‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Has Started Filming — Who is the Hyper-Patriot Peacemaker?
John Cena’s Peacemaker is at the forefront of a more adult-friendly DCEU. But who is Christopher Smith, and how did he become the Peacemaker?
Peacemaker was a strong contender for our favorite character in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Then John Cena brought the character to life in the HBO Max series. Now, we know that Gunn and the rest of the crew of Peacemaker are back in the studio working on the antihero’s next chapter.
In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a rundown of America’s foul-mouthed, ass-kicking sweetheart: the Peacemaker.
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The Original Peacemaker
Created by: Joe Gill & Pat Boyette
Peacemaker’s first appearances: Fightin’ 5 #40 (Charlton Comics, 1966) & Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 (DC Comics, 1985)
The first iteration of Christopher Smith isn’t the trailer park white American jellybean we get to know in Season 1 of Peacemaker. In the starting comics, he grew up as the only child of an army officer and scientist mother. As an adult, he worked as a diplomat from the United States. And get this—he also considered himself an ardent pacifist.
But when diplomacy failed, he became willing to do whatever it took to achieve peace. He created non-lethal weapons and used them to fight dictators and warlords. Honestly, not a bad gig.
The original Peacemaker character was owned and published by Charlton Comics. After the company went under in 1980, DC Comics acquired several Charlton characters. Peacemaker soon became a member of the DC universe alongside Captain Atom, the Blue Beetle, and the Question.
“Eat peace, you scoundrels!!” — Play D&D with Peacemaker
Powers & Abilities
Christopher Smith has some pretty intense physical strength and stamina. He’s a gifted marksman, weapons maker, and pilot. The character has also been written as a talented gymnast. I guess you could call some parts of Cena’s wrestling career a kind of gymnastics.
Peacemaker’s costume is also a big part of his powerset. It’s a thin, flexible body armor with various spots for hiding high-tech weapons.
His helmet is made of pressure-proof plastic. It’s also cybernetic, giving it plenty of bells and whistles, including surveillance devices.
Peacemaker Moves to DC Comics
In an event that reconfigured DC’s multiverse, 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths introduced The Peacemaker as an inhabitant of Earth 4.
Post-Crisis, the Peacemaker went through some changes. An origin story that was once clean-cut got a whole lot darker.
Heads up! Part of Peacemaker’s backstory involves suicide. If you need to skip it, catch up with us here.
The Peacemaker’s new name was Christopher Schmidt. When he was a kid, it was discovered that his father was a Nazi officer. When he realized he was about to be arrested, Chris’ father committed suicide—right in front of his son. Chris was understandably troubled after that point. He and his mother moved and changed their last name to Smith. Growing up, Chris was a bully until he joined the military at the age of 18.
During his time in the military, Chris was court-martialed for killing civilians. After he was arrested, he was offered the opportunity to participate in a high-tech anti-terrorism squad called Project Peacemaker. When the program was shut down, Christopher was allowed to walk free.
The character has appeared sparingly in the comics. Still, he’s not without his influence. Alan Moore’s despicable ‘hero’ The Comedian? Totally based on the Peacemaker.
The Suicide Squad
We met the DCEU’s version of Peacemaker in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. This version of the character seems pretty similar to DC’s rebooted version. Chris was raised by a small-town racist father. And like the comics, this deeply traumatized kiddo grew up to be a deeply traumatized diplomat. He also became obsessive about maintaining peace.
In fact, Smith was killin’ in the name of peace till A.R.G.U.S. threw him in Belle Reve. That’s where Amanda Waller recruited him for Task Force X. He was then sent to Corto Maltese to help destroy a dangerous weapons facility.
But Peacemaker had his own orders—to make sure the details of Project Starfish remain confidential. Believing that this was the action that would maintain peace, Chris killed Colonel Rick Flagg to keep the secret. When the team finds out, he faces off with Bloodsport and loses. After the battle with Starro, Chris is discovered alive underneath the rubble. He’s then brought back to the United States to be treated for his wounds.
What’s Next for Peacemaker?
In the Peacemaker show, Chris faces his father and learns how to play nicely with others. The series was lauded by critics (me, I’m “critics”) for exploring themes of toxic masculinity and conspiracy culture. It also introduced us to Vigilante and several otherwise D-list DC characters that we’ll hopefully see more of in the upcoming season.
‘Peacemaker’ Season 1 is streaming now on Max.
