I had the honor of attending the first-ever Malta Film Awards, as the small country south of Italy celebrated its long history. Besides their local productions, we were given a tour of their Malta Film Studio. The country’s film commissioner, Johann Grech, gave a personal tour to showcase their 54 years of history with filmmaking. Yet, even with that extensive history, they were truly put on the global film market through Ridley Scott‘s Gladiator. They went on to become the backdrop for Troy, Captain Phillips, World War Z, and just recently Jurassic World: Dominion. The Apple TV+ series, The Foundation, wasalso filmed at this studio, and some parts of the production remain.
Of course, this has catapulted the island to embrace its cinematic history and start investing to ensure it keeps building upon its success. As part of our attendance at the Film Awards, we also had the chance to visit their film studio with a tour by Film Commissioner Grech. The biggest selling point in their pools lies in how it creates a natural horizon, similar to how infinity pools work. They have two exterior tanks with one’s function being to recreate exterior shots above water. With the help of a variety of tools to replicate terrible weather even if it’s a sunny day in Malta.
The biggest tank is quite deep, which allows them to shoot underwater sequences. Commissioner revealed that their big plan for the future is to build a soundstage that connects to their diving pool. As an example, he highlighted that the soundstage would include its tank. So, you could, for example, have a submarine in one pool while a battleship is in the exterior. It’s certainly an ambitious project, which is described as only the beginning of their endeavors to further establish Malta as a hotspot for Hollywood productions.
We also got a chance to visit Fort Rinella, where they famously built the colosseum that became the centerpiece of Gladiator. It was also the backdrop for Game of Thrones and Sadly, most of the set is long gone, but there is one remnant left. The stairs that Russel Crowe‘s Maximus took to enter the arena still remain to this day. Rinella has a rich history for Malta, as highlighted by Film Commissioner Grech during the tour.
It’s rich in its history of filmmaking, as it is rich in its history of safeguarding Malta. This is the biggest fort that the Knights of St. John ever built here.
Johann Grech
Of course, they don’t film everything directly at the studios, as World War Z and Jurassic World: Dominion filmed on location throughout the island, such as their city Valletta. The latter was especially an exciting project for Malta, as they aren’t just a backdrop but also have the film’s story take place on the island. Malta’s investments are a big step towards leading more international productions to the country and they are also hoping to draw in a stronger film tourism crowd. It’ll b interesting to see just how much their studio lot may change as they start work on their expansions.
Spoiler Warning: The below piece contains spoilers for the first season of All of Us Are Dead.
What would happen if we created a monster and then, unknowingly, nearly killed the rest of the world? That’s essentially the question at hand in Netflix’s All of Us Are Dead. After seeing his son be bullied for so long, Lee Byeong Chan decides to do something about it. However, while most parents would seek more traditional routes — talking to the principal or teaching the child to fight defensively — Byeong-cheol Kim‘s Chan takes things to a new extreme. He opts, instead, to create a new type of monster by injecting his son with a new virus he’s been working on. Little does he know, that very virus will nearly destroy Korea, all while killing the one person he so desperately tried to save.
It’s a horrifying concept that shows how far humans are willing to go in order to get what they want; essentially showcasing that families — namely children — are disposable. While the zombies are the focus of the series, it’s the humans that are truly the monsters of All of Us Are Dead. It is because of one man’s inability to be there for his son that a high school has become ground zero in a zombie attack. It is because of his choice that he has lost both his wife and son. More importantly, though, the choices throughout the series showcase how willing people are to kill those around them for the sake of safety.
We see this first among the students with bullying and sexual harassment/assault in the first couple of episodes. Then, as the outbreak continues to reach more of their fellow classmates, the students waste no time casually throw their classmates to the hordes in hopes of escaping. It becomes fight or flight and the strongest are the ones that’ll survive. Morality goes out the door the moment the undead take over. When it comes down to it, the staff seems to all but abandon the students in favor of surviving — with one or two exceptions along the way. Even the students soon find themselves warring, eager to stay alive and away from those that’ll do harm to them. In some instances, this may mean aiding another student in becoming a zombie, abandoning a friend for the sake of getting away or pretending not to hear cries for help in order to save yourself. There are plenty of screwed-up scenarios in All of Us Are Dead in which the humans are the true monsters, however, the worst comes closer to the midway point of the series.
