TV Review: Peacemaker Comes In…. Peace?
Is Peacemaker funny? Yeah. It is that typical, James Gunn humor of quick wit, crass scenarios, and surprising moments of sentimentality that make you contemplate your concept of what makes a “d-bag?” Yet, I felt a very “Gossip Girl 2.0” feeling as I watched Peacemaker, and I realized it is because I did not want him to be redeemed, nor do I think, as a character, would he. If Gossip Girl tried to make rich people care for the very environment they destroy, Peacemaker tries to make its lead a noble man when he, in fact, is a jerk. Yet, perhaps….. I am jaded, and Peacemaker is the January 13 premiere to defrost my cold heart.
What I loved about Peacemaker is the very thing that left me crossed about it….. can an asshole be redeemed? Is there such a thing as a breaking point, in your life, where you go from Saul to Paul (biblical reference), and the very cruelties you caused become the ones you kill to fight? Coming to HBO Max, the concept of redemption feels apropos for Gunn because it is the heartbeat of Guardians of the Galaxy, and, unfortunately, he has had his own row with cancel culture. The show is palpable on its commentary of people believing they have the right to take someone’s redemption arc or the belief that goodness can live in someone, despite their evils and mistakes. Hence, The GOG vibes are immediate as Peacemaker aligns with hilarious characters to prove misfits really do FIT together; as seen with Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Agent Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), the latter becoming a moral heartbeat to a character realizing he never had one.
What I loved about Suicide Squad is that it made its “villains” have self-worth and not so easily tossed. The fact that it approached the U.S. consistent funding of Latin American dictatorships had me SHOOK, and, in a way, embodied why those you think are “heroes” are, actually, the villain. In this world, Peacemaker would be seen as a dignified, government official with a prestigious history of defending his country, but the movie revealed his lack of compassion, malicious focus on capitalistic intentions, and delusion that he was entering a as its savior and not its invader. As a Boricua…. I come from a history of dealing with “Peacemakers,” which is why I felt a crux of existentialism, and a sincere questioning of whether the bad you did can outweigh the good you can do, especially if you were just another hurt guy hurting people…. except he killed them.
Naturally, every villain sees himself as a superhero, and Suicide Squad totally solidified that truth for John Cena’s Peacemaker or as we get to know him: Chris. Yet, when we meet Peacemaker his body and ego are shattered, and Cena gives Peacemaker’s journey a subtle sweetness blended with immense lostness. He didn’t die at the hands of my beloved Rick Flagg, but, in a way, he was reborn, and no resurrection comes without a dose of reality check. Sometimes, instances pop up, consistently, in your head to embody every moment that fractured you, and returning to his mean dad, Auggie (Robert Patrick), along with being pushed into another mission for the same people that taught him to kill but would leave him to die makes Chris oddly relatable. Yes… I said relatable.
I think now, more than ever, people are questioning their motives and how much of their past and even their familial history has turned them into who they are. I have noticed the recent media, from And Just Like That to Encanto, drudge up the complexities of self-identity, and whether your wounds or your triumphs define you most. Peacemaker focuses on whether the wounds or triumphs you cause others are so bad, you can ever find the good of you, despite them. It’s an intriguing, frustrating question because, again, he is a villain.
