For a guy who hates every superhero, Peacemaker's show is full of references to them. From marquee
heroes like Batman and Superman to the obscure Kite-Man and Bat-Mite – and even a little nod
to the upcoming "Black Adam" movie – these are all the Easter eggs you missed in "Peacemaker."
Considering how dead he appeared to be by the end of the movie, it's a bit of a miracle that
Peacemaker walked away from the events of "The Suicide Squad" at all. But walk away he did,
and it turns out he kept a few souvenirs from his ill-fated trip to South America.
After emptying the personal items he is carrying during his hospital visit in the
first episode, viewers can plainly see a postcard from Corto Maltese.
Furthermore, once Peacemaker attempts to pay his taxi driver for the car ride to his dumpy trailer,
he offers him some currency from Corto Maltese, hinting to the driver that it could be worth a
million dollars. Of course, the driver isn't a fool, and takes his helmet as payment instead.
Aside from being the setting of "The Suicide Squad" film, Corto Maltese has an extensive
history as a fictional country in the DC universe. It was first introduced in Frank Miller's "The
Dark Knight Returns" comics, released in 1986. Miller used Corto Maltese as a sensitive pressure
point in the burgeoning tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the ongoing Cold War.
In that series, the Soviets maintain control of the tiny South American island,
but the U.S. supports a rebellion to usurp power over the country's leadership.
This causes Russia to fire a nuclear warhead at the U.S., which Superman attempts to stop.
Corto Maltese is also referenced in Tim Burton's "Batman" in 1989 and countless
comic storylines. It also makes several appearances in the CW's sprawling Arrowverse.
In the first episode of "Peacemaker," viewers who took a quick pause to view
all of Peacemaker's personal items at the hospital may have noticed a note
with the name Valentina on it, along with what might be a phone number.
DC comics fans will likely make the connection to Valentina Vostok, a DC character who was once
a member of the Doom Patrol. Under the alias Negative Woman, the U.S. government uses her
for her unique espionage capabilities, and she often crosses paths with Peacemaker.
Where Peacemaker obtains her phone number in his TV show is a bit of a mystery.
Perhaps it occurs off-screen during the club scene in "The Suicide Squad." Or maybe it's something
he's been carrying with him for quite some time. Seeing as Valentina is a Russian defector to the
United States, however, she may have interests in Corto Maltese, or she could simply be an associate
of Amanda Waller. It's anybody's guess, but perhaps we'll see her in "Peacemaker" Season 2.
Peacemaker has a bone to pick with the Justice League. He may even be envious of
their popularity and prestige in the superhero community. After all, Peacemaker often laments
that no one likes him, but everyone loves Superman. In the first episode, Peacemaker
is made fun of by the hospital janitor, Jamil, when he claims to be a superhero. After Jamil
brings up his favorite hero, Aquaman, Peacemaker offers a story he heard from a "credible" source.
"Aquaman f—ks fish?"
"Yeah."
"I don't believe it."
"Guy on Twitter works for the aquarium. Said for
50 bucks he brings him to the back so he can have his way with a sturgeon."
During a meeting, Clemson Murn discusses how the butterfly aliens take over human
bodies — by entering through an orifice. When the team jokes about John's slide
depicting a butterfly entering a human anus, Peacemaker mocks another famous alien, Superman,
for apparently having a unique fondness for bodily waste. Once again, the internet
apparently tells no lies in Peacemaker's mind. Later, Peacemaker calls Batman a "jackass" who
fails to do the job of eliminating villains while arguing with his father's neighbor.
After appearing as a guest speaker at a school as a favor to Jamil and his daughter,
one child asks Peacemaker if he ever met the Flash. He claims he has and
that the Flash is a jerk -– although he uses more colorful descriptors.
Peacemaker also insinuates that Wonder Woman has the hots for him. Overall,
it's pretty clear that Peacemaker has very little respect for the greatest heroes in the DCEU.
It's no secret that Peacemaker doesn't play nicely with others. He also carries
grudges and seemingly has one against the powerful DC comics villain, Eclipso,
a powerful enemy who can absorb other heroes and take control of their abilities.
In the first episode, an image of the villain can be seen on Peacemaker's dartboard in his trailer.