After being trapped in the high school, unable to reach the outside world due to phones and internet being cut off, the students that have survived become desperate to find some sort of help. They’re tired of running from room to room, trying to barricade themselves from the dead. It only becomes harder when a new form of zombie is introduced — one that still retains its humanity. So, they take to the roof for safety, believing if they make an S.O.S sign, a helicopter will come save them. And it works, or at least, it seems like it’s working.
What the students don’t realize, however, is that the last student rescued by the soldiers — and the one who left them for dead — has just been attacked by one of the human-like zombies at the basecamp. This leads the people in charge to order a halt to the rescue mission. The safety that was so close within reach for the teens is immediately ripped from their grasps. They are left to die at the school as the helicopter flies off without them, despite promising to recuse them initially. It’s a screwed-up situation, one that is later made worse when the same people decide to bomb the high school after a short warning, barely allowing the kids to escape.
As terrifying as the zombies are in All of Us Are Dead, the series also shows how cruel humans can be as a whole. The zombies might’ve been created by one naïve and selfish man, but they ultimately helped to unveil the monsters in those still living.
We’ve passed the halfway mark on the first, and hopefully not last, season of Peacemaker on HBO Max. Episode 5 is set to hit HBO Max tomorrow and fans are waiting to see what’s next following that jaw-dropping revelation at the end of last week’s episode. Episode 4 featured some emotional moments and revelations for the team, especially Peacemaker himself, who may finally be realizing his father was never trying to toughen him up, just abusing him and taking his anger on the world out on the only person he had left.
Following the mission in which the team exterminated Royland Goff and his family, who were indeed butterflies as Murn suspected, and with Judomaster in tow, the gang heads back to their rundown base of operations with one less toe than before and Vigilante claiming that he may never walk the same again.
Following a brief team meeting, Peacemaker and Vigilante return to Auggie Smith’s house where the nosey neighbor explains that Auggie has been arrested, but only after he gets into an argument with Peacemaker about Batman, similar to spats you see on Twitter daily.
This is where Peacemaker begins to realize who his father really is. It’s obvious that Auggie is a repugnant and awful man, but as his son, Smith only saw that through rose-colored glasses, believing it to be tough love. It took Auggie telling Chris that he wished he had killed him the second he was born, but Chris seems to have finally had a breakthrough.
After a bit of not-so-subtle manipulation by Adebayo, Vigilante gets the sudden idea to kill Auggie and rid Christopher of him once and for all. Vigilante was the stand-out this episode. While he may be a complete psychopath, he’s one with good intentions who cares about people and things, but just has a funny way of showing it. Getting himself arrested, he takes the Aryans head-on and proceeds to ridicule them for all their backward thoughts and actions, provoking them into attacking him first so that he can make his way to Auggie and take him out.
The episode ends with a montage between characters to “House of Pain” by The Pussycats. We see Peacemaker facing a lot of crucial events in his life: him being forced the kill a man by his father, presumably the first life he’d taken; a flashback to the events of The Suicide Squad, in which we see Peacemaker kill Rick Flag, someone he looked up to and believed to be an American hero, in which Flag calls him a joke; finally, we see the death of Christopher’s brother. Although we aren’t exactly sure how it happened, it’s a moment that deeply haunts him.
The most shocking revelation in this episode, however, takes place in the final scene in which we see Murn revealed as a butterfly as he releases his proboscis to consume the amber nectar. Just why is Murn trying to take down the butterflies if he is one?
Episode 5 of Peacemaker debuts tomorrow on HBO Max.
Through its first four episodes, Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, The Book of Boba Fett, hadn’t generated the same volume of discussion around the proverbial water cooler as had its predecessor on Disney Plus, The Mandalorian. While The Book of BobaFett hasn’t really been divisive among fans and has been treated kindly by critics, it simply seemed to lack the same “pop” as Mando.
Surely some of that is the result of the reality of the show not matching fan expectations: fans wanted Boba Fett kicking ass like he did when he first appeared in The Mandalorian but, instead, have seen a story unfold much more along the lines of The Godfather: Part II, in which flashbacks a bring us up to speed on how Fett rose to his current station. And so, through its first four episodes, much of the buzz had been generated by the live-action debut of Black Krrsantan, Danny Trejo’s Rancor keeper and the hope of something greater just around the corner. And today, in Chapter 5, “The Return of The Mandalorian”, the hope that fans had been clinging to arrived.
