WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 4, "The Choad Less Traveled," streaming now on HBO Max.
In The Suicide Squad, Christopher Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena) was the only member of Task Force X who was sent to Corto Maltese knowing the full story behind "Project Starfish." However, his HBO Max spinoff has just demonstrated how little he knows about his latest mission, "Project Butterfly," and its close connection to one of his supposed allies.
In Episode 3, "Better Goff Dead," Chris discovered that his targets are people apparently taken over by parasitic aliens, nicknamed "Butterflies" for their winged appearance. With butterflies spreading across the globe, the objective seems straightforward: find and destroy all Butterflies before they take over the entire human race.
That said, the Butterflies' true nature had previously been withheld from him by his new superior, Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji). This may be why Peacemaker conceals his capture of the Butterfly formerly within Senator Royland Goff (Antonio Cupo) in Episode 4, "The Choad Less Traveled." Having been ordered to betray his comrades by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to cover up Project Starfish, Peacemaker's intent to learn the truth behind Project Butterfly could be due to the belief that Waller has told Murn to keep him in the dark.
Any suspicion of a larger conspiracy is supported by Goff's bodyguard, Judomaster (Nhut Le), whose rematch fight with Peacemaker ends with him declaring that Butterflies are "not what you think." Unfortunately, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) shoots Judomaster, leaving him on the verge of death before he can explain further. While she does seem to act out of genuine concern for her teammate, Adebayo is Waller's daughter. Though more empathetic than her mother, she knows more about Waller's plan than anyone else on Peacemaker's team, and shooting Judomaster might have been a tactic to ensure that this remains the case.
It thus raises the question of whether Adebayo or Waller are aware of the butterfly nested at the heart of their operation. The episode ended with the reveal that Murn has been taken over by one of the creatures, his tongue turning into a tube to drink the honey-like liquid consumed by the butterflies. Whether his transformation occurred before or after Waller enlisted him, it would appear to put a massive spanner in the works: the man in charge of the group assembled to destroy the Butterflies is himself a Butterfly.
Granted, it is conceivable that Waller would knowingly place a Butterfly in charge of her operation if advantageous in the long run. Having successfully organized the assassination of Senator Goff and his family, Murn does appear to be complying with Waller's orders, possibly with the intent of betraying her later. This would allow Waller to discover more about the Butterflies through him, with Adebayo being able to relay anything suspicious back to her.
On the other hand, it is not impossible that Murn and Waller's goals align. Perhaps Murn is hellbent on wiping out his own kind or is in one of multiple warring Butterfly factions. He has so far sold Peacemaker on a black-and-white conflict between humanity and the Butterflies, but Judomaster's cryptic warning and Waller's past form suggests the reality is much murkier. If events have transpired in a manner like The Suicide Squad, Project Butterfly may be another attempt by Waller to cover up the machinations of the US government.
All will be revealed once Peacemaker has ended its eight-episode run. With half the season finished, it seems likely that the titular mercenary is close to discovering why Waller wants the Butterflies destroyed. Only one thing is certain: whatever the real reason, it will undoubtedly be far more complex and disturbing than Waller currently wants him to believe.
To see Project Butterfly play out, stream Peacemaker now on HBO Max.