Even though Peacemaker is one of the lesser-known characters in DC Comics, James Gunn's critically acclaimed 2021 film The Suicide Squad exposed the character to a wider audience. Played by John Cena, this self-righteous parody of Captain America who will do whatever it takes to achieve peace--even if it means killing innocent people along the way.
Before the character became a breakout in The Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. announced in September of 2020 that a Peacemaker series would be coming to HBO Max. Even though it takes place after the film, this show will still explore how Peacemaker came to develop his twisted idea of peace. Gunn will write all eight episodes of the series and direct five of them in addition to serving as an executive producer alongside Cena and Peter Safran.
Although the series will consist of several characters from The Suicide Squad, it will also introduce new characters that have never before appeared in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Therefore, we've created a comprehensive cast and character guide for Peacemaker.
Christopher Smith / Peacemaker (John Cena)
Peacemaker made his on-screen debut in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. He is introduced as a trained killer who will do anything to achieve peace. While in prison, U.S. government official Amanda Waller recruits Peacemaker for Task Force X where he and the team are sent to Corto Maltese to destroy a research facility called Jotunheim, which houses a mysterious experiment known as "Project Starfish." Although Peacemaker shares a similar skill set to another member of the team, Bloodsport, Waller secretly assigns him to erase any evidence that ties the U.S. to Project Starfish. When Rick Flag finds out about this involvement, Peacemaker kills him and almost kills Ratcatcher 2, who also made the discovery, before Bloodsport fatally shoots him. The end-credits scene, however, reveals that Peacemaker is alive and healing from his injuries, thus setting up his spinoff series.
John Cena gained fame as a professional wrestler in the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) before becoming a viral internet meme thanks to his catchphrase, "You can't see me." Even though Cena has appeared in several action movies such as The Marine, 12 Rounds, and F9, he has received more praise for his roles in comedy films such as Trainwreck, Blockers, and Vacation Friends. While Cena has appeared in some episodes of scripted television that aren't WWE-related, Peacemaker is one of the few times where he's not playing himself.
Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland)
Harcourt first appeared in The Suicide Squad as an NSA agent who also helped Waller monitor Task Force X. At first, Harcourt didn't care much about the squad's well-being, even betting on which member would die. After Starro was let loose on Corto Maltese, Harcourt and the rest of the support team disobeyed Waller after she was knocked out and helped Task Force X save the city. As revenge, Waller sends Harcourt to assist the seemingly alive Peacemaker in a new mission.
Before The Suicide Squad, Jennifer Holland appeared in several hit TV shows including CSI: Miami, Rizzoli & Isles, and America Horror Story: Asylum. She also played a major role in the CMT miniseries Sun Records.
John Economos (Steve Agee)
Economos first appeared in The Suicide Squad as the tech guy in Waller's support crew for Task Force X. Even though Economos was unsure about Waller potentially killing Bloodsport's daughter, he still placed bets on which squad members would die. Fortunately, Economos helped Task Force X save Corto Maltese from Starro after Waller was knocked out. In revenge, Waller sends Economos to assist the seemingly alive Peacemaker in a new mission.
Outside of The Suicide Squad, Steve Agee is primarily known for playing Steve Myron in the Comedy Central sitcom The Sarah Silverman Show. He also had recurring roles in New Girl and Superstore. Moreover, Agee provided motion capture for King Shark in The Suicide Squad. Other James Gunn projects that he appeared in include Super, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Brightburn.
Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks)
Leota Adebayo is the newest recruit to Task Force X. Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter that her character has a "very different political view" than Peacemaker, so that could lead to some interesting back-and-forth between the two.
Danielle Brooks is best known for playing Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson in the critically acclaimed Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. Other TV shows she appeared in include Girls, Master of None, and Close Enough. Brooks also played Sofia in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple, which earned her a Tony nomination for Best Featured Performance in a Musical.
Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji)
Clemson Murn is another new character that Gunn created for Peacemaker. He is a tough-as-nails mercenary who Waller hires to put together a team to take down a global threat called the Butterflies. Murn also doesn't have a problem killing kids as seen in the second trailer.