The episode waited roughly 20 seconds before introducing Din Djarin to the story and, from there, the character never relinquished the spotlight. As fans have rightly pointed out, this episode was in every way, shape and form, an episode of The Mandalorian that happened to be part of The Book of Boba Fett. It’s not until the end that Fett is even named and the events of this episode have nothing to do with the events of the first four episodes of the series. Outside of the setting and a brief reference to the Pyke Syndicate, Chapter 5 doesn’t even share the same narrative tapestry as the rest of the series.
What it is, however, is a great reminder that The Book of Boba Fett is part of much larger narrative that’s been developing for nearly 15 years, since Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau started to plant the seeds of it over the course of several season of The Clone Wars. Filoni and Favreau seem to have a deep and true understanding of the Galaxy Far, Far Away that George Lucas dreamt up and created. They have a passion and knowledge for the stories and characters that have built Star Wars into the entertainment empire it has become and have rightfully been lauded for their work with the direction they’ve begun to steer the live-action Star Wars series. Following today’s episode, it’s clear that fans need to start sending some of that praise in the direction of director Bryce Dallas Howard.
Chapter 5 stands apart from the rest of the chapters of The Book of Boba Fett. Sure it’s not telling a story about Fett, though it’s obvious Djarin is going to play a big role in the remainder of the series (the creators were kind enough to throw some metahumor at us “Hey, look, everyone. It’s Mando”, as if we had forgotten about him), but it’s also the best episode of the series so far despite a decent chunk of time in it being spent watching Djarin and Peli Motto rattle off a bunch of crazy names for parts of the Naboo starfighter they are rebuilding. Howard shares that same deep understanding of Star Wars that fans love to use to adulate Filoni and Favreau and she shares it because, just like them, she’s a lifelong fan of the franchise.
Howard’s father, Ron Howard, worked on the 1988 film Willow, written by Lucas, and Bryce has talked in the past about how Lucas both mentored her father through his directing career and gave her advice ahead of her directorial debut on The Mandalorian in the first season’s fourth episode. Howard was even present at a dinner in which her father and Lucas met with Akria Kurosawa, the legendary Japanese director whose 1958 film, The HiddenFortress, served as inspiration for Lucas to create Star Wars and whose influence is still felt even as creators other than Lucas are now taking the reigns of the franchise. Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, “The Jedi”, directed by Filoni, was the most overt homage to Kurosawa, but it is very clear that Howard values Kurosawa’s influence on the franchise, too. Her first episode of The Mandalorian, “Sanctuary”, was very much in the Kurosawa mold.
What “The Return of the Mandalorian” made very clear was that while Filoni and Favreau may be creating the live-action world unfolding on Disney Plus and are the ones driving the shared narrative that certainly seems like it’s headed for a big battle to reclaim Mandalore, they are incredibly comfortable letting Howard take the wheel and be in charge as they lay the groundwork. Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian, “The Heiress”, also directed by Howard, introduced key characters, storylines and artifacts into live-action that will play major roles in the resolution of this shared narrative. In “The Return of the Mandalorian”, Howard’s voice was again the one Filoni and Favreau chose to tell not only the past of Mandalore (with a little Terminator influence thrown in for good measure), but also set up some key points for the future, such as how Djarin can redeem himself in his religion. For an episode that spent a lot of time repairing a beat up ship, it sure seems like it was a can’t miss to understand things moving forward.
And so with Chapter 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, “The Return of The Mandalorian”, the hope fans were waiting for did arrive…and her name is Bryce Dallas Howard.
Not too long ago, we’ve learned that Moon Knight may have become Disney+’s most anticipated entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only did it get the most likes of any series, it even managed to become its second-most-watched entry within 24 hours. It’s crazy to think how popular it is if you consider that Moon Knight has mostly been known either from a meme calling Dracula a nerd or many Batman comparisons. There’s a lot more to the character, of course, but there must be something about this series that appeals to viewers with its trailer.
I think its biggest selling point lies in the tonal change from the rest of the MCU. The Disney+ shows have been unique and offer different takes on what it means to be a hero, villain, and more. Yet, there’s something much darker at play with Moon Knight compared to the rest. It may be similar to why Loki and WandaVision were such darlings during their release, as they offered something truly unique. We’ve seen enough superheroes and now Marvel Studios has started to break the mold. And, on top of it all, they provided one of their best trailers that found the perfect mixture of intrigue, action, and character.
