Peacemaker's boisterous persona is all an act. According to John Cena, who will reprise the role following his DC Extended Universe debut in The Suicide Squad, the HBO Max series from writer-director James Gunn will explore the ways in which Chris Smith uses his brashness as a way to push away people who might get too close.
Asked about balancing Peacemaker's hardened exterior with his vulnerabilities, Cena told CBR, "I think from Peacemaker's perspective, that persona is more boastful. I would see his perspective as the eyes of somebody in a first person shooter game, and that's why he gamifies his marksmanship and his skills. I just think he is like most loud, brash individuals: they are putting up a front to defend from people to understanding who they really are."
DCEU fans already got a taste of Peacemaker's "boastful" persona in The Suicide Squad, which sent the character on a mission to Corto Maltese alongside Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man and Colonel Rick Flag. There, A.R.G.U.S. Director Amanda Waller charged this "Suicide Squad" with stopping Project Starfish, a decades-long military experiment revolving around Starro the Conqueror.
When he discovered that Project Starfish had been funded by the U.S. government, Flag declared his intention to share this evidence to the world at large -- only to be killed by Peacemaker, on secret orders from Waller herself to stop anyone who might reveal the U.S.'s involvement. Peacemaker also attempted to assassinate Ratcatcher, but Bloodsport intervened, shooting him in the neck. After the Suicide Squad defeated Starro, Peacemaker was brought back to the U.S., where his wounds were treated.
Now, Peacemaker will peel back the layers of Chris Smith, revealing more about where he came from as he embarks on a new, off-the-books mission for Waller. The HBO Max series reunites him with A.R.G.U.S. agents Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee), who helped Waller run the Project Starfish mission in The Suicide Squad. They will be joined by DCEU newcomers Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma), aka Vigilante.
To see what lies beneath Chris Smith's boastful persona, check out Peacemaker when it arrives on HBO Max starting Thursday, Jan. 13.