The Peacemaker has a not-so-friendly run-in with the villain in the 1992 comic series
"Eclipso" by Robert Loren Fleming and Audwynn Jermaine Newman. In this series,
Amanda Waller led a group of obscure DC characters known as the Shadow Fighters.
Peacemaker is a part of the team tasked with bringing down Eclipso. The clash ends in disaster
as many of the characters are killed — including Peacemaker, who dies in a helicopter crash.
While this bit of history can't possibly exist in the TV series as Peacemaker is alive and well,
James Gunn confirmed the reference on Twitter. Regardless, Peacemaker
seems keenly and begrudgingly aware of Eclipso's existence.
In the first episode of Peacemaker, Amanda Waller tasks her daughter,
Leota, with the job of planting a fake Peacemaker diary in his apartment.
That way, once the inevitable result of the mission is complete, a search of Peacemaker's home
will incriminate the hapless mercenary and likely send him right back into Amanda Waller's arms.
The diary cover has a sticker featuring a logo for the Wayne Foundation. The Wayne Foundation
is a philanthropic entity, and Bruce Wayne's means of advancing justice outside the cowl.
He often uses the organization as a soapbox to advocate for economic
reforms that will aid the lower class and help support the citizens of Gotham.
The Wayne Foundation has also provided much-needed resources to the impoverished. The sticker on the
faux-Peacemaker diary is curious as the symbol actually resembles the Wayne Enterprises logo
seen in the Christopher Nolan trilogy of Batman films, not the different logo found in the DCEU.
Of all characters to receive a live-action reference, Bat-Mite was, perhaps, the least
unexpected. The fifth-dimensional imp is known in the DC Comics lore as an extreme Batman fanatic.
Essentially, he's like many of us, just smaller and with magical abilities. He shares the same
home dimension as Mister Mxyzptlk, a DC villain who appears in a memorable episode of "Superman:
The Animated Series," among other places. However, Bat-Mite often just wants to see
the Dark Knight in action. Sometimes, he even throws obstacles in the hero's way
just to gawk at Batman's prowess. He's sometimes helpful but is more often a pain in the rear.
When John Economos is bandaging up Peacemaker in Episode 2, the two share words as Peacemaker
insists on mocking the tech liaison. John loudly exclaims that he'd rather work with Harley Quinn,
the Weasel, or even Bat-Mite than with Peacemaker. Confused, Peacemaker questions
who Bat-Mite is. Either Peacemaker is living under a rock in the DCEU world, or John simply
knows of Bat-Mite from his experience in black ops missions under Amanda Waller.
In the second episode of "Peacemaker," John frames Peacemaker's father, Auggie Smith, for the murder
of the butterfly-bewitched assailant Peacemaker was forced to kill in the first episode.
When Detective Sophie Song sees Auggie's followers kneeling before him in lock-up,
she remarks to her partner that she had thought that "capes" were sent over to Arkham or Belle
Reve. This aside indicates that super villains typically receive mental health treatment with
their prison stay — or they're thrown to Amanda Waller to be utilized in her Suicide Squad.
Arkham Asylum is a famous and iconic locale in the DC universe. It's located in Gotham City and
houses many of Batman's villains deemed insane or mentally unstable. Of course, villains commonly
escape from the maximum-security facility because, well, Batman needs something to do.
Belle Reve is another high-security facility that contains the most hardened and powerful
metahumans. Amanda Waller is often seen operating the Suicide Squad out of this prison.
Most of the Suicide Squad volunteers vying for a reduced prison sentence come from this prison.
Detective Song's mention of both facilities acknowledges that the
world contains baddies that aren't fit for ordinary prison life. Perhaps,
considering that Auggie isn't just a garden variety scumbag, and he's also the White Dragon,
he should've landed in one of those places for his prison stay instead.
"The system's overcrowded. He'll have to stay here through his trial."
James Gunn clearly has an affinity for the lesser-known and obscure odd characters of the
DC Comics world. In Episode 3, Peacemaker mentions another strange DC character known as Doll Man.
"Hey, Doll Man? You ever meet him?"
"Doll Man?"
"He turns small."
Murn's explanation is a bit of an oversimplification. Doll Man certainly
does shrink, but when he does so he retains his physical strength as if he were still full-grown.
While there are multiple versions of the character, the most famous iterations were
Darrel Dane, a scientist, and Lester Colt, a special forces operator. They both gained
the ability to shrink, although Lester's was a bit more permanent, at least for a time.