Their next Disney+ series feels like a psychological horror film that was combined into ChristopherNolan‘s Memento. The initial trailer offers so much intrigue that forces anyone to question what is real. Comic fans might fully grasp the many personalities of Marc Spector and the existence of Khonshu, but an everyday viewer will have no clue. All they saw, was this strange monster stalking him, and the way the first trailer implies it may just be in his head. It’s an eye-catcher in many ways, as you might question how real is Moon Knight as a hero in this universe.
Oscar Isaac‘s performance of a mentally disturbed man, fighting to figure out what is real or not would probably drag quite a few people into theaters if this wasn’t a Disney+ series. Throw in the possibility of him becoming a hero more in line with Punisher or Daredevil‘s Netflix run, you might reach an audience that has been clamoring for exactly that. The poster with a bloody crescent moon-shaped weapon certainly seems to promise that Marvel Studios isn’t holding back this time around.
Disney+ is a family-oriented streaming program at the end of the day, and there were concerns that it could hold back Marvel Studios’ expansion. If they can make this concept work within the perceived limitations of a Disney-owned streaming service, the future of Marvel’s darker characters, which includes Daredevil, Punisher, Ghost Rider, and more, seems – for a lack of a better term – quite bright. Moon Knight may be the point where Disney+ starts to mature and opens the floodgates to welcome in more stories like it.
Loved every second of it. From the shot of Egypt that made me immediately think of the Eternals to the use of one of Marc’s alter-egos to the shot of the criminally underrated Ethan Hawke (he’s who everyone pretends Jared Leto is), it set the tone far more than a teaser should. It gave us our first shot at many intriguing things (was that a Lycan? An Animus?), While also setting the stage for what seems to be a more visceral show than we’ve gotten from the MCU on Disney+. FWS had it’s moments, but this seems to up the violence ante. There’s some concern that Marvel didn’t cast a Jewish actor in the title role and that this means they’re going to retcon that for Isaac’s character, and this trailer did nothing to confirm/deny that. It left me wanting more, especially considering I believe MoonKnight will tie into Blade and some of the other properties coming down the pipe. All in all, mission accomplished.
Filip Manka
That trailer put me at ease. Despite my huge hype for this show, I still had some concerns in the back of my mind about adapting this character into a live-action feature. However, the trailer is absolutely fantastic for me and I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to a Marvel project this much. The trailer gave me the emotions I was expecting: disorientation, surreal atmosphere, and confusion.
The focus on DID and the character’s psychological problems is gratifying. The beginning of the trailer in terms of execution is very much in the style of directors Moorehead and Benson, enclosing the character in tight frames with a close-up camera. Somewhere in the back, there is the symbolism of the surroundings being reflected in puddles and mirrors, which I also think will at times serve as an interesting means of expression in portraying Marc’s problems.
Another huge plus is that the story will begin from the perspective of Steve Grant, Marc’s alter ego. I like how the subconscious has repressed Marc’s death, which by the way is very consistent with how DID works. The subconscious has separated the trauma and grief to protect the person from themselves. Such a theme gives room for many interesting narrative treatments, and I hope that the further into the woods the story becomes less linear.
I was also very positively surprised by the fact that the series will be mostly based on the series from 1985. Ethan Hawke’s character himself is named Arthur Harrow, who debuted in the comics in 1985, and the hero himself was studying the theory of pain. Here I think that they will combine Harrow with Sun King and I know that Moon Knight’s fans may turn their noses up a bit because the plot with Sun King was poor, but such a synthesis of these two characters may come out on a good note.
I do love this outfit. I’m glad that they didn’t go for any armor, but something mystical and out of the ordinary for the MCU. Once again, I associate it with the 1985 run where the theme of Egypt and mysticism was present, and according to the description, this element will also be important in the series.
Mary Maerz
I loved it. Take out the last 10 seconds or so, and you wouldn’t even know it was a Marvel or superhero-type series. It definitely came across as more of a psychological thriller with a smattering of horror and a smidge of action. I really like that combination, but it will be interesting to see what that balance actually is in the series, since it’s a solid bet the action (and actual Moon Knight part) will be more prominent. I’m extremely curious how they will handle and explore Marc Spector’s D.I.D., and I hope it doesn’t take 5 episodes to explain it or to reveal Jake Lockely. I definitely felt some elements of the Lemire run with Marc (or Steven) going in and out of perceived realities in really abrupt and harsh ways, and I would love if they played into that consistently throughout the whole series. If Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow is actually who I think he could be, I’m very interested to see how they develop the dynamic between the two in this context. We only really saw Moon Knight going to town punching something in a bathroom for a few seconds, so honestly in my mind the jury is still very much out on the Moon Knight himself. But it’s looking good.
