WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 1, "A Whole New Whirled," streaming now on HBO Max.
When The Suicide Squad concluded, one of its most important players, Peacemaker (John Cena), was left in a situation he shouldn't have survived. After being shot in the throat and having a building dropped on him, the odds of him living with, at least, minimal injuries seemed unlikely. However, by the premiere of HBO Max's Peacemaker, it seemed like he had made a miraculous recovery. But how extensive were his injuries following the film?
Peacemaker follows the adventures of Christopher Smith/Peacemaker as he continues to serve out his prison sentence with a small team of ARGUS agents. But before meeting them, audiences are reintroduced to the character the same way he was left: recovering in a hospital. But at this point, it's unknown exactly how long he has been healing and what's been done to have him return to society looking like he didn't have a building land on top of him.
The series' first episode, "A Whole New Whirled," opens on an X-Ray of Peacemaker's chest, revealing that even after his fight with Rick Flagg and being shot by Bloodsport, he only needed to replace his clavicle. However, aside from the surgery required to repair the damaged bone, he also couldn't lift his right arm above his shoulder and would need to undergo physical therapy to heal. Although these types of injuries after massive battles seem familiar for superheroes, James Gunn has always grounded his violence in realism, making it surprising Peacemaker survived nearly unscathed.
Although his discharge from the hospital comes moments after a recap of The Suicide Squad, the "hero" was in the hospital for much longer than a few weeks. In fact, it isn't until after he reunites with his father that fans learn he has been recovering for five months. Although nearly half a year is a long time to recover, it's even more impressive that he managed to maintain his fitness level while also healing from his wounds.
Even in the comics, Peacemaker has never had superhuman abilities to rely on while in battle. Instead, he focuses on his own cunning and sheer will to live. However, even though it's helped him for years, it isn't until Peacemaker that his desire to keep fighting starts to feel like a superpower all its own. What's even more entertaining is that the series doesn't dwell on why or how he had so few injuries. Instead, the question is quickly dodged with a joke about how his chest X-Ray doesn't accentuate his muscle groups appropriately. Not only is the moment worth some laughs, but it also shows how Gunn can cleverly avoid hard-to-answer questions by focusing on how little the main character cares about his injury.
As a series, Peacemaker is unique because it takes characters most audiences never knew existed and gives them motivations and a grander purpose that allows them to stand with some of the greats. The best way this is done in the series is by focusing on the characters and how they interact with one another. In Peacemaker's case, he's cocky and oblivious to a lot of important things around him, including how lucky he was to survive The Suicide Squad. For him, surviving a building collapse and a gunshot to the neck is just another day at the office. For audiences, however, it's a clever way to show just how strong he is mentally and how even though he isn't a metahuman, he is more than capable of facing one.
To see how Chris Smith has been since recovering, Peacemaker is streaming now on HBO Max.