Thematically, it looks like Peacemaker has quite a bit in common with HBO Max's other two adult-oriented live-action DC TV shows.HBO Max tweeted out a Venn Diagram comparing Peacemaker, Titans and Doom Patrol, describing the shows as "def ones you watch together with boo." While some of them differ tonally -- Doom Patrol acknowledges "werebutts and sex ghosts" as actual plot points -- the shows do occasionally overlap in terms of producing "big laughs," "high stakes" and characters with a "wavering moral compass." Where all three align in the Venn Diagram's center: "a large group of very special misfits."
While Titans and Doom Patrol began as their own DC Universe shows before moving to HBO Max, Peacemaker was created specifically for the streaming service as a DCEU-adjacent spinoff. Following John Cena's titular character from The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker picks up in the aftermath of the James Gunn film's post-credit scene, which revealed that Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith, survived being shot by Bloodshot. This leads to him being recruited for a new covert ops group under Task Force X staff members Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee), which consists of them, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) and masked crimefighter Vigilante (Freddie Stroma). A recent trailer for Peacemaker teased the team getting into gunfights and fights while being simultaneously frustrated by Peacemaker's poor social cues, including a raunchy story about Wonder Woman he tells elementary school kids.
Other characters set to appear on Peacemaker include DC martial artist Judomaster, Smith's own father, Auggie (Terminator 2's Robert Patrick) and his pet eagle and partner-in-crime, Eagly. Both Cena and Gunn teased during DC FanDome that Eagly will be a fan-favorite, with Cena remarking, "As a dowel with some green tape on it, Eagly stole the show." Cena also noted that Peacemaker's drama will stem from Christopher's complex father-son relationship with Auggie and how it affects his alter ego, describing it as the "sometimes uncomfortable dysfunction of family."
While this version of Peacemaker originated in The Suicide Squad, Gunn has confirmed that viewers don't need to watch his last film to understand Peacemaker despite its use of returning characters. The show will consist of eight episodes -- all written by Gunn, who directed over half of them -- and release its first three episodes at once on Jan. 13, with the remaining five dropping weekly.
Both Titans and Doom Patrol concluded their third seasons in October and November 2021, respectively. A Doom Patrol spinoff called Dead Boy Detectives, based on Neil Gaiman's Sandman characters, is currently in development for HBO Max.
Created by James Gunn, Peacemaker starts streaming on HBO Max on Jan. 13.
Source: Twitter