Nathan Miller
I enjoyed thetrailer. I think Marvel Studios got almost exactly the right mix of attraction for a casual audience and for more dedicated fans. The trailer makes it clear we are going to have Steven Grant as a gateway to the character of Moon Knight with some subtleties of the wider Moonie mythos. There is a mystery to unravel for Steven as there is for the audience. All of my friends who watch Marvel Studios TV and films in a late-casual way thought ‘it was unlike any other Marvel thing’ they had seen, and were really excited about it. So in that sense, it’s job done. The only thing I think could maybe have been improved on is the music for this particular trailer, as it didn’t get me as hyped up as other Marvel Studios trailer music has done, but it’s not a deal-breaker by any means in my enjoyment of the trailer. I’m excited for the next trailer and for the show itself!
Charles Murphy
My thoughts are simple: the most non-Marvel trailer I’ve seen in a while and I love it. The only real piece of info I had on this show was that it would be partially inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Memento: the trailer showed us that is probably the case and that makes for a very interesting dynamic for the audience, especially anyone who doesn’t have a good handle on who Moon Knight is. I love the quasi-Earth X inspired costume. I think this has the makings of an incredibly fun series that will probably have weekly conversation on the level of WandaVision as fans try to piece together the mystery.
Anthony Canton III
The trailer is interesting in so many ways. First, for the MCU at large this feels like something entirely different than anything we’ve ever seen. For the uninitiated to the character it has to feel trippy as it not only is mysterious, but incredibly psychological. The tone of the trailer is a dark one, bringing us inside the mind of someone who’s clearly lost theirs. Oscar Isaac has a chance to do something special here in playing multiple personalities. Ethan Hawke’s character seems very influential without us knowing exactly who he is. There’s intrigue in all of this, and the Moon Knight suit itself looking so good on screen. Lastly, the brief physicality of seeing Moon Knight hammering a creature of some sort (Anubis perhaps) is exciting as we haven’t seen a fighting style like this one in the MCU. The fans are in for quite the ride with Moon Knight.
Joseph Aberl
The Moon Knight trailer probably goes down as one of my favorites alongside WandaVision and Loki. There’s something about the atmosphere that makes it stand out, especially with the psychological thriller aspect. Khonshu’s arrival as this horror monster makes me wonder just how they might approach the story, and even the strange accent by Oscar Isaac adds that something is off throughout. I really hope the series completely leans into that aspect and sticks to it throughout its runtime, as us questioning if Moon Knight is real or not could make for a great storyline before he enters the wider MCU.
Joao Pinto
For me what stood out the most in the Moon Knight trailer was the project’s apparent cinematic-quality. All other Disney+ MCU series have been great in terms of bringing a lot of the Marvel Studios big screen expertise to streaming, but Moon Knight’s footage seems to be on a different level. The series will be the first MCU show not to count on previously established characters within the franchise to help sell the property and therefore it might be going the extra mile in terms of presenting itself as a must-see television event based on looks alone.
The trailer itself hasn’t given out much in terms of plot, but if the feeling of its footage is anything to go by in terms of the overall quality of the series, one of the most enigmatic characters Marvel has decided to bring into the MCU might very well end up with the best-looking show, on par with the movies. Something that Marvel has been promising ever since its streaming strategy was announced, but that seldomly has been delivered.
Quite recently the internet has been ablaze with rumors and reports regarding the future of the DC Extended Universe. They have stated that Batman and Superman would essentially have no role in the DCEU moving forward. Michael Keaton might take on a role similar to Nick Fury in the early days of the MCU. Their original roles will be taken over by Batgirl and Supergirl of the trinity. While it seems like there’s a bit of uncertainty on what’s to become of the DCEU, I don’t think all is lost. In fact, I feel like there’s even more potential now than there was ever before.
Obviously, Batman and Superman are essential characters to the comics mythos. They are the literal pillars of the DC Universe across all mediums, and rightfully so. Luckily the characters will live on in multiple other projects like Matt Reeves‘ The Batman, Batman: The Caped Crusader, MyAdventures With Superman, Superman and Lois, as well as whatever DC has planned. The two aren’t completely gone from DC’s cinematic future. As such, they can continue to exist in their own separate projects while minor characters get a chance to shine in a connected DCEU.
