The Wesleyan Argus | James Gunn’s “Peacemaker” Perfects Superhero Streaming TV

c/o HBO Max

Author/director James Gunn may simply be essentially the most distinctive voice in superhero cinema immediately. Coming to prominence with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” motion pictures, Gunn has since branched out to the DC Universe, helming final 12 months’s tragically underrated sequel-reboot, “The Suicide Squad.” Now, with a “The Suicide Squad” spinoff, “Peacemaker,” whose first season is now streaming on HBO Max, Gunn has additional refined his signature fashion with a tightly crafted present that brings every part from gross-out violence to touching emotional moments. If all that doesn’t sound engaging sufficient, “Peacemaker” additionally encompasses a genuinely hypnotic and joyous opening credit sequence: a neon-lit hair metal-backed dance quantity that I by no means as soon as thought of skipping. 

After we first meet Chris Smith (John Cena), alias Peacemaker, in “The Suicide Squad,” he’s the closest the titular group of mercenary supervillains has to a real dangerous man. A straightforward-minded, blindly jingoistic authorities killer, he carries himself in a way Cena described in an interview with Den of Geek as a “bro-y, douchey Captain America.” His ethos is greatest captured in a quote he delivers to his teammates early on within the movie:

“I cherish peace with all my coronary heart. I don’t care what number of males, girls, and youngsters I must kill to get it.”

At a secret authorities base within the fictional nation of Corto Maltese, the squad uncovers proof of horrific human experimentation carried out by the nation’s American-backed authorities. Crew chief Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) insists on making the data public, however Smith, blindly following the orders of his superiors, insists on carrying ahead with destroying the bottom, finishing their mission, and leaving, ignoring the menace that the alien monster contained within the base poses to the close by metropolis. Because the group turns towards him, Smith kills Flag, whose final phrases echo in Smith’s head:

“Peacemaker. What a joke.”

Because the surviving members of the squad abandon their mission, selecting as an alternative to guard civilians, Smith is left for lifeless within the base’s rubble. “Peacemaker” picks up simply weeks later, as he recovers in a hospital, haunted by his actions and contemplating turning over a brand new leaf, simply as he’s recruited for one more top-secret mission by the group A.R.G.U.S. (no relation to this publication), searching down body-snatching aliens often called “butterflies.”

On the mission, he’s joined not by one other Suicide Squad group of supervillains however comparatively peculiar authorities operatives: Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), a seemingly common lady thrust into the world of superheroes and alien invasions; Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), a quiet mercenary with a mysterious previous that proves integral to the group’s activity; Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), a snarky, hard-nosed A.R.G.U.S. agent; and John Economos (Steve Agee), an insecure tech whiz whose darkish dyed beard turns into the goal of Smith’s mockery. 

Rounding out the supporting solid are Sophie Tune (Annie Chang), a small-town police detective who finds herself on Smith’s tail, and Judomaster (Nhut Le), a martial arts grasp with a Napoleon advanced and a penchant for Flamin’ Scorching Cheetos who appears to have little agenda past popping up periodically to incite chaos. Tagging alongside on Smith’s mission is Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma), alias Vigilante, a good-natured psychopath whose mission to wipe out crime with deadly pressure brings him to contemplate Smith his greatest good friend, even when the sensation isn’t mutual. 

As this motley crew seeks to infiltrate and dismantle the butterflies’ obvious plans for world domination, personalities rapidly conflict, and Gunn’s expertise for writing vulgar humor is totally showcased within the back-and-forth banter. However alongside the jokes comes a real inside battle: A.R.G.U.S. needs Smith to be the order-following killer he’s all the time been, however the occasions of “The Suicide Squad” have set him on a brand new path. Smith begins to cherish the buddies he’s making, questioning whether or not he needs to pursue his previous ethos of peace at any value. Cena flexes his performing chops as Smith confronts poisonous masculinity and his traumatic previous.

Grappling along with his upbringing leads Smith again to his father, August “Auggie” Smith (Robert Patrick). Auggie, we study, was chargeable for the tough, abusive upbringing that molded his son right into a killing machine. What’s extra, he has a secret identification of his personal: White Dragon, a white supremacist supervillain with a high-tech go well with that’s half Iron Man, half Klansman. The daddy-son battle right here begins as tense psychological warfare however quickly escalates because the explosions transfer from metaphorical to bodily. 

What units “Peacemaker” a minimize above a lot different superhero media is its mix of humor and coronary heart. The present has loads of absurd moments: Smith recites a listing of filthy anecdotes about superheroes he claims to have met, Chase begins a battle with a gang of white supremacists by asking them to volunteer their favourite contributions by African Individuals to common tradition, and Economos fights a butterfly-possessed gorilla whereas wielding a chainsaw. But its characters additionally face honest emotional stakes, battle, and growth. One episode’s muted conclusion, the place Smith softly performs piano alone as he remembers his childhood whereas his enemies shut in, is especially transferring. 

One other factor that makes “Peacemaker” stand out is how genuinely self-contained it’s. Whereas a lot of Marvel’s streaming exhibits on Disney+ are well-made, their high quality is usually undermined by a devotion to the general Marvel Cinematic Universe. The creativity of “WandaVision” ends on a cliffhanger to tease “Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity.” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” serves much less as a narrative unto itself and extra as a prologue to the following “Captain America” film. In contrast, “Peacemaker” tells a whole story from starting to finish, with a very outlined arc and emotional decision for its protagonist. Positive, one other season has been greenlit, however the first season may simply stand by itself. Even a cameo within the closing episode by the Justice League, that includes quips from Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and the Flash (Ezra Miller) doesn’t tease these characters’ upcoming motion pictures: it’s simply one other element to fill out the “Peacemaker” world. 

In some ways, “Peacemaker” feels just like the end result of Gunn’s profession to this point, mixing the vulgarity and violence of his early work with the emotionally earnest superheroics of his Marvel work. Slightly than being tonally inconsistent, the tragedy and comedy construct on and feed into each other, coming collectively into an entire that’s hilarious, action-packed, and emotionally satisfying. 

Oscar Kim Bauman may be reached at obauman@wesleyan.edu.