![]() ![]() So, here we are: Peacemaker is recruited to join a small, ragtag, off-the-books team working a secret operation to take down some parasitic aliens who are walking undetected among us. The corny dance choreography of the opening credits (which look like they were shot on an old Glamour Shots set from the ‘80s) epitomizes the show’s goofy, winking sensibility. It would never make the mistake of turning plot or character development into dark, brooding material. Nudity, sex and pot smoking abound and this is a show that understands the value of silliness. Peacemaker first appeared in a 1966 DC Comic and Gunn (who is the show’s creator and whose previous credits include the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films) has a proven track record when it comes providing an alternative to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s more chaste and family friendly quippery. John Cena in the title role of HBO Max's "Peacemaker." (HBO Max) The show is very self-aware and doing a lot of this overtly - of course you’re meant to laugh at his oafishness, which prompts eye rolls rather than alarm bells from those around him - but I’m interested in digging down another layer and thinking through the ways this framing intentionally paints a person like this as harmless and sympathetic, even. It’s a deft and cynical bit of spin delivered in such enjoyably comedic packaging you may not notice it at first. I think it’s also worthy of some skepticism in the way it positions toxic masculinity as something childlike and even endearing when epitomized by Peacemaker, and also, conversely, a thing that has victimized him more than anyone else in this story. ![]() ![]() With John Cena in the title role - a ding-dong with muscles who nonsensically proclaims, “I made a vow to have peace no matter how many people I have to kill to get it” - the show is big, dumb, rollicking fun. It’s ridiculous and knows it’s ridiculous, with a fully R-rated Saturday morning cartoon sensibility that refuses to take itself too seriously. A spinoff of director James Gunn’s reboot of “The Suicide Squad,” which came out just six months ago, the HBO Max series “Peacemaker” might be the closest thing to a comic book adaptation that appeals to my sensibilities. ![]()
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