he brutalizes criminals, he works his way towards the larger quest of freeing his wife from the drug dealer she ran away with. He acquires a completely unwanted sidekick, gets in way over his head, and turns to firearms to solve his problems.
It's a mostly grounded, extremely violent, morally questionable story about a powerless anti-hero murdering whoever comes in the way of his beliefs. Add a morbid and unique sense of humor and the description works for Super and the brand-new series Peacemaker.
When James Gunn took over The Suicide Squad, it was burdened with comparisons to Guardians of the Galaxy, and this is exactly the same kind of similarity. Super can be argued to provide the bones for what eventually became Peacemaker. Much like The Crimson Bolt, Christopher Smith begins his story at an extremely low point. His dad is ashamed of him, he's at war with the morality of his own beliefs, and almost every person he encounters hates him. Most of his problems are squarely his fault, his dad's abysmal influence on him aside, the way he behaves alienates him from others.
His complicated relationship with the nebulous concept of peace drives him to kill, much like Darbo's vague desire to fight crime leads him to violence. Both characters clash with enemies and allies with more gray personal codes; Peacemaker quarrels with his team of trained killers and Darbo battles his unwanted sidekick's urge to hurt innocents. They even sound alike, as Gunn has a particular style with his soundtracks. The two works share themes above all because, in the details, there are some interesting differences.
Peacemaker is, in many ways, the opposite of Super. Its hero is trained since birth to do what he does, he has been instilled with his code his entire life, and he is one of the most capable and accomplished killers on Earth. Conversely, Darbo is a mild-mannered man driven to try out violence for the first time. Peacemaker has his specific mission thrust upon him, forced back into service by the government to avoid being returned to Belle Reve. Darbo's motivations are partially selfish, seeking to win back his wife and restore his happy life.
Smith's portrayal is also radically different, wavering wildly between crushing depression, comic stupidity, and unironic superhuman cool. These differences are huge; Peacemaker is about an idealistic killer being forced to do an impossible job while Super is about a random man who calls himself to fight for his beliefs and his bride. Where they coincide is in their central theme and its execution.
What does it mean to take on the mantle no one asked anyone to take up? Is it right to maim or kill others if it will prevent future violence? Can a person who has done horrible things be redeemed? Should they be? These are the questions that both Super and Peacemaker demand answers to. In between all the crass jokes and fountains of gore, they're both works about the dark side of standing up for subjective ideas of right and wrong. That theme combined with James Gunn's trademark style and presentation make it easy to see how a decade of directorial experience changes his output. Fans know what to expect when Gunn's name is on the project, and this is clearly a theme he wants to explore.
One of the most impressive aspects of Gunn's work is his commitment to his own vision. Whether he's working with wholly original concepts or with a direct adaptation, each project is totally his, so much so that fans could tell from the trailer. Super may have been a point of DNA for Peacemaker, and its influence throughout Gunn's career is interesting and powerful.