WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker, now streaming on HBO Max.

Beyond its titular "hero," the Peacemaker TV also features another violent DC character: Vigilante. Though this name was originally used for a Western DC character, it's more synonymous with a deadly street-level anti-hero who debuted in the pages of The New Teen Titans. Many fans were disappointed in how the character was used in the Arrowverse and hoped that his DCEU equivalent would be a better adaptation. Unfortunately for fans of the Wolfman/Perez original, that's not the case.

Vigilante in Peacemaker is reduced to a wannabe Deadpool, completely removed from the moral and mental anguish of the comic book character. This lack of seriousness and gravitas not only harms the character's second TV incarnation but also cements some DCEU fans' fears that things might be getting too comedic in the universe with James Gunn in tow. Here's how Vigilante's second adaptation is even worse than his first.

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Vigilante In the Comics and the Arrowverse

Adrian Chase as Vigilante

Introduced in The New Teen Titans, Adrian Chase was a district attorney who aided the Teen Titans, namely their leader, Robin, in dealing with New York City street crime. Unfortunately, his perfect life would be turned upside down when his family was caught in the crossfire of his war against organized crime. Guilt-ridden and seeking vengeance, Chase became Vigilante, hunting down criminals and dealing with them in many times violent means. This made him DC's equivalent to Marvel's Punisher, though Chase, due to his constant guilt and moral conflict, was a much deeper character.

The character was split into two characters in the Arrowverse, with Adrian Chase being an alias used by the villainous Prometheus while Vigilante was actually Vincent Sobel, an original character who also lacked the backstory of the comic book character. Neither of these characters had the moral complexity of Chase in the comics, and the fact that Chase himself was made into the civilian identity of the unrelated Promethus made things even worse for fans. As disappointing as this was, however, it was still far better than what's been done with the character in the DCEU.

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How Peacemaker Ruins Vigilante

In the Peacemaker TV series, which is a sequel to 2021's The Suicide Squad and set in the DCEU, Vigilante is a former waiter who's a huge fan of Peacemaker. Desperate for a team up with his idol and engaging in similar forms of violent peacemaking, this Chase is a far cry from the character that Marv Wolfman and George Perez created nearly four decades ago. Again, gone is any sort of moral ambiguity or philosophical questioning of the role of street justice in a world where the system routinely fails. Instead, what's in its place is a ridiculous fanboy character who feels more like DC's Deadpool than DC's The Punisher.

Peacemaker is obviously going for some sort of satirical takedown of vigilantism, but a much better way to do this would have been to actually adapt Vigilante from the comics. In having an actually dark and violent Vigilante, the show could have Peacemaker question his own violent actions, namely those inflicted upon Rick Flag. This way, Vigilante could have been set up as a sort of villain, or even as a character who would later get his own show. This show also could have filled the void left by the cancellation of the Netflix Punisher series, especially since such R-rated material is something Marvel Studios seems hesitant to ever revisit.

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Though the darkness in the DCEU has definitely been criticized by some fans, it's been somewhat welcomed by those who've tired of the more lighthearted and joke-filled tone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Much of that tone can be traced to the success of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, and with Gunn now making DCEU projects like Peacemaker, the result is anything but a serious affair. Though it certainly makes for some good dark comedy, Peacemaker's biggest joke is unfortunately one of DC's best street-level anti-heroes.

To judge Vigilante for yourself, Peacemaker is streaming now on HBO Max. 

KEEP READING: Why Peacemaker Only Screened Seven Out of Eight Episodes for Critics