Who knows what iteration of the character Peacemaker may have been referring to?
Peacemaker has lived a wild life. The series makes no
secret of that, as he constantly unveils eyebrow-raising tidbits about his past.
When talking to Murn about the idea of allowing Vigilante to join the team in Episode 4,
Peacemaker questions the call, thinking that Vigilante might
be a little too crazy for the mission at hand.
Murn is aware of Vigilante's issues but is willing to ignore them because he needs help.
Peacemaker then makes a truly surprising reference.
"Ever since I had a team-up with Matter-Eater Lad, my sense of what's normal is a little f—ked up."
Matter-Eater Lad hails from the distant future. By nature of his race, he can eat matter in all its
forms, just as his name implies. Most famously, he joins the Legion of Super-Heroes. At first blush,
the capability of eating anything might not seem practical when employed for super-heroics.
However, Matter-Eater Lad is capable of using his powers to neutralize devastating weaponry,
and he's capable of eating powerful artifacts that are deemed as indestructible. Humorously,
Peacemaker remarks that he once saw the character eat an entire Wendy's restaurant.
"His name is Matter-Eater Lad?"
"Yeah, with all that's going on, why are you so interested in him?
Not the time to be getting distracted, Murn."
In Episode 4, Auggie's elderly neighbor has fun taunting Peacemaker,
whom he believes is nothing more than a fake superhero.
At one point, Peacemaker is leaving his father's home with a bunch of helmets and equipment.
The feisty neighbor mentions that Batman has a coterie of super villains, listing Joker,
Riddler, and Mad Hatter. He then asks why Peacemaker doesn't have his own collection of
villains. Peacemaker exclaims that his enemies are lying six feet underground, and he attacks
Batman's legacy for not being capable of pulling the trigger on these dangerous characters.
"Batman doesn't kill people."
“Because he's a pussy!"
"He's a dark creature of the knight!"
"He's a jackass!"
Of course, everyone is familiar with Batman's famous rogues' gallery.
Joker likely sits at the top of such a gallery in most people's eyes. However,
the mention of Mad Hatter, also known as Jervis Tetch, is yet another fun reference to a villain
that may not be widely known. This villain is famous for developing a technology that
allows him to control others' minds when he places a card or hat on their head.
In the fourth episode, a fun little superhero bunny figure can be seen sitting on the dash
of Vigilante's car. This isn't simply a throwaway detail included showing how
child-like or off-the-wall Adrian is. In fact, it's a reference to a fictional character,
Ultra Bunny, who was created for the DCEU by James Gunn,
as he revealed when he posted a sketch of the character on Instagram.
In "The Suicide Squad," Rick Flagg's team is eliminated and he is taken
captive by guerilla fighters rebelling against the Corto Maltesian regime.
However, he's given a new shirt and some gear when it becomes clear that they are on the same side.
The shirt he wears for the remainder of the film is an Ultra Bunny t-shirt.
Apparently, the fictional character is even popular in Corto Maltese.
Like "Peacemaker," the starring role of the
DCEU film "Black Adam" is played by a former pro wrestler, Dwayne Johnson.
It only makes sense that serious fans get a few teases during the wait for that movie.
The "Peacemaker" series provides one minor but clear-cut reference to Black Adam. In Episode 4,
Leota prods Adrian to kill Peacemaker's father, Auggie, while he is imprisoned. Adrian decides
to get close to the racist scoundrel the only way he knows how –- by getting arrested. When
Adrian goes to a break area for guards on duty to chuck a garbage can into a window,
he passes a prison guard who's killing time by reading a newspaper. One of the stories
referenced is that of an "Intergang" potentially seizing control in the nation of Kahndaq.
In one version of his origin story, Black Adam was born thousands of years ago in Kahndaq, a
fictional country not unlike Egypt from a cultural standpoint. The wizard Shazam granted him powers
to act as a protector. However, when a villain kills his family, Black Adam is enraged and
vows to protect Kahndaq by any means necessary, including exacting bloody vengeance on criminals.
The wizard sealed Black Adam away to keep him from causing further destruction.
Kite-Man isn't a stranger to recent DC media projects, as he had a humorous role in the
animated "Harley Quinn" series vying for Poison Ivy's love. As such, this reference
may not be entirely lost on everyone. But even if you've never heard of Kite-Man,
you can probably figure out what his power is. It’s just as ridiculous as his name implies.
