WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 2, "Best Friend, For Never," streaming now on HBO Max.

One of the most intriguing aspects about Chris Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena) has been his sense of denial, both in and out of the field. He masks his flaws with a macho, toxic attitude, hoping that by being an alpha leader in James Gunn's eccentric world, he can hide just how human he is. It's created a conflicting character, with this duality obvious to many that Peacemaker is nothing more than a scared little boy with a gun. Now, come the Peacemaker TV series, Chris has a heartfelt, tear-laden epiphany where he realizes a key figure from the past was right all along about him.

This is none other than Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag, who constantly butted heads with Chris in The Suicide Squad. Like Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Rick realized Chris was fronting, all about bravado to hide his own insecurities. It made Rick condescending to the marksman, wondering if Chris could ever become a real hero.

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Sadly, when Rick tried to escape with the data incriminating ARGUS and Amanda Waller for Project Starfish in Corto Maltese, Chris engaged in a scuffle and killed Rick. Chris was a loyal sycophant, wanting to prove himself to Waller, but as he stabbed Rick to death with tile shrapnel, Rick got one last dig in by calling Chris a "joke."

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In the second episode of Peacemaker, when Chris finally got a moment to himself after the encounter with the first Butterfly, he began to break down back at his old home. After calling himself a few choice names, he continued, "You killed Rick Flag. Flag was right, 'Peacemaker. What a joke.'" It echoes the last line Rick dropped before he died, confirming that Chris agrees with Rick's brutal assessment.

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It proved Rick's words had a lasting impact, which hit home a lot given that Chris' abusive dad, Auggie, saw him the same way. He never got approval and acceptance, only hatred from the racist, abusive and negligent weapons-maker as he grew up, so it explains why Peacemaker wanted to do anything to have Waller and, by extension, the government accept him as a devoted son. However, Chris' conscience began acting up, finally understanding he was a pawn -- a tool bred for war and a yes man that had no sense of identity and self-worth. It's a harsh breakdown but as he let it out, it did help to make him a more tragic, sympathetic character.

After all, Chris is searching for meaning and purpose, which is what he thought he'd get when he did the job and killed Rick. However, the trauma in this scene proved Chris is far from whole, informing why he's hesitant to blindly murder moving forward, hoping to undo the joke he once was. Ultimately, as he seeks redemption in Peacemaker, it may well be that he wants to become a man Rick would be proud of as a soldier, rather than his tyrannical father.

To see how Chris agrees with Rick Flag, the first three episodes of Peacemaker are streaming now on HBO Max.

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