Trash, Chaos, Butterfly Aliens — and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes: DC’s Best Show Is About Its Most Unhinged Hero
Peacemaker is such a strong story that it will continue even in the rebooted cinematic universe.
Rated R, full of blood, absurdity, and an opening sequence featuring a wild dance by all the characters — James Gunn’s Peacemaker confidently tops the list of DC’s best projects. A spinoff of The Suicide Squad, it turned out not just successful — it became the very show that salvaged the comic book universe’s reputation after a string of flops.
A Brutal Circus
The main character — Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker — played by John Cena, is a comic blend of the Terminator, a roided-up Homelander, and a grown child with unresolved trauma.
His motto is 'peace at any cost,' even if that means killing a few hundred people. But behind the goofy helmet and dumb antics hides a tragedy of fathers and sons: Robert Patrick as his racist neo-Nazi father is one of the show’s most chilling characters.
Lowbrow Jokes, High Expectations
Yes, there are plenty of toilet jokes and trash. Yes, sometimes it feels like the script was written as a dare — who can come up with the dumbest line. But it all works as satire on the superhero genre — an honest look at trauma, loneliness, and misfits trying to find their place in the world.
Pop Culture, Blood, and an Eagle Named Eagly
The series is packed with references to DC, comic book folklore, political satire, and military parody. Peacemaker’s bald eagle, Eagly, is a fully-fledged character with charisma, and the butterfly aliens who have taken over most politicians and people in power add a heavy dose of paranoia.
As a result, the project holds an 8.3 rating on IMDb — better than The Flash, Arrow, Smallville, and most other well-known DC shows. Peacemaker is both a parody and a drama, a caricature and — hands down — the best comic book series from the studio to date. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 93% critic score. And the audience love? Fully deserved.