Before Peacekeeper, Chukwud Iwuji has appeared in many popular TV shows including Designated Survivor, When They See Us, and Quantico. He will also reteam with Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as a yet-to-be-determined character.
Adrian Chase / Vigilante (Freddie Stroma)
Peacemaker will introduce another lesser-known character from DC Comics into the DCEU: Adrian Chase's Vigilante. In the source material, Chase is a district attorney-turned-crimefighter who can quickly heal from injuries. The show, however, sees Chase as a busboy who secretly acts as a crimefighter that idolizes Peacemaker although it's unclear if he retains his healing factor from the comics. Ironically, Chase and Smith were enemies in the comics, so that could carry over into the show.
Freddie Stroma is best known for playing Cormac McLaggen in the last three Harry Potter films. He also portrayed Dickon Tarly in the sixth season of Game of Thrones but did not reprise this role due to scheduling conflicts with the short-lived ABC series Time After Time. Funnily enough, Stroma is replacing Chris Conrad as Vigilante in Peacemaker after the latter actor amicably exited because of "creative differences."
Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick)
This series will also introduce us to Peacemaker's dad, August "Auggie" Smith. In The Suicide Squad, Waller described Auggie as "a soldier who trained his son how to kill from the moment he was born." Peacemaker looks to explore the difficult relationship between the titular protagonist and his father. Keep in mind that in the comics, Peacemaker's father is a concentration camp commander who kills himself in front of his five-year-old son and thereby influencing him into becoming Peacemaker, but maybe that could still be the case in this show.
Robert Patrick is best known for playing the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Other movies he's appeared in over the years include Spy Kids, Walk the Line, and Flag of Our Fathers. Patrick is also no stranger to television as he's popped up in several shows including The X-Files, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Sons of Anarchy. Peacemaker marks the second time that Cena and Patrick are working together as they both appeared in The Marine.
Sophie Song (Annie Chang)
Sophie Song is a new character that Gunn created for this show. Based on the second trailer, Song is a detective who is looking for Peacemaker.
Annie Chang is best known for portraying FBI agent Molly Chen in the first two seasons of the CBS cop drama Shades of Blue starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta. Other shows she's appeared in include House of Cards, Master of None, and 9-1-1. Chang will also pop in the first installment of the Showtime anthology series Super Pumped where she will play the girlfriend of Uber founder Travis Kalanick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).
Larry Fitzgibbon (Lochlyn Munro)
Larry Fitzgibbon is the friend and partner of Detective Song, so he's thereby also looking for Peacemaker. This character's name continues the tradition of Gunn naming a character Fitzgibbon in each of his projects after his close personal friend. Who knows? He might even be related to Dr. Fitzgibbon from The Suicide Squad, who inserted the nanite explosives into the bases of the Task Force X members' skulls and was played by Suicide Squad comics creator John Ostrander.
Lochlyn Munro's prior film appearances include Unforgiven, Scary Movie, and White Chicks. Munro currently plays Hal Cooper in the CW series Riverdale. Other DC shows that he's popped up in include Smallville, Arrow, and Lucifer.
Judomaster (Nhut Le)
Judomaster is another obscure character from DC Comics that the Peacemaker series will introduce into the DCEU. Just like Peacemaker, Judomaster was a character of Charlton Comics before the publication was acquired by DC comics. While four characters of the same name have existed in the DC Universe, they all specialize in Judo. Moreover, these characters are all portrayed as a hero whereas the show makes him out to be an adversary of Peacemaker.
Nhut Le is best known for his recurring role on the sketch comedy series Kroll Show. Le also starred in several short films and web series that he wrote and produced such as Stardumb, Comfort, and Gey Gardens.
Other actors who will appear in the show include Christopher Heyerdahl as Captain Locke, Rizwan Manji as Jamil, Alison Araya as Amber, and Lenny Jacobson as Evan. We'll get to learn more about all these characters when the first three episodes of Peacemaker hit HBO Max on January 13, 2022, with the rest of the series premiering weekly through February 17.