Peacemaker (character)
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Peacemaker is the name of a series of fictional characters originally owned by Charlton Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. The original Peacemaker first appeared in Fightin' 5 #40 (November 1966) and was created by writer Joe Gill and artist Pat Boyette.[1]
Publication history
The Peacemaker first appeared as a backup series in
Fictional character biography
Christopher Smith
Pre-Crisis
The Peacemaker is Christopher Smith, a pacifist diplomat so committed to peace that he is willing to use force as a superhero to advance the cause.[3] He uses an array of special non-lethal weapons and also founded the Pax Institute. Most of the villains he goes up against are dictators and warlords.[4]
During the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, Peacemaker fought against the Anti-Monitor's Shadow Demons where he was assisted by Cyborg, Son of Vulcan I, Vigilante III, and Wildcat II. He suffered a head injury during the fight.[5]
Post-Crisis
The post-Crisis version of Peacemaker differs greatly from the pre-Crisis version of the character. Smith learns that his peace-through-violence efforts were the result of a serious mental illness brought on by the shame of having a Nazi death camp commandant for a father, Wolfgang Schmidt. He believes his father's spirit haunts him continually and criticizes his every move, even as he tries to live down his past.[6]
Becoming a particularly deadly vigilante who would kill at the slightest provocation, he begins to believe that the ghosts of the people he killed, or who were killed in his vicinity, are collected inside his helmet and can offer him advice and commentary. For a time, the Peacemaker serves as a U.S. government agent under the auspices of Checkmate, a special-forces unit, hunting down terrorists until his own behavior becomes too extreme. Peacemaker plays a part in the Janus Directive and battles the Adrian Chase / Vigilante.[7] Although he is seen as a helpful ally, some of the other heroes think that he is too extreme to be helping them out. He eventually crashes a helicopter to destroy tanks controlled by the supervillain Eclipso and is reported dead.[8] His soul shows up in the realm of Purgatory in the Day of Judgment series. A team of heroes has shown up to recruit the soul of Hal Jordan. The guardians of Purgatory do not like this and Peacemaker, along with other dead vigilantes, rally and provide enough of a distraction so the group could return to Earth.
Another individual appearing in the 2006
Sensing the connection, he sought out Jaime, initially to see if the boy would become a threat but eventually becoming a reluctant partner. Upon witnessing Jaime's rebellion, the Reach implanted Peacemaker with a scarab himself,
Later, he makes an appearance in Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape as a detainee and potential recruit of the Global Peace Agency.
Peacemaker later appears in the Watchmen sequel "Doomsday Clock", partaking in the battle on Mars against Doctor Manhattan.[12]
In the pages of Infinite Frontier, Peacemaker returns as a member of the Suicide Squad retaining his original look, breaking into Arkham Asylum to bring in Talon a few minutes before the Joker Incident.[13]
League-Busters version
Another operative using the name Peacemaker appeared in Justice League International #65 as a member of the "League-Busters".
Mitchell Black
Mitchell Black, a surgeon, was recruited by the "Peacemaker Project", an organization unaffiliated with the Pax Institute and the US government's "Project Peacemaker". Black would reappear in the miniseries titled The L.A.W., reunited with the other heroes acquired from Charlton. As a team, they investigated a powerful being targeting military facilities.
He appeared to have been killed by the supervillain Prometheus in Infinite Crisis #7 during a battle to save Metropolis from destruction.
