Biggest Unanswered Questions In Peacemaker
Mention "Peacemaker" to anyone and the first thing that'll come to mind is the phenomenal intro scene that deserves to be immortalized in the pantheon of human excellence. James Gunn's superhero show has captured the hearts and minds of fans who never thought a C-grade comic book character with a toilet-shaped helmet could ever become a pop culture icon. Without a shadow of a doubt, the reason for the show's success is all down to the outstanding performance of its star: Eagly. (Okay, John Cena and his fellow castmates also played their parts here.)
Jokes aside, the first season of this hilarious show expanded the DC Universe in ways that no one could have imagined and provided more than a few surprises to the viewers. That said, there are still many story threads that need to be detangled, such as the state of the relationship between Christopher Smith and Adrian Chase or the identity of this timeline's Batman. So let's take a look at the biggest questions about "Peacemaker" that still need to be answered.
What other fake news does Peacemaker believe?
Christopher Smith is living proof that a sucker is born every minute on the internet. Throughout the first season of "Peacemaker," he reveals that Aquaman is mer-curious with a desire to tickle the gills and Superman loves to leap the tallest buildings for a chance to snack on fresh butt burritos. Of course, these are only a handful of fun facts about the Justice League that he's scoured the internet for, as he treats every dubious comments section as gospel.
The question is, how far do his conspiracy theories reach? It doesn't help that he came from a home where his father was a racist and misogynist criminal who bought into every crackpot that monetizes the spread of misinformation and division. While the rest of Project Butterfly has poked holes in his supposed facts about the world, Peacemaker still holds onto an outrageous belief system that would make the average person question their sanity. More importantly, is he on Tinder? Because if he is, who wants to bet that he's been swindled by the infamous Tinder Swindler already?
Why didn't Amanda Waller get her daughter to infiltrate the Suicide Squad?
Discovering that Leota Adebayo is Amanda Waller's daughter was an unexpected shocker for DC fans, especially when you consider how completely different they are from each other. However, there's one thing that doesn't quite make sense: Why didn't Waller get Adebayo to infiltrate the Suicide Squad in the first place? No disrespect to Project Butterfly, but it isn't as big of a mission as stopping Starro the Conqueror or Enchantress. Surely, Adebayo might have been more useful to keeping a group of rogue criminals in check than babysitting a few A.R.G.U.S. agents and Peacemaker, right?
What's even more puzzling is how Waller admits that Adebayo has a natural talent and that's why she picked her to be her eyes and ears for Project Butterfly, so it's clear that she values her daughter as a professional. In all likelihood, Waller might consider Task Force X's missions a little too dangerous to include her offspring from the outset. If that's so, it creates another huge question mark here ... Does Waller, the ruthless woman known as "The Wall," actually have a heart?
Is Bat-Mite canon?
While it's common to include Easter eggs and comic book references in superhero shows, John Economos' declaration to Peacemaker that he'd rather spend time with "the two-foot-tall interdimensional imp" who's obsessed with Batman all but confirms the existence of Bat-Mite in the DCEU. Fans have seen this pesky character appear in other TV shows such as "The New Adventures of Batman" and "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," but this is the first time he's been mentioned in a live-action show.
On his official Instagram account, James Gunn confirmed that Bat-Mite is now canon, but is he really? If he's not actually seen, how can anyone actually be sure he exists? The reality is it's difficult to translate a character like Bat-Mite in a live-action film or show. While Mister Mxyzptlk is capable of being a tricky antagonist for Superman and can be tackled in several different ways, Bat-Mite acts more as a slapstick irritation for the Dark Knight. In other words, this might be the one and only time that we'll ever hear this imp mentioned in the DCEU.
Will there be another version of the White Dragon?
It was a brave decision to turn Auggie Smith into the White Dragon of the DCEU. However, it was a choice that made sense even to actor Robert Patrick. "Auggie Smith [didn't] exist in the DC comic world prior to ['Peacemaker']," Patrick said (via Polygon). "I think James kind of took [what was written] back in the '60s, and tried to bring it up and make it current for today." In the context of the story and our understanding of Peacemaker's troubled past, it was a natural fit to turn Auggie into the white supremacist supervillain who led his son astray with a questionable upbringing.
That said, there have been multiple versions of the White Dragon in the comics, which is symbolic for how evil never truly goes away. So even though Auggie might be dead in "Peacemaker," he has a legion of followers who are more than likely to take up the mantle in the future. William Heller and Daniel Ducannon all became the White Dragon in the pages of DC Comics, and they might do so again in Season 2 of "Peacemaker."
Will Peacemaker admit that Vigilante is his best friend?
Ask Peacemaker who his best friend is and there's likely to be only one answer: Eagly. To be fair, who wouldn't want to be BFFs with an eagle that's capable of gouging out the eyes of enemies with both its beak and talons? Be that as it may, there's one person who might have something to say about this current friendship hierarchy: Vigilante.
There's no doubt in anyone's mind that Vigilante looks up to Peacemaker and sees him as his only friend. Unlike in the comics where they're sworn enemies, there are friendly relations between the two of them here. Even though Peacemaker won't freely admit it in the public, he does view Adrian Chase as a friend — albeit a bit of an annoying one. That said, Vigilante has been there for him when he's needed him the most. He might not be the most conventional of friends, or a rational human being, but he hasn't let down Peacemaker yet. Maybe, just maybe, Vigilante may finally be acknowledged as Peacemaker's best friend one day.
Who's the Batman of Peacemaker's universe?