That is exactly why we shouldn’t look at this as the end but rather as an opportunity. In this instance, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven how a franchise can build itself without some of its most iconic characters. Yes, there have been comparisons when people pointed out that the DCEU went a little too fast so that they could catch up with the MCU, but in this case, they should take a page out of their book. With this new direction, they may be unshackled like Marvel Studios once was.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe was able to build without its pillar characters, as back in 2008 they only had limited access to their roster of characters. As such, the MCU was forced to start without the likes of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and even the X-Men. They couldn’t access these characters that put them on the map. Instead, they worked with what was available at their disposal and built a universe with the likes of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Vision, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many more. While it seems difficult to imagine a world without them, they weren’t well-known at that time.
The DCEU has a chance to dig through its incredibly rich roster of characters and give the spotlight to those that would’ve otherwise never gotten the chance. Marvel is at a place now where they can introduce characters like the Eternals, Echo, Shang-Chi, and many more to their universe and instantly turn them into household names. Even Moon Knight just recently had more views within the first 24 hours than series like Hawkeye, WandaVision, and even Loki. These are all characters thatbecame fan-favorites after being part of the franchise for years, and this new character managed to outperform them.
So, even if the future for Batman and Superman in the DCEU is uncertain, this isn’t something to fear but rather embrace. These two characters have such a strong place in the cinematic consciousness of the public. They aren’t dependent on the rest, especially with Reeves‘ plans of building an entire universe based solely on Batman. So, the DCEU can reestablish itself and become even more interconnected as minor characters get their time to shine. We’re already seeing the new direction with projects on Black Adam, Blue Beetle, and more. This is just the beginning of a brighter future.
The first episode of Peacemaker saw Christopher Smith discharged from the hospital, thinking he was free to go as no cops had returned to arrest him. However, it’s upon the return home that he’s introduced to Clemson Murn and his team, featuring a few familiar faces. Murn tells Smith he’d only served four of his thirty-year sentence and could return to prison or work for him.
Welcome to Project Butterfly, another “creatively” named mission in which we’ve learned that an alien species of insects codenamed “butterflies” has infiltrated earth. The butterflies are similar to Starro but are not extensions of one larger being. These butterflies are believed to have infiltrated some of the highest levels of government and influence on earth and it’s up to Peacemaker and his new team to root them out and stop them from taking over the world.
Project Butterfly features the return of not only Peacemaker, but also Emilia Harcourt and John Economos. The two of them are Argus agents who worked on Task Force X during Project Starfish but seem to have much more history with the team. Alongside those two is Murn, an ex-mercenary who brought the issue of the Butterflies to Waller and was directly appointed to lead this task force. The final member is Leota Adebayo, who we learn very early on is the daughter of Amanda Waller and is, of course, there with an assigned ulterior motive: to plant a forged diary in the Peacemaker’s trailer.
Perhaps one of the other biggest reveals from the first three episodes is the alter-ego of Auggie Smith, Peacemaker’s father. After being locked up in prison, the other prisoners salute Auggie and refer to him as the White Dragon, an obscure villain mantle from the comics belonging to white supremacists. We knew Auggie was quite a bad guy, but we didn’t know he was that bad of a guy!
We meet Vigilante early on whose describes himself as Peacemaker’s “best friend” and is just plain crazy, looking to kill anyone who breaks even the most minuscule law. Although he was not an appointed member of the team, he makes space for himself in ‘Better Goff Dead’ in which he kills Senator Royland Goff’s family, all of whom are Butterflies, after Peacemaker hesitates.
Of course, we can’t forget Judomaster making his live-action debut in the series. Judomaster is a Charlton Comic’s character just like Peacemaker, but the one we meet here is a more appropriately reimaged character. Judomaster is the Goff family bodyguard and gives the team quite a beatdown.
Peacemaker Episode 3 ends with quite the shocking revelation as we get our very first look at one of these Butterflies, but also the reveal that this isn’t a contained threat. A map within the team’s surveillance van establishes the Butterflies as a global threat.
Episode 4 of Peacemaker, “A Choad Less Travelled”, is set to HBO Max on Thursday, January 20th.