Kite-Man's entire superhero persona is modeled around… a kite. He can fly or glide like a kite
and often employs kite-related weaponry. As a comic book character, he isn't well known,
and is generally regarded as a charming relic from a campier age of comic book storytelling.
That said, Peacemaker at least takes Kite-Man seriously.
In Episode 5, Peacemaker proudly displays a newspaper clipping in his trailer where
he is hailed as a hero for apprehending Kite-Man. While Peacemaker has been derided
during this series as being a wannabe superhero, and even sometimes a villain,
this clipping makes it appear that he was once recognized as a true-blue good guy.
Perhaps that's why he keeps a reminder of this fond memory in his trailer. In the next episode,
he's seen telling school children the story of when he brought down Kite-Man and turned him in.
Clearly, his battle with this less than nefarious villain is something that gives him great pride.
"Wouldn't he have crashed anyway due to gravity?"
"No."
Perhaps Auggie's elderly neighbor was on to something.
Peacemaker may kill his enemies now, but at one point he used to
operate as a straight arrow similar to Batman -– a hero he seemingly despises.
Midway through the series, Clemson Murn makes a deal with a former comrade, Caspar Locke,
to help tamp down calls for re-working the evidence incriminating Peacemaker,
and Locke poses as the new police captain to accomplish this. However, during Locke's initial
meeting with Murn in Episode 5, he references the duo's past in the "jungles of Nyasir."
Nyasir is another fictional country in DC lore located in northern Africa. It's only been
referenced during one story, in which Superman travels to the country to investigate a metahuman
among the membership of a church being suppressed by the government. When the military takes part
in killing missionaries, the metahuman known as Redemption launches a retaliatory attack.
Superman comes to blows with the character, and Redemption proves to be able to handle
himself against the Man of Steel. He can unleash blasts of energy and maintain the same level of
strength as Superman. This could be just a simple reference for fans to consume or
a potential narrative thread that may bear fruit in the future. Only time will tell.
If the Justice League exists in the DCEU,
surely some of the other more famous DC heroes, like the Green Arrow, do as well.
In Episode 8, the team sets off on their noble mission to kill a cow, which is the food
source of the series' butterflies. While devising a plan, Peacemaker's anti-gravity helmet floats
away when Leota accidentally activates it with a voice command. Though frustrated,
Peacemaker begins coming up with a new plan, coming up with the idea to plant his sonic boom
helmet on top of the barn. He mentions shooting a fishing line to the barn from the top of one of
the trees and letting the helmet slide down. The idea ends up reminding Vigilante of someone else.
"Like Green Arrow?"
"No, not like Green Arrow."
Peacemaker, of course, has just as much disdain for Green Arrow
as he does for every other DC superhero. He even claims that Green Arrow goes to
Brony conventions and cosplays as the rear-end of Twilight Sparkle.
Leota finally says what we're all thinking by observing that Peacemaker has an absurd story
for every superhero. Either Peacemaker is pretty naïve and genuinely believes
everything he reads on the internet, or he simply hates superheroes too
much to care about spreading false rumors. Honestly, it's probably both.
"Where do you get this nonsense?"
"Google."
"Well, it's not true."
"You know more than Google? Well, congratulations."
Alright, this is likely one Easter egg nobody missed. At the tail end of the series,
the Justice League does arrive at the site of the butterflies' clash with Peacemaker and crew,
but they're too late. While Wonder Woman and Superman are presented as conspicuous silhouettes,
Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller show up in the flesh to reprise their roles of Aquaman and the Flash.
Aquaman even hilariously drops an f-bomb as he dismisses the
rumors Peacemaker's been spreading about what he does with the fish.
"I'm so f–king sick of that rumor."
"It's not a rumor."
"F--- you, Barry."
While it's obvious that Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot didn't show up for this particular shoot day,
Batman is curiously absent from the lineup as well. We know that Ben Affleck is coming
back as Batman for a final performance as the character in the "Flash" movie,
which raises questions about why he didn't show up here. Perhaps,
Batman couldn't arrive on the scene as fast as everyone else this time. Regardless,
Peacemaker once again displays his disgust for the team and doesn't even give them the time of day.
The only people happy to see the Justice League in this show are apparently the folks at home.
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