Where exactly does "Peacemaker" fit in the DC film universe's timeline? Judging by the events and characters, it takes place immediately after "The Suicide Squad," which is considered a part of the DCEU. In this timeline, the Batman is still Ben Affleck's version of the Caped Crusader. However, this doesn't quite align with something that Auggie's neighbor says to Peacemaker about the Dark Knight not killing. Recalling the events of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Batfleck didn't straight-up murder criminals, but he didn't exactly pump the brakes on the Batmobile to avoid crashing into them, nor did he exercise much restraint in the brutal beatdowns he dished out, either. As a result, it's highly unlikely that he's a paragon of virtue or that his body count remains at an innocent zero.
A strong possibility here is that "Peacemaker" might actually take place after the "Flash” movie. It's common knowledge that Barry Allen is about to break the timeline and cross the streams of the multiverse, so in the process, he could have brought in a new Batman who has much cleaner hands than Batfleck. Alternatively, Psycho-Pirate hypnotized the world into forgetting the Dark Knight's many oopsies.
Does Peacemaker have a child?
Make no mistake about it, Christopher Smith is a love machine. He likes to get down and dirty, and everyone knows all about it. However, there's a revealing moment in the episode "Murn After Reading" that indicates a midnight rendezvous that didn't quite finish as expected.
As a favor to Jamil, the janitor from the hospital where Smith was, Peacemaker speaks to the local school in an effort to make Jamil's child seem more popular. Naturally, the children ask him a lot of questions, though there's one specific query that sticks out more than the others: A little girl holds up her hand and asks Peacemaker if he remembers Becky Coolidge and hints that she might be his daughter. He nervously dodges the topic, but it could be an interesting plot thread for a future storyline. What if the little girl really is Peacemaker's daughter? And what if her mother is someone who could be linked to another superhero or villain?
Could Peacemaker and Vigilante become a couple?
As confirmed in the episode "Stop Dragon My Heart Around," Peacemaker is a part of the LGBTQ community. Gunn himself revealed to Empire Magazine (via /Film) that John Cena played a pivotal role in shaping the character's sexuality. "John does improv all the time," Gunn said, "and he just turned Christopher Smith into this hyper-sexualized dude that is open to anything sexually." Considering Peacemaker's openness to romantic partners, there's a good chance that he and Vigilante could develop into something more in the future as well.
The two of them share a sexual encounter with Amber (the lady whom Peacemaker holds hostage in the episode "Best Friends, For Never"), so it isn't like they haven't had a close encounter of the bedroom kind. At the same time, it could go a long way to explaining Vigilante's borderline obsession with Smith. What started off as a bond over violent crime fighting could blossom into something more special and intimate between them.
Could Peacemaker rejoin the Suicide Squad?
"Peacemaker ... What a joke." Rick Flag's line from "The Suicide Squad" has haunted Smith ever since he killed Task Force X's leader. While his reasons for doing so were revealed in the film, it still doesn't help ease his conscience nor endear him to others who still hold a grudge for his actions. Ultimately, he was simply following orders, which is something that Amanda Waller values more than anything else. She wants foot soldiers, not free thinkers, on her team.
Also, Peacemaker killing someone is nothing new to the Suicide Squad. After all, this is the team that features the likes of Harley Quinn, who was an accomplice to the Joker's reign of terror and countless homicides in Gotham City. Peacemaker is no saint, but neither are any of the criminals involved in Task Force X. Waller still sees a purpose for him, so it's likely that she might call him up to the main team once again somewhere down the line.
Will Peacemaker's hatred for Howard the Duck ever be explained?
At the end of the episode "The C*** Less Traveled," Peacemaker and Vigilante have a heated debate about the ridiculousness of a duck wearing a human costume. It might sound like the sort of inane argument that one would expect between the two of them, but it's a subtle Marvel vs. DC crossover that fans might not have expected to see here. Of course, Peacemaker and Vigilante are discussing Howard the Duck: an actual duck that wears human clothes.
Gunn is no stranger to the quacking waterfowl, having included him in his "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, so this feels like a clever tip of the hat to the Duckworldian. The question is, will this be a one-and-done joke, or will "Peacemaker" continue to allude to Howard in future episodes? For the sake of everyone watching at home, may the arguments about the possibility of Howard the Duck continue for years to come.
Is Batman no longer a part of the Justice League?
"It's Cow or Never," the Season 1 finale of "Peacemaker," features unexpected and epic cameos from the Justice League. While Wonder Woman and Superman are out of focus and shown through the use of silhouettes, Jason Momoa's Aquaman and Ezra Miller's Flash actually have lines and show their faces. However, there's one crucial member missing from the lineup here: Batman.
The Dark Knight's existence was already confirmed in the series, so where's he hiding during this scene? Did the Batmobile break down or something? Again, this subtle hint might give credence to the theory that "Peacemaker" takes place after the "Flash" film. Considering the movie is set to be Batfleck's swan song in the DCEU, there's a good chance that the Justice League might be a member short for a while. Maybe it's a gap for someone like the Green Arrow, who's also mentioned in the season finale, to fill.
Will Harcourt take over Task Force X?
No one expected Adebayo to go in front of the world and confirm the existence of Task Force X and what it does. Perhaps even more shockingly, she exposes her mother's identity and role in this program. It's an event that's likely to have major repercussions and result in Waller being removed as the puppet master of the Suicide Squad. Yet despite Adebayo's revelations, there's no chance that Task Force X will be shut down; it'll simply pop up under another guise.
This will present an opportunity for someone new to take the reins of Task Force X and the Suicide Squad. Adebayo is an improbable candidate since she exposed the whole operation, but Emilia Harcourt could be in line for a major promotion. Her near-fatal injuries in the season finale may move her out of the field and into an internal role, and which is a better office than Waller's? Season 2 of "Peacemaker" will need to address who takes over the vacancy at Task Force X.