SERIES REVIEW – Peacemaker does not seem like a good idea for a series at first. James Gunn has taken one of the real villains of The Suicide Squad – an absolute brute of a man, willing to betray his teammates to cover up the terrible crimes of the US government – and asks us to care about his motives even to see him as a hero.

None of this would have worked if Gunn had made a classic superhero series for Peacemaker, aka Chris Smith. But in many ways, Peacemaker is the crystallization of the themes that Gunn has been shaping since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Ultimately, it’s a story about the redemptive power of friendship and how hard it is to change, especially if that means breaking ties with toxic parents or forgiving oneself for past traumas.

Forced work, once again

The Peacemaker picks up shortly after Suicide Squad, and the title character is once again forced to work with Amanda Waller’s A.R.G.U.S. secret squad. But instead of working with other supervillains, she’s partnered with the agents who worked behind the scenes during Suicide Squad and must take part in Project Butterfly: a life-threatening mission about which she knows very little. The stakes and the nature of the real threat are revealed slowly, yet there are so many laughs and so much action that we never feel Gunn is stalling or overly tiring with too much exposure. The plot is also extremely clever: key events and points eventually come back to contribute to a powerful, epic conclusion.

Yet the different parts all fit together very well. Even Peacemaker’s constant teasing joke about how A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos paints his beard finally has a remarkable role in the final episode of the series. Characters that could easily be one-dimensional villains are given surprising depth throughout the eight-episode season. While there isn’t much character development for some of the superheroes, as they may not change much if they want to show up in the next sequel, by breaking free of franchise constraints, Gunn was able to focus on the way the team members and even the antagonists learn to respect each other and, in some cases, even become friends.

Gunn directed the cast with an expert hand. John Cena shows his biting humour and his impressive emotional depth and vulnerability as he grapples with his relationship with his abusive, white supremacist father, Auggie, played terrifically well by Robert Patrick. While there are hints of a budding romance between Chris and A.R.G.U.S. agent Emilia Harcourt, the most crucial relationship in the series is the purely platonic bond Chris forms with new recruit Leota Adebayo. Adebayo is struggling with her own family baggage and figuring out what she is really capable of and how much she wants to be a part of her family’s morally questionable practices.

Sci-fi, and a great parody of the superhero elements

The action and fight sequences in the series are extremely spectacular and well-choreographed, largely eschewing CGI for a lot of the novelty and humour in both the epic, mass confrontations and face-to-face fights. Although Peacemaker is obviously the strongest character, even he is often beaten or humiliated, and the low strength levels and high emotional vulnerability of the others make it seem as if we feel every blow they take in our guts.

Gunn masterfully weaves the sci-fi and superhero elements into the story while hilariously parodying both. Peacemaker seems to have a sordid tale of every DC hero, and he mocks Batman for not being tough enough to kill his own enemies. Yet, he desperately clings to his own purpose and moral code, motivated by his own tragic backstory. The series is also a veiled critique of ideology-driven murderous power. Peacemaker takes a ridiculous vow to kill as many men, women and children as he wants ‘in the name of peace’, but he will not tolerate being tricked or forced into killing for reasons he does not understand. Most amusingly, he has to have a frog dove strapped to his gun, or he refuses to shoot it. Gunn’s sarcastic humour, of course, makes fun of this seemingly (in many of his manifestations) monolithic ‘patriot’, yet Chris’s ‘code of honour’ somehow fits in well with this crazy world.

Gunn also pays homage to classic alien films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Alive, with plenty of humour that is both a harsh rebuke of humanity and a rejection of the assumption that freedom of choice is inherently sacred. Instead, Gunn returns again to his basic premise about the healing power of love. If a crude bully like the Peacemaker can change for the better, then perhaps there is hope for humanity after all.

One of Gunn’s best creations

Peacemaker is one of Gunn’s best works, and the longer format of the eight-episode series allows him to really showcase the themes, character building, action and humour that he brought to Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad. While the gritty characters and gory visuals may put off some viewers, these run parallel to the deep emotional core and the apt and sarcastic social critiques and chuckle-inducing humour that really hit home as part of a well-thought-out and twisty plot. This series isn’t for everyone, but it will be a huge favourite if you can get a taste for it.

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