The first three episodes of Peacemaker are an energetic whirlwind of wild. James Gunn’s fingerprints are all over this in the best way possible. From the opening scene to the can’t skip opening credits, it’s a tour de force of fun. John Cena was born to play this role, and Danielle Brooks is a revelation as Adebayo. Having the intricate knowledge of The Suicide Squad makes this show already feel lived in, but you can totally watch it fresh. I’m anticipating episode 4 already to see what’s next from this wonderful cast and crew. P and V!
Charles Murphy
Peacemaker’s first 3 episodes were a ride! This is the role John Cena was born to play. While he’s otherwise never really stood out to me in any of his other projects, Cena’s work as Peacemaker has been fantastic. And while’s he’s still pretty much just an asshole who works well as the punchline of pretty much every joke, if you’re paying attention you’re seeing something more from Cena in these episodes. James Gunn’s strengths as a writer and director are magnified here with more time to spend on the interpersonal dynamics that he always manages so magnificently and the members of the core team are all doing great work both fitting in and getting their chances to shine. Gunn’s also done a great job taking characters that nobody has given a shit about for decades and making them fun. Vigilante has been hilarious to date and Judomaster’s fight scene was a riot. Robert Patrick has caused a lot of feelings in his limited time as Peacemaker’s piece of shit father and it’s clear he’s got a bigger role to play yet. To be fully honest, I don’t even care to learn more about Project Butterfly or who is behind it. I’d be fine just watching these people go through their day.
Mary Maerz
Peacemaker delivers on its promise to be a parody-like take on the more traditional superhero genre. It’s funny, it’s raunchy, and it confuses the boundaries of hero and anti-hero more than most takes on anti-heroes. John Cena really is perfect as Peacemaker–without that, Peacemaker might have been a non-starter–and the casting overall is phenomenal. Freddie Stroma’s Vigilante is the best part of the whole series, though. I thought the first three episodes had some pacing issues and didn’t quite capitalize on its strongest elements, so to me they felt a bit more flat than I would have liked. But they consistently improved as they went along, and I am pretty confident the series is going to keep getting stronger.
Joao Pinto
Even though Peacemaker debuted to mostly wonderful reviews across the board it didn’t quite grab me in the same way. Even so, I absolutely understand how it being R-rated helps to take such a show to a new level, making it feel, at times, a bit more real and not as squeaky clean, to a fault, as many others. Especially because that angle fits so very well with the bonkers worldbuilding set up in The Suicide Squad by James Gunn. The episodic format does allow us to spend more time in said world, and it’s perhaps the repetitiveness and the double downing on many jokes that comes with that extra runtime, making them the norm and not the exception, that makes them feel a bit odd. As such, the humor has been sort of hit-and-miss but I don’t hold that against the series as its best moments still seem to overshadow its lowest. With just three episodes out so far it’s expected that the best is still yet to come as the script matures alongside the characters in it. The highlights have been, without a doubt, John Cena and Danielle Brooks’ performances. While Cena seems to have been born to play this role and shines in every chance he gets, Brooksexudes such humanity in every single line spoken that you can’t help but root for her every step of the way. Above all, it’s palpable how everybody involved had a great time making this show. Even if it might turn out not to be my favorite thing ever, there isn’t much more one can ask for from such a talented cast and crew.
Joseph Aberl
Peacemaker is peak James Gunn, as you see him truly embrace the wackiness of a post-The Suicide Squad world. Not only do we get some good comedy to ease us into understanding these characters quite easily, but they also build up a rather intriguing mystery surrounding its main antagonists. We’re put into Peacemaker’s shoes as we try to find out what exactly he is going up against, as it slowly unravels throughout the episodes. What sells the show are the performances by Freddie Stroma and John Cena, whose attitude completely counteracts the more serious nature of what they are going up against. Cena is also all-in with the wackiness and quite a raunchy continuation of his character, which fits perfectly into the R-rated and brutal world we were introduced to.
Hunter Radesi
Peacemaker is a wonderful, mixed bag. The show simultaneously feels like something born out of the early 2000s and something that could never have existed before now. It is a glorious celebration of the weirdness of comic books while also tearing their self-righteousness apart at the seams. It’s not a show for everyone, but it was never advertised that way. John Cena is a surprisingly capable leading man, the action is great, and when the humor lands, it really lands. It’s James Gunn tapping into his Super days, with a much larger budget. It may not be the most nuanced comic adaptation we’ve ever gotten, but if you’re looking for a good, raunchy time, it doesn’t get much better. I dig it.
