North Texas Daily

When I walked out of “The Suicide Squad” last year and the “Peacemaker” show was announced, I had two main thoughts. The first thought consisted of me wondering why, of all the characters from the film, Peacemaker was getting a spinoff? The second thought immediately fought the first off because I could then only think about how we were going to get more John Cena. The wrestling fan in me was overflowing with joy.

Not only did this show exceed every single expectation I had, but it has also now taken its place as my favorite thing the DC Extended Universe has done. This James Gunn guy is pretty slick with this superhero stuff, huh?

Just like in “The Suicide Squad,” Cena absolutely crushes the role of Peacemaker. He is so incredibly unlikeable when the show starts, especially because of where his character was left off in the previous film. You could have never convinced me his character had so much depth until the show inevitably did.

I would love to direct some attention to the side characters who carried more weight of the show than Cena did. Danielle Brooks plays Leota Adebayo and from the get-go, I knew I was going to love her character. Her cluelessness to the crime-fighting life gave us a character to latch onto. Brooks does a great job from the beginning to the very end and I hope we get more of her down the road.

It would be criminal not to mention Freddie Stroma’s portrayal of Vigilante. He is easily one of the funniest characters we have seen in the superhero genre and there are always two or three lines in every episode determined to make you laugh out loud.

Eight episodes is not a whole lot of time to set the scene and give everyone an equal amount of development, but leave it to Gunn and company to make it look effortless. A show like this just goes to show how magical it can be when Gunn gets to go about his projects with complete creative control. From the superhero genre itself to social issues going on in the world today, the show also commentates on pretty much everything there is to talk about.

This is basically one big seven-hour movie, so it had a lot to say. The depth Cena adds to Peacemaker makes you sympathize with the same character we all hated six months ago.

The DCEU has always had a problem taking itself too seriously, but the opening credits to this show alone show us how we are in a new era. I have never been so joyfully confused by a show before and I think season two’s announcement goes to show the folks over at DC have their full faith in Gunn moving forward. Every episode just got better and better. 

The main reason the show works so well is because it feels so personal and small scale. Every character is going through some sort of issue and by the end of the show, every single one of those characters is fleshed out and developed to perfection.

As far as superhero shows go, “Peacemaker” and “Harley Quinn” sit on top. I have been a fan of a lot of the Marvel shows, but none of them hold a candle to these two. I love how DC is just making whatever they want with no care of a larger story ahead. If they want to make a little spin-off show about one of the most despicable characters in recent memory, by all means, I trust them to do it. 

The truth is, I will watch anything with John Cena front and center, but adding the rest of the cast to the mix created a recipe for perfection.

Final Rating: 5/5

Featured Illustration by Miranda Thomas