Christopher Smith was revealed as bisexual in the first season of Peacemaker, and director/writer James Gunn says it was the natural route to take.
"It was me and John [Cena] talking about who he is," Gunn told Total Film magazine. "Peacemaker is a hypersexual guy, and that has led him to be a sexual omnivore in a lot of ways."
The reveal of Peacemaker as bisexual pleased many of the show's fans, but he isn't the only LGBTQ+ character in the show. According to Gunn, though, Peacemaker and Leota Adebayo share little in common in their approach to relationships. "I think it's interesting because Adebayo is so traditionally liberal in so many ways, but sexually Adebayo is incredibly conservative," Gunn said. "I mean, she's married to one woman. They have a monogamous lifestyle. And Peacemaker sexually is incredibly liberal. He's a hedonist. That it's just who the guy is."
Gunn expanded on this point further, saying that Peacemaker's bisexuality was just a natural extension of his personality. "Most of the show, and almost all of [The] Suicide Squad, is scripted," Gunn explained. "But there's always a lot of riffing going on, and it helps us get in the mood and throw things down. It was always that Peacemaker was talking about having sex with both men and women, and he treats them both like sexual conquest in a way."
John Cena, who plays Smith/Peacemaker, was pleased that audiences were able to see a different side of the character in the show compared to his debut in The Suicide Squad. He worried that many viewers might have presumed Smith was a "what you see is what you get" character "with no redeemable qualities," but he hoped Peacemaker changed that view. "But when you dive into Peacemaker, the series, you see a human being that is like all of the rest of us," Cena said. "I thought that was a very unique added dimension, especially because of the snap judgment first impression you get when looking at the Peacemaker character."
The show also gives the character time to grow, and this is never more evident than in the series finale. "At the end of this show, he does the exact opposite of what he did in The Suicide Squad. He put his ideals second to his personal love of his friends," Gunn said. "I'm not even sure Chris is doing the right thing, but the decision he makes definitely marks growth for him on a personal level."
Season 1 of Peacemaker is available to stream on HBO Max, and Season 2 is expected in 2023.
Source: Total Film via Games Radar