DC’s Newest Series Introduces the Most Terrifying Version of Peacemaker

Suicide Squad Isekai delivers some interesting new takes on established DC characters, such as Harley Quinn, The Joker, Amanda Waller, Rick Flagg, and of course, Clayface, who we discussed earlier. Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, is another interesting take on an established DC character, and he has recently been gaining quite a bit of traction in media adaptations for the DC Universe. Peacemaker (Takehito Koyasu) joins the secondary team of Task Force X sent by Argus to the alternate fantasy realm in the first episode. The character in the anime version is a significant departure from the more notable version portrayed by John Cena in The Suicide Squad and the Max spin-off Peacemaker. Although the anime version of Peacemaker looks similar, he is very different from the live-action Peacemaker in both personality and behavior, but that also makes him a refreshing alternative to Cena’s version. It’s time to take a deeper look at Peacemaker in Suicide Squad Isekai.

‘Suicide Squad Isekai’ Features a More Serious, No Nonsense Version of Peacemaker

The version of Peacemaker featured in The Suicide Squad and his subsequent self-titled spin-off series is a more comedic take on the character. Peacemaker is a more obscure, deep-cut character from the DC Universe, so it makes sense that James Gunn would lean into more of his darkly humorous, satirical, and irreverent style for his specific iteration. Gunn’s version often comes off like a goofy, and sometimes buffoonish, meathead. However, Gunn imbues his Peacemaker with a great deal of dimension and layers of pathos that make the character more relatable and sympathetic. The live-action Peacemaker pays homage to the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of the character, updated to modern times. The TV series depicts a young Christopher Smith, traumatized and routinely abused by his bigoted father, August Ransom Smith (Robert Patrick), who is also the supervillain White Dragon. Suicide Squad Isekai takes Peacemaker in a different direction.

Suicide Squad Isekai largely eschews the goofier, comedic side of Peacemaker. Instead, the show opts for Peacemaker to be ultra serious and competent. He doesn’t goof off and joke about things like the Cena version. Rather, he’s obsessively razor-focused on his mission of peace at all costs and by any means necessary. Although that was the mission statement and modus operandi of the Cena version, it appears more like lip service rather than something the character actively pursues. The anime version of Peacemaker takes his work so seriously that at times, he comes off as ruthlessly machine-like. After the Task Force X team gets sent to another world, he’s able to keep a mental clock of the timer for their neck explosives down to the very second. The anime adaptation of Peacemaker proves to be a far more disciplined, serious, competent, and sometimes terrifying character.

Peacemaker Shows a Glimpse of His Darker Side Later in the Series

During the seventh episode of the series, The Thinker manages to sack one of Queen Aldora’s (Mamiko Noto) key forts and outposts that Task Force X regained control of from the enemy Empire earlier in the season. The Thinker then creates a new fortress, with Katana (Chika Anzai) and an army of elves at his disposal. The problem is that Thinker controls hundreds of elven soldiers using his mind-control technology. Peacemaker crafts a plan to bring down Thinker’s fortress. While he initially wants to disguise himself as an elf wearing a wig, something that Rick Flag (Taku Yashiro) and Deadshot (Reigo Yamaguchi) reject, Peacemaker comes up with a way to disrupt the entire elven army.

After Nanaue, aka King Shark (Subaru Kimura), captures one of the elven soldiers, Peacemaker surmises that since all the elves have a mind control device allowing them to act as a single unit, it means they are telepathically linked. That means if Peacemaker starts brutally torturing a single elf, it will disrupt and affect the others. Using only a crude hammer, Peacemaker starts smashing the fingers of the elven soldier, creating a distraction for The Thinker’s entire elven force, allowing Harley Quinn to easily access the fortress. The mad look and sadistic smile on Peacemaker’s face as he gleefully tortured the poor elf was terrifying. Peacemaker never looked more frightening in any media adaptation than in this particular moment. His actions enable Task Force X to defeat The Thinker and his army as their unpredictable, unconventional methods were something the villain could not anticipate.

Anime Peacemaker More Closely Resembles His Comic Book Counterpart

So far, the anime Peacemaker’s characterization and personality more closely resemble his comic book counterpart, specifically the post-Crisis version of Peacemaker, who debuted in the pages of Vigilante. In the post-Crisis era, Christopher Smith as Peacemaker is a strict soldier, who believes in peace through force and that the ends justify the means. However, Peacemaker is also haunted by the loss of innocent lives and bystanders, believing his helmet absorbs victims’ souls and speaks to him, demanding righteous vengeance. There is an element of mental instability and psychopathy in the character, which Suicide Squad Isekai leans into for its story.

Peacemaker in the anime series is not completely devoid of jokes and humor. Still, the humorous side of Peacemaker in Suicide Squad Isekai usually results from the overly serious manner in which he takes every subject. Take, for example, the eighth episode. After Queen Aldora exiles Task Force X from the royal kingdom, the team enters a tavern to drink away their sorrows. Even Peacemaker starts drinking, believing he cannot get drunk. Later, the group starts a comedic bar fight, and Peacemaker enters the fray, suddenly pantsless and angry because his “peace” has been disturbed. Harley Quinn only makes it worse when she throws an object at his head, which further outrages Peacemaker. This event and others, such as his attempt at an elven disguise, illustrate how the show depicts Peacemaker in humorous situations. It’s the dichotomy of a strict, dutiful soldier taking himself way too seriously, sometimes to the point of absurdity.

Peacemaker Could Become an Unpredictable Wildcard in ‘Suicide Squad Isekai’

Peacemaker’s obsessive devotion and quest for peace make him a formidable asset for Task Force X. Yet, that same obsessive behavior also makes him an unpredictable wildcard. Peacemaker does not appear to feel any sense of camaraderie or friendship with the other members of Task Force X, and it appears he would undoubtedly kill or betray them to attain his goal of peace through violence.

This is not to say that Peacemaker is a better character in Suicide Squad Isekai. John Cena does a remarkable job with his interpretation and performance. Peacemaker’s spin-off television series skillfully fleshes out his backstory, revealing Cena’s version of Christopher Smith as an incredibly sad character with a tragic past. Gunn uses elements of the comics to craft a uniquely different version of the character. Nevertheless, it’s nice that the version in Suicide Squad Isekai isn’t specifically tied to Gunn’s iteration and tries something different. Seeing Peacemaker, who appears to be far more competent, serious, and at times scary, in this setting provides a nice change of pace for the show’s depictions of previously established DC heroes.

Suicide Squad Isekai is streaming now on Hulu in the U.S.

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