WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 4, "The Choad Less Traveled," streaming now on HBO Max.
The first three episodes of James Gunn's Peacemaker were chock full of fun DC Easter eggs, with each entry touching on another obscure corner of the universe. And Episode 4, "The Choad Less Traveled," continues the trend as it returns to the DC well of weird to namedrop another strange hero: Matter-Eater Lad.
After the conclusion of Episode 3, which saw Peacemaker and Vigilante go toe-to-toe with one of the Butterflies A.R.G.U.S. is so desperate to eliminate, the team returns to headquarters to break down the mission that went so terribly wrong. Murn asks to speak to Chris in his office because of his hesitance to shoot the Butterflies posing as children, which starts a dialogue about transparency. Chris claims he has no problem killing kids, so long as he knows why he's doing it, a sentiment Murn understands.
But while the two men eventually come to an understanding about the situation, Chris is still having a hard time grasping what he witnessed at the senator's house. In fact, the situation was so odd that it reminds him of his team-up with Matter-Eater Lad, who he once saw "eat an entire Wendy's restaurant." Murn is visibly confused about the idea of a man being able to eat anything, but if he was familiar with the comics, he would know that's not even the half of it.
Debuting in Adventure Comics #303 by Jerry Siegel and John Forte, Tenzil Kim, aka Matter-Eater Lad, is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes that can consume all forms of matter. And while, sure, that may not sound like a useful ability, it has actually come in handy on numerous occasions. In one notable instance, Matter-Eater Lad consumed the Miracle Machine, a device able to make thoughts into reality, when it put the fate of the universe at risk. He's also been able to consume other supposedly indestructible things, including Superman himself.
In just four episodes, Peacemaker has confirmed the existence of some of the strangest characters the DC Extended Universe will ever see. And with four more to go, it appears it will only be a matter of time before Gunn and Co. one-up their reference to the Legion of Super-Heroes' Matter-Eater Lad.
To see Matter-Eater Lad receive a namedrop, Peacemaker Episode 4 is streaming now on HBO Max.