Besides his colorful costume and some specific details, the Peacemaker (aka Christopher Smith) seen in the DC Extended Universe has very little in common with his Charlton Comics and DC Comics counterparts. However, this isn't a bad thing.
Before John Cena brought him to life, Peacemaker was an incredibly obscure vigilante that even the most hardcore DC Comics fans may have forgotten. As a result, some of his most defining comic origins and traits were changed without anyone realizing it.
10 Christopher Smith Wasn't The Only Peacemaker
While Christopher is undoubtedly the most well-known Peacemaker, he was only the first of three. After Christopher, the surgeon Mitchell Black took his place in "The L.A.W." (a reunion and revamp for Charlton Comics' heroes). An unnamed Peacemaker joined the League Busters in "Justice League International," but it was a one-off appearance.
As of writing, Christopher is the DCEU's one and only Peacemaker. Only time will tell if this Peacemaker will become a legacy title for someone to inherit later on, but for now, Christopher is the title and helmet's sole owner. There are also currently no mentions of Peacemaker's other identities or legacies from the comics.
9 Christopher Smith Was Once A Diplomat & Soldier
Whether it was in his Charlton or DC Comics canon, Christopher had an interesting life before becoming Peacemaker. In Charlton Comics, Christopher was a diplomat by day and a vigilante by night. In DC Comics, Christopher was a tortured Vietnam War-era war criminal who was given a second chance working for the government as Peacemaker.
Meanwhile, in the HBO show, Christopher was just some guy who grew up in middle America. Specifically, Christopher was raised and trained by his abusive father, Auggie Smith, to become a violent and racist vigilante like himself. Everything Christopher did as Peacemaker was part of his futile attempt to gain his evil father's approval.
8 Peacemaker Died More Than Once
Despite getting shot in the throat, Peacemaker barely survived his duel with Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad and woke up from a coma five months later at the start of his HBO show. Though Peacemaker's survivability isn't set in stone, it's safe to say that he'll be around in the DCEU for some time – especially with his series' recently greenlit for a second season.
Like every comic book superhero ever, Peacemaker has died more than once and come back to life as if nothing happened. Originally, Peacemaker died fighting Eclipso by crashing his helicopter on enemy tanks (above), and showed up in the afterlife in "Day of Judgment." He also cameoed in "Kingdom Come" but died when Captain Atom exploded.
7 Peacemaker Only Recently Joined The Suicide Squad
To newcomers, Peacemaker seems like a Suicide Squad mainstay. Not only did Peacemaker steal the spotlight in The Suicide Squad, but he was even promoted to being Task Force X's de facto leader in the comics. In fact, it seems that DC Comics is determined to have Peacemaker effectively replace the squad's longtime leader, Deadshot.
In the comics, Peacemaker joined some teams, but his tenure with the Suicide Squad was a recent development. Previously, Peacemaker was affiliated with Checkmate, which was basically an off-shoot of Task Force X. Some of Peacemaker's other teams included The L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons), Pax Americana (left), and Shadow Fighters (right).
6 Peacemaker's Father Was Not The White Dragon
What makes Peacemaker one of the strangest DC Comics heroes is the fact that he's the son of a Nazi. Specifically, Wolfgang Schmidt was the commander of a Nazi death camp. After seeing Schmidt kill himself, Christopher took up a vow of peace and became Peacemaker: a vigilante who was also haunted and mocked by his Nazi father's ghost.
In the HBO show, Peacemaker's father was Auggie Smith: the white supremacist supervillain White Dragon. Previously, Peacemaker and White Dragon were not related and never even met. Though the specifics vary, Auggie was basically a modernized Schmidt, from his reprehensible beliefs to his status as a ghost in the first season's finale.
5 Peacemaker Doesn't Have A Beloved Pet Eagle
The breakout star of the HBO show was undoubtedly Eagly, Peacemaker's all-American pet bald eagle. Though not much of Eagly's past has been revealed, Eagly was basically Peacemaker's avian sidekick and number one BFF. Peacemaker never hid his love for his pet eagle, and even tearfully prayed to God to save Eagly from death.
Despite his goofy existence that felt like it came right out of the Silver Age, Eagly has no counterpart in either Charlton or DC Comics. Peacemaker mostly worked alone with his evil ghost father being the closest person he had to a sidekick. Eagly only recently appeared in the comics, specifically in the Valentine's Day special "Strange Love Adventures."
4 Peacemaker Actually Killed Vigilante
One of the most important relationships in the HBO show was Peacemaker's friendship with Vigilante (aka Adrian Chase). The two were practically inseparable with Peacemaker seeing Vigilante as something of a younger brother, and Vigilante idolizing everything about Peacemaker. Meanwhile in the comics, Peacemaker murdered Vigilante.
To be specific, Peacemaker shot the fourth Vigilante (aka Dave Winston) after a fatal misunderstanding. This infuriated a then-retired Chase, who reassumed the Vigilante identity to seek vengeance. The two teamed up to fend off some terrorists, but this alliance was short-lived and they quickly returned to punching/shooting each other afterward.
3 Peacemaker Is A Lot More Mature & Serious
Simply put, the DCEU Peacemaker is an overgrown teenager. This manifested in different ways, like in his undying love for the hair metal music of his youth, his inept social skills, his lowbrow sense of humor, and an outdated view of masculinity. His HBO show focused on him outgrowing his worst flaws, but he still retained some juvenile ticks.
By contrast, Peacemaker was deadly serious in the comics. Originally, Peacemaker took his one-man crusade for peace as stoically as The Punisher did his war on crime. It was only in light of his DCEU debut that Peacemaker lightened up a bit, but his newest comics' humor was mostly derived from him being too self-serious for his own good.
2 Peacemaker Is Less Mentally Stable
When he moved to DC Comics, Peacemaker was rewritten to be mentally unstable. Aside from fighting his ghost father and believing that his victims' souls reside in his helmet, Peacemaker was a psychopath. His DC Black Label one-shot, "Disturbing The Peace," reinterpreted his peacekeeping as a quest to give evildoers "eternal peace."
Conversely, the live-action Peacemaker isn't just sane but notably has a conscience. After the events of The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker's once-unshakeable myopia cracked. He then spent the entirety of his HBO show wrestling with his guilt and changing himself. That being said, he's still willing to kill his enemies when needed.
1 Peacemaker Was (Debatably) More Heroic In The Comics
If not for his weird helmet and troubled mental state, Peacemaker would be indistinguishable from the countless comic book vigilantes. Despite his extremism and high body count, Peacemaker was always an anti-hero. More moral superheroes always had some reservations when working with him, but he'd earn their trust by the end of the day.
Meanwhile, the DCEU defined Peacemaker as a reforming villain. Besides regretting his bloodstained history, Peacemaker was driven by the guilt of accidentally killing his brother and pushing everyone in his life away. While he has yet to work with the DCEU's superheroes, Peacemaker is at least on his way to becoming a hero and better person.