The following article contains spoilers for Peacemaker.
"It’s not crying, it’s face muscle training." It almost seems like that single phrase perfectly encapsulates the spirit of James Gunn’s Peacemaker, an undoubtedly sad superhero story that lies beneath a thin but entertaining layer of violence, humor, hair metal, and nudity.
In that sense, Peacemaker’s sole opening credits sequence is a testament to the kind of show Gunn has put together, one that while looking utterly ridiculous still manages to convey a certain air of seriousness to it, largely thanks to its trouble bunch of characters. So while DC’s has always been the darker superhero world compared to Marvel, Peacemaker has already taken that to the next level with a setting that might even be far too real and familiar for some.
It’s All In The Family
Although the MCU is not short on complicated family relationships, with Thor’s Asgardian royal family and Thanos and Gamora leading the way, the fact that Peacemaker brings the superhero story to a lower level in Christopher Smith native Charlton County helps downscale his entire story. With a few exceptions, the battleground for most superhero productions tends to be in big cities like New York, Gotham, and Metropolis, whereas this black ops mission starts off in the suburbs.
That very particular setting, almost only seen in the WandaVision’s made-up world, means viewers get to see Peacemaker’s upbringing and, probably, the root cause of many of his issues: his home. Robert Patrick does a fantastic job playing August Smith, aka White Dragon, a character that somehow seems to be a cross between the very real form of white supremacy depicted in movies like American History X and a cartoonish figure that blends in perfectly with the tone of the series because he could also easily pass as a Grand Theft Auto NPC.
Gunn has not been shy to point out that Peacemaker is meant to work as a parody of sorts for modern society, and even if the script leaves the door open for everyone to have a pinch of goodness in them, the story seems to outline the White Dragon as the series’ true villain, at least metaphorically in the eyes of its “hero”. Nevertheless, that narrative is not exclusive to Peacemaker because Leota Adebayo is also burdened by her mother’s reputation as another irredeemable figure.
Ironically, Adebayo is the one who singles out Chris’ father as the worst thing in his life, and yet she’s blind to how her current problems are caused by her desire to satisfy her mother, whose cruelty never goes unnoticed by the rest of the ARGUS team. To a lesser degree, fellow D-list superhero Vigilante is also described as someone who became what he is to make up for a broken home and grow stronger, and the same goes for Emilia Harcourt as hinted recently; the theme is very clear, Peacemaker is a show packed with dysfunctional families.
Peacemaker’s Past Just Gets Darker
The series’ fourth episode gave Peacemaker its darkest twist so far, but it also happens to be an event that makes the audience feel more empathy for Chris. The White Dragon raised his kids to be killing machines, and Peacemaker’s older brother was actually his favorite son, something he doesn’t hide from his only living child but even beyond that, the death redefined the two’s relationship.
It’s almost a given the series will help Peacemaker navigate through the traumatic event that was the loss of his older brother, the flashbacks in the show are used masterfully to show just why he loves that’s 80’s music so much, it’s ingrained in him, it reminds him of his brother. As someone who was forced to kill other people as a kid, Peacemaker barely had a shot at life, but the ARGUS files point to his brother’s death being even more pivotal.
Despite the circumstances not being quite clear yet, whether he was forced to fight his brother or they were part of a brawl that injured the other Smith and caused him those seizures, the culprit is likely to be the White Dragon. Seeing as killing Rick Flag in The Suicide Squad only worsened his psyche, the man who’s crying in his trailer is broken and reaching yet another character-defining moment, it's a shot no other superhero ever gets because no one protagonist is as damaged as Peacemaker.
For viewers, the series is a one-way trip to see why the douchiest member of The Suicide Squad was deemed by Gunn to be the most interesting protagonist Task Force X could bring to the table; meanwhile, for the character himself, it’s like a long therapy session to unravel why he’s ended up where he’s at and, ultimately, go back or come out of prison being a new man.
It’s a good thing Peacemaker isn’t a direct adaptation of any specific comic book, because that’s what allows Gunn to freestyle this new type of hero, one that’s unlike anything DC or Marvel have to offer due to how much pain he packs inside of him
The White Dragon’s lair contains technology beyond August Smith’s hinted capabilities, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine him being connected to beings out of this world like the butterflies. Until now, Peacemaker needed his dad because he makes stuff for him, but the series finale might demand for him to grow past that, especially if his mission or just the plain path to become a seminormal hero requires him killing of his one true supervillain, the fearsome White Dragon.