Other versions
Earth-Four
On Earth-Four, Christopher Smith is the son of an unnamed diplomat who built a special body armor and fought in troubled areas as Peacemaker.[14]
During the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, Peacemaker is among the Earth-Four heroes who were mind-controlled by Psycho-Pirate into attacking Azrael, Blok, Flash, and Martian Manhunter at the time when the Harbinger sent them to rescue Earth-Four's superheroes. After Psycho-Pirate was defeated, Peacemaker and his fellow Earth-Four superheroes agreed to help them fight the Anti-Monitor.[15] Peacemaker of Earth-Four is among the superheroes that took part in the fight against the Anti-Monitor during the event when the Multiverse was created.[16] Peacemaker would later find himself on New Earth after the Multiverse was folded into it by Spectre.[17] Peacemaker of Earth-Four was among the superheroes who fought the Anti-Monitor's Shadow Demons. He was unable to get to Green Arrow of Earth-Two in time as he is killed by one of the Shadow Demons. When Peacemaker was falling after a Shadow Demon came in contact with his gun enough for an explosion to happen, he was saved by Halo. After the Anti-Monitor was defeated, Peacemaker of Earth-Four faded from existence.[5]
Kingdom Come
The Peacemaker makes a minor appearance in flashbacks in Kingdom Come #2 as a member of Magog's Justice Battalion.[18]
Watchmen
Peacemaker was used as an inspiration and influence for the
52
In the final issue of the 2006 - 2007 series
Armageddon 2001
A group called the Peacemakers appear in Armageddon 2001 #2.[23]
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths
An unnamed female
In other media
Television
The Christopher Smith incarnation of Peacemaker will appear in Suicide Squad Isekai, voiced by Takehito Koyasu.[25]
DC Extended Universe
The Christopher Smith incarnation of Peacemaker appears in media set in the DC Extended Universe, portrayed by John Cena.[26][27][28][29]
Video games
- The Christopher Smith and Mitchell Black incarnations of Peacemaker appear in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[citation needed]
- The Christopher Smith incarnation of Peacemaker, based on the DCEU version, appears as an emote in Fortnite Battle Royale.[citation needed]
- The Christopher Smith incarnation of Peacemaker, based on the DCEU version, appears in the mobile version of Injustice 2 as a playable character.[30]
- The Christopher Smith incarnation of Peacemaker, based on the DCEU version, appears in Mortal Kombat 1 via the "Kombat Pack" DLC, voiced by John Cena.[31]
References
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ISBN 978-1-59474-763-2.
- ISBN 978-1605490557.
- ^ Markstein, Don. "The Peacemaker". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Crisis on Infinite Earths #12. DC Comics.
- ^ Peacemaker vol. 2 #1
- ^ Vigilante #37
- ^ Eclipso #13. DC Comics.
- ^ a b Blue Beetle (vol. 7) #13. DC Comics.
- ^ Blue Beetle (vol. 7) #8. DC Comics.
- ^ Blue Beetle (vol. 7) #20. DC Comics.
- ^ Johns, Geoff (2019). Doomsday Clock #9. DC Comics. p. 16.
- ^ Infinite Frontier #0. DC Comics. 2021.
- ^ Fightin' 5 #40. DC Comics.
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #6-7. DC Comics.
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #10. DC Comics.
- ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #11. DC Comics.
- ^ Kingdom Come #2
- ^ Kogod, Theo (February 22, 2022). "How Peacemaker and the Comedian Influenced Each Other (And Revolutionized Comics)". CBR. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023.
- ^ 52, no. 52, p. 13/5 (May 2, 2007). DC Comics.
- ^ Brady, Matt (May 8, 2007). "THE 52 EXIT INTERVIEWS: GRANT MORRISON". Newsarama. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
- ^ The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1
- ^ Armageddon 2001 #2
- ^ Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 1, 2023). "Suicide Squad Isekai Anime Reveals Main Cast in New Trailer". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (March 7, 2019). "'Suicide Squad 2' Exclusive: Meet the New Characters James Gunn Will Introduce in Sequel". Collider. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ Flook, Ray (September 23, 2020). "Peacemaker: James Gunn, John Cena Set for HBO Max Prequel Series". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ^ Ridlehoover, John (January 26, 2021). "Peacemaker Set Photos Feature Some Surprising - and Not So Surprising - DC Easter Eggs". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Jenna (February 10, 2022). "Peacemaker Just Confirmed a Major Character is Bisexual". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ "Peacemaker Gameplay Reveal - Injustice 2 Mobile". YouTube. Injustice 2 Mobile, Warner Bros. Entertainment. February 27, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Onder, Cade (July 21, 2023). "Mortal Kombat 1 Reveals Homelander, Peacemaker, and Omni-Man as DLC". Retrieved July 21, 2023.
External links
- Peacemaker at International Superheroes
- Peacemaker at Comics101
- Keith Giffen verifies identity of the new Peacemaker
- Index to the Earth-4 adventures of the Charlton Action Heroes