John Sabato
Peacemaker has been everything I’ve wanted it to be and more. John Cena shines brighter than his helmet in this series. He’s really acting his ass off here and is becoming such a phenomenal actor. His supporting cast is just as good with Harcourt, Economos, Murn, Vigilante, and Adebayo each bringing something special to the show and just working so well with each other. Of course this wouldn’t be a thing without the maestro himself, James Gunn, who continues to create of the best comic book media in the genre. The way he’s able to bring such emotional weight to the silliest and most outlandish ideas is something to behold. Gunn just knows what he is doing here; he’s a giant nerd in the best way possible and makes some really deep cuts and provides some fantastic world building in the series. There’s some seriously great character work here with Christopher Smith, peeling back those layers yet still letting him be the douchebag we all got to know in The Suicide Squad. I truly hope Gunn continues to build on his corner of the DCEU because this stuff is GOLD.
Peacemaker is finally here and just like any other James Gunn project it’s packed full of Easter eggs and features quite a few deep-cut nods to the DC mythos.
Evergreen
Peacemaker takes place in the fictional city of Evergreen, Washington, the hometown of the most famous Green Lantern: Hal Jordan. Jordan returned to his hometown upon leaving his post at Ferris Aircraft to work as an insurance salesman. At one point, Green Arrow even made his way to Evergreen where he crossed paths with the lantern. There doesn’t seem to be any hint of either character right now, but it’s still a pretty cool bit of world-building in the ever-expanding DC Extended Universe.
Bat-Mite
During a discussion between Peacemaker and John Economos, Economos exclaims that he’d rather be hanging out with Bat-Mite than be working alongside Smith. Peacemaker asks who Bat-Mite is and Economos describes him as a “Two-foot tall interdimensional imp who stans Batman” and that he is in fact very real, leaving Peacemaker wondering what the world is coming to. It’s a bit funny to picture Ben Affleck’s Batman standing next to the likes of Bat-Mite but it’s a fun nod to the Bat’s biggest fan.
Doll Man
As they prepare to set out on their first mission as a team, Peacemaker gets chatty as usual. This time around he name drops a rather obscure DC name: Doll Man. Peacemaker goes into detail about just how much he dislikes “homunculi”, and then name drops Doll Man as an example. Doll Man, also known as “The Worlds Mightiest Mite”, developed a chemical formula that gave him the ability to shrink himself and was one of the first superheroes with that ability.
White Dragon
When Peacemaker’s dad, Auggie Smith, finds himself in jailafter he’s framed for murder by John Economos, he’s worshipped and saluted by the other inmates. In that moment, Peacemaker’s awful father got so much worse as it was revealed that he is the White Dragon, a white supremacist supervillain who was created by John Ostrander. In the comics, Auggie wasn’t the White Dragon, but he was a Nazi who when he died, haunted Peacemaker with the horrible atrocities he committed. Gunn gets original here giving Auggie an alter-ego as a “Cape”.
The DEO
When Peacemaker and Harcourt are staking out the Groff mansion, Smith attempts to pry a bit into Harcourt’s past. As she recalls her career path, she mentions that after she joined the CIA, she ended up at the DEO, better known as The Department of Extranormal Operations. First introduced into the comics in 1998, the DEO is a government agency that deals with everything out of the ordinary in the DC Universe. The DEO was previously heavily featured in Supergirl where they dealt with alien threats.
Peacemaker’s Jetpack
Upon returning to his trailer after leaving the hospital, Peacemaker is quickly greeted by the members of his new team, led by Clemson Murn. Peacemaker has few conditions he wants met before he agrees to join the team, chief among them is that he wants a Jetpack, like really bad. Murn quickly shoots down the jetpack and moves on from his silly request. Peacemaker just really loves his jetpacks and has since his early days ini the comics. The character used to constantly be equipped with a Jetpack in many of his old comic book experiences, so if you thought he was a menace to begin with, imagine him being able to fly. Maybe down the line we’ll be able to see Peacemaker take flight, but for now it’s just a fun nod to his comic book history.
With a Gunn production, there’s always plenty of Easter eggs to be found and with a whole new universe at his fingertips, he’s sure to be pulling anything and everything that he can. Some may never be found, just like the elusive Easter egg in Guardians of The Galaxy that to this day eludes fans.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
