Peacemaker on HBO Max is as Crazy as Its Main Character

With all due respect to James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad‘, I’ve always believed that Peacemaker was a better character outside the Squad. Having said that, ‘Peacemaker’ takes off directly after ‘The Suicide Squad’ film, and it has kept me laughing right from the opening credits. WARNING: This review has SPOILERS from the first three episodes. So if you haven’t seen those yet, you might as well take Eagly out for a ride.

Christopher Smith aka Peacmaker Recovering in the Hospital

It helps that you recall your ‘The Suicide Squad‘ movie knowledge. As shown in the movie, Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker miraculously survives his duel with Bloodsport, and is recuperating in a hospital. This leads to his new life. Chris believes he is done with Waller and the Squad. Later, he finds out that he is done with the Squad, but not done with Waller. Turns out he is tapped by Waller’s lackeys on a new mission called Project Butterfly of which he has no clue. Though, if you’ve seen ‘The Suicide Squad’ then these project names are fairly obvious and self explanatory.

Peacemaker in Full Costume

With that brief intro of the series plot (so far), here’s now where I get to say that this series IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. And, that’s a welcome sight. Just like a lot of DC properties, ‘Peacemaker’ is a story about superheroes, and not a superhero story. As such, this allows James Gunn and company a lot of leeway to tell the story he wants. There are a lot of superhero stories for children out there. This is not one of them. To force it down everybody’s throats that it should follow a particular formula would be pointless, and absurd. So, if you want a campy-funny family friendly series to watch, I suggest you search elsewhere, and let those who appreciate this kind of seminal storytelling enjoy it for what ‘Peacemaker’ is: a series about the crazy life of a crazy superhero.

Peacemaker talking with His Team

With the freedom of storytelling, we have one of the weirdest and funniest opening credits I have ever seen. Yes, it’s very whimsical. And yet, this just reflects on the personality of the main character, and the ‘Peacemaker’ series. If you’re familiar with your comic book references, then you know that James Gunn is really playing on Christopher Smith’s insane mind. Peacemaker is crazy. You can see that in the series in loads. The opening credits sets the expectations on how quirky the series is, and will be.

Vigilante with Peacemaker Unmasked

One of the great strengths of the series is the supporting cast. To name a few, we have comic book characters Vigilante, Emila Harcourt, and John Economos. I’m a longtime DC Fan, and Titans fan so I’m very familiar with the Vigilante. There are some liberties taken to his interpretation here, but, just like in the comics, he is as crazy as Peacemaker when it comes to serving justice. Then there’s Emila Harcourt, and John Economos. As I shared in my review of ‘The Suicide Squad’, James Gunn digs deep into comic book lore, particularly Suicide Squad lore. These two are carry-overs from the movie, and are supproting characters found in earlier Suicide Squad runs. More proof that James Gunn is a geek, and uses his knowledge well.

Peacemaker with the Full Main Cast

With the first three episodes, you are provided a visual feast of humor, sex, action, and violence that only HBO Max has to offer; and that’s a good thing. It’s also not in small part that the storytelling has enough pace, and intrigue to keep you wanting more.

So, if you’re up for a series about a crazy superhero, give ‘Peacemaker’ a try. ‘Peacemaker’ is now streaming on HBO Max.