Peacemaker premieres on HBO Max this week, continuing its titular hero’s misguided quest for peace after last summer’s The Suicide Squad. John Cena is back as Christopher Smith, but he won’t be alone. Meet the folks who will be joining Peacemaker as he goes after Project Butterfly and tries to find peace in his own unique way…

Peacemaker

Background: Christopher Smith was trained by his father to be the ultimate weapon.

Last Seen In: Peacemaker was featured in last summer’s The Suicide Squad, where Amanda Waller recruited him to Task Force X to take down Jotunheim. When Rick Flag decided to disobey Waller’s orders, Peacemaker killed him. Before he could finish off the rest of the team, Bloodsport shot him in the neck. Then a building fell on him. It wasn’t one of his better days.

Best Friend: Vigilante likes to think he’s Peacemaker’s best friend, but his number one pal is his feathered friend and sidekick Eagly.

Likes: Peace, 80’s hair metal, breaking household appliances, weed and his pal Eagly.

Dislikes: He has a homunculi phobia. It freaks him out. 

Leota Adebayo

Background: Adebayo has been training for life in the field since she was a child. Despite receiving her Binks-Fendelmire Strategic Combats Certification at age 14, Leota is still a bit green. As the newest member of the team, she struggles to fit in with her humorless colleagues while enduring Peacemaker’s problematic comments.

Home Life: Adebayo is married to a woman named Keeya, and they’re raising three dogs together. They love dressing Emerson up in little doggie outfits. Leota’s relationship with her mother is a bit more complicated.

Fun Fact: Adebayo is the only one on the team who knows the correct spelling of the Berenstain Bears.

John Economos

Background: John Economos is a computer expert who worked his way up the ranks in ARGUS. Although he’s a tech genius, he’s known to panic and make careless mistakes.

Last Seen In: John Economos was featured in The Suicide Squad, where he worked tech support at mission control for Task Force X. John participated in the coup against Amanda Waller and helped the Suicide Squad take down Starro. As punishment, Waller has assigned Economos to be one of Peacemaker’s handlers.

Beard: Peacemaker claims Economos dyes his beard, an accusation he vehemently denies.

Source Material: John Economos was introduced in 1987’s Suicide Squad #1, and served as Belle Reeve’s warden for most of John Ostrander’s legendary run.

Flaws: He doesn’t check the expiration date on olive jars before eating them, and he doesn’t know how to spell Berenstain Bears despite growing up reading the books.  

Emilia Harcourt

Background: Emilia Harcourt is a no-nonsense agent with a quick temper and an even quicker trigger finger. Formerly NSA, Harcourt became an agent of ARGUS, working with Amanda Waller to direct Task Force X in the field.

Last Seen In: Harcourt participated in the coup against Amanda Waller in The Suicide Squad, and like Economos, she’s been reassigned to Peacemaker as punishment.

Source Material: Harcourt was introduced in 2016’s Suicide Squad #2. She was later revealed to be a terrorist spy, but Waller made sure she was executed for her treachery. Basically, Harcourt is punished for crossing Waller in every form of media she appears in.

Dislikes: Peacemaker, hearing about Adebayo’s dog, drunk guys at bars, and anyone who doesn’t follow proper protocol.

Clemson Murn

Background: Clemson Murn is a mercenary recruited by Amanda Waller to take down the mysterious operation known as Project Butterfly. Murn has a reputation for being a ruthless murderer who hasn’t always worked for the good guys.

Fun Fact: For most of his life, Murn didn’t believe in sharing his feelings. Even if it was to tell someone he was chilly. He thinks it’s emasculating to tell people if you’re feeling hot or cold.

Goals: Murn hopes to grow as a person and learn how to share his feelings with others. It’s a work-in-progress.

Vigilante

Background: Vigilante believes in going all-out for justice, even if it means killing every lawbreaker he meets. Sometimes this means targeting murderers, other times it means mutilating suspected graffiti artists. When he’s not killing in the name of justice, Adrian Chase works as a busboy at Fennel Fields.

Annoying Habits: He will leave you a lot of voicemails. Lots and lots of unnecessary rambling voicemails.

Other Hobbies: Adrian Chase enjoys a good game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Vehicle of Choice: Vigilante calls his vehicle the Vigilante-mobile, but according to Peacemaker, it’s just an old Chrysler Sebring.

Source Material: Adrian Chase was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez during their New Teen Titans run. The disillusioned district attorney took the streets as Vigilante, and went on to have his own series.

Auggie Smith

Background: Auggie Smith is a Peacemaker’s grumpy father. Auggie trained his son to be the ultimate killing machine and supplies Peacemaker with all of his armor and weapons. Despite this, Chris never seems to measure up to his father’s impossible standards.

Dislikes: Pretty much everything. There is no pleasing this guy.

Fun Fact: There’s a secret high-tech armory in his house and it’s huge. We’re talking a “bigger on the inside” situation. He also keeps an eagle in his garage, so the Smith house is one happening place.

Judomaster

Background: Judomaster is Senator Goff’s bodyguard. Don’t let his small stature fool you, he’s a highly trained martial arts expert.

Favorite Snack: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. He can’t get enough of them.

Attack of Choice: Smooth martial arts kicks, but once his victims are captured, he loves throwing Cheetos at them.                                       

Source Material: Like Peacemaker, Judomaster was originally a character published by Charlton Comics, first appearing in 1965’s Special War Series #4. A few versions of Judomaster have appeared in DC Comics, usually as a superhero.

Eagly

Background: Eagly is Peacemaker’s sidekick and best friend. He’s not housetrained because according to Peacemaker, that would steal his soul.

Talents: Catching rodents and being adorable.

Fun Fact: If he tries to bite you, that means he likes you.

Flaws: None. Eagly is perfect in every way.
 

Peacemaker debuts January 13