Earlier this year, The Suicide Squad was released as a semi-reboot, semi-sequel to the original 2016 movie. It was a large success, due in part to the brilliant cast of characters that appeared throughout the film. One of these characters was Peacemaker, a minor DC Comics superhero that appeared sporadically over the years. Played by John Cena, Peacemaker was a character that was both comical and hard-boiled.

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While Peacemaker is now fairly popular, with a new HBO Max series on the way, he used to be a fairly unknown character. Because of that, many people who watched The Suicide Squad were probably not aware who Peacemaker was. While the film version of Peacemaker is very similar to the version in the comics, there are many aspects that set them apart.

10 Peacemaker Was Originally From Charlton Comics

Peacemaker Cover of Peacemaker #1 by Charlton Comics

While Peacemaker is now owned by DC Comics, originally he was created by artists working at Charlton Comics. When Charlton Comics went under in the 1980s, Peacemaker was one of many characters that were acquired by DC Comics for use in their own series.

During his time in Charlton Comics, Peacemaker did not have much of a spotlight. He had a short run as a backup for another comic series before getting his own miniseries. When he was acquired by DC Comics, he was initially meant to be featured in Watchmen, but that idea was canned.

9 There Were Multiple Versions of Peacemaker

Peacemaker Alternate Versions of Peacemaker from JLI and The L. A. W.

While the original version of Peacemaker (Christopher Smith) would eventually get his own short miniseries, DC Comics would also use different versions of the character in their other works. One version of Peacemaker appeared in Justice League International, with a very different design but similar equipment and abilities. Unfortunately, he was not a member of the extremely popular group, serving as an antagonist instead.

Another Peacemaker would appear in the DC miniseries The L. A. W., under the name of Mitchell Black. Once again, he had similar abilities to the original Peacemaker, and he worked with other characters originally from Charlton Comics to fight a mysterious organization.

8 Peacemaker Heard Voices In His Head

Peacemaker hearing the voice of his father berating him

DC Comics gave the original Peacemaker a short series in 1987, spanning four issues. While much of his backstory was the same as it was in the original Charlton run, some aspects were added to make him a more interesting character.

In the series, it is revealed that Christopher Smith was suffering from a mental illness that made him hear voices in his head. While some voices would manifest as the people he had killed, the voice of his father would appear to torment him very often. This mental illness made Peacemaker unhinged and unpredictable, which made him a dangerous person to work with.

7 Peacemaker Was Willing To Kill, But Not Indiscriminately

Peacemaker mourning over the senseless death and murder

The Peacemaker's catchphrase is that he would do anything for peace, even kill. However, that didn't mean that he relished killing. In the early comics, Peacemaker did his best to avoid killing people outright, and only killed when he saw no other way.

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While the body count in the Peacemaker comics is still quite high compared to a series like Batman or Superman, Peacemaker still tried to avoid jumping right to killing if he could help it. Still, his mental illness often got in the way of this, giving him endless internal struggle.

6 His Father Was A Nazi

Peacemaker newspaper article detailing Smith's father's past as a Nazi commandant

Part of Peacemaker's troubled past was the fact that his deceased father was not only a Nazi, but a commander of a death camp responsible for thousands of deaths. His guilt and shame over his fact caused him to become emotionally unstable, to the point where he became unable to control himself.

To make matters worse, his mental illness frequently causes him to hallucinate the form of his father, who would frequently ridicule him for not simply killing everyone in his way. In the comics, part of his struggle comes about from trying to deal with the ghost of his dead father.

5 Peacemaker's Helmet Had Cybernetic Enhancements

Peacemaker explaining some of the features of his helmet

In the movie, Peacemaker's only special abilities were his unbelievable athleticism and his unparalleled mastery of multiple weapons. In the comics, however, Peacemaker had a few extra gadgets that helped him fight crime. One of these is his signature helmet, which gave him various abilities.

Some of these abilities include firing ultrasonics to incapacitate foes or creating interference to scramble radio signals. Peacemaker also had a jetpack that allowed him to fly across the sky. While none of these gadgets made it into the film, they might show up in the upcoming series.

4 Peacemaker Also Had His Own Plane

Peacemaker full shot of one of Peacemaker's planes

Another thing that didn't make it into the film was Peacemaker's plane. Peacemaker had a plane that he used to transport himself all over the world. Furthermore, the planes were controllable using the cybernetics in his helmet, although his mental illness caused him to hallucinate his dead father as the one flying the plane.

Peacemaker also seemed to have several planes which would be fixed by his mechanic when they were damaged. Although Peacemaker did not seem to have one particular plane that he preferred over the others, all the planes seem to have the ability to interface with his helmet.

3 Peacemaker Was Supposed To Be Part Of A Whole Troop

Peacemaker Dominique St. Claire and Harry Stein discussing the Peacemaker Force

Peacemaker is known for being part of the Suicide Squad now, but he could have been part of another crimefighting team. In the DC comic series, Christopher Smith became Peacemaker after being part of a project created by the U.S. Government called the Peacemaker Force. Although the project fell through before it could even come into fruition, Smith used the ideals behind the project to conduct vigilante activities on his own.

While the project was never completed, it might explain the existence of the alternate Peacemakers. Ultimately, the Peacemaker Force is not really mentioned again, but it might show up in the upcoming TV show.

2 Peacemaker Died In The Comics (For A Time)

Peacemaker prepares to crash his place as he hallucinates his father

During a battle against the supervillain Eclipso, Peacemaker made an extremely reckless gambit. He created a large explosion by crashing the helicopter he was riding, stopping that tanks that Eclipso was controlling and ending his own life. He was later seen in Purgatory during Day of Judgment, as one of many hoping for a chance to be revived.

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Of course, comic storylines being the way they are, the timeline was eventually reset, and Peacemaker was brought back to life. Despite this, comic readers would not see Peacemaker for a good while.

1 Peacemaker Became The Ally Of The Blue Beetle

Peacemaker talking with Jaime Reyes and his family

Peacemaker eventually returned in the 2006 Blue Beetle series, although he no longer had his costume or his weapons. While it initially seemed as if he was another version of Peacemaker (going by the name Mitchell Black), it was eventually revealed that he was in fact the original Peacemaker.

Peacemaker helped the young Jaime Reyes figure out his powers, while promising to kill him if his powers got out of hand. Ultimately, he became a sort of mentor to the young superhero before eventually heading off on his own. With Blue Beetle getting his own HBO Max movie, perhaps Peacemaker might make a surprise experience.

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