+++ Opinion +++
“Moon Knight’, ‘Ms. Marvel”, “She-Hulk”: This year alone, three new MCU series have started at Disney+, which all have their qualities, but as a complete package, at least for me (despite my ongoing love for the MCU) disappointed in one way or another (be it due to a silly showdown, loss of visual quirk, or lack of gag density).
There was also a lot of new series from DC in 2022, which, however, were almost exclusively sequels to already established titles. Instead, when it comes to brand new series, the main focus is on a focused on the project – and it paid off: “Peacemaker’ eclipses everything that the comic competition has produced in series in recent months. And that’s largely thanks to a man who’s done well for Marvel, too: Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn.
After the “The Suicide Squad”-Spin-off had already made a big impact in the USA at the beginning of the year, it is now finally finding its way to Germany after a delay of nine months thanks to a deal between production studio Warner and RTL: All eight episodes of the first “Peacemaker” season can be accessed from October 13, 2022 on the streaming service RTL +.
» “Peacemaker” on RTL+*
The plot of “Peacemaker” connects relatively seamlessly to the insane DC blockbuster “The Suicide Squad’ (although you don’t necessarily have to have seen it to enjoy the series). After almost paying with his life for his mission on the island of Corto Maltese, Christopher Smith becomes an alias Peacemaker (John Cena) patched up in the hospital and unexpectedly released. But of course there is a catch.
The brutal mercenary, who wants to bring peace with the utmost force of arms, will only be spared his prison sentence if he once again does the dirty work for the ruthless Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). With a new team at his side, he is supposed to eliminate some high-ranking targets, but soon he has to realize that there is much more to the dangerous job than first thought…
As “Peacemaker“ was announced, I was more than skeptical. The crazy anti-hero spectacle “The Suicide Squad“ also for me to THE comic blockbuster highlights of the past few years, and also the bizarre one Peacemaker makes for some of the best moments in it, in fact. But the development of the character in the film didn’t necessarily predestine her to lead her own series. Luckily, James Gunn taught me otherwise.
To the “The Suicide Squad’ and ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ mastermind that all ‘PeacemakerWritten episodes himself and also directed five episodes, Christopher Smith actually manages easily to turn Christopher Smith into a tragic hero who soon has one’s fingers crossed by teasing out the vulnerable side of the huge macho (a major one). Part of it also has a nice nasty playing Robert “T-1000” Patrick as Peacemaker’s hateful father).
Gunn starts with “Peacemaker” in itself on very similar ingredients as in “The Suicide Squad’, but presents us with everything a tad more intimate and figure-centric. Again and again he sprinkles sincere emotional moments between the sometimes rampant violence and the well-timed (black) humor, proving once again that there is currently hardly any other filmmaker who can reconcile such contradictory pitches and elements so coherently .
The fact that this works so well is also thanks to the rest of the cast of characters. Especially the individual members of Peacemaker’s new team, each of whom sooner or later gets their very special moment, form a clever counterpoint to the unworldly Smith, who always brings him back to earth and always makes him understandably a better person – without completely shelving his ludicrous idiosyncrasies.
It’s not least this engaging dynamic that made me want to spend a lot more time with these chaotic people who grow to be dear to my heart (thankfully a second season is already confirmed). And the fact that all of this is garnished with one of the best and funniest intro sequences of the series’ recent past is the icing on the cake. How nice “The Suicide Squad” is “PeacemakerA comic adventure cleverly brushed against the grain, which pleasantly stands out from the superhero monotony and for that reason alone has a clear lead in this year’s series fairs with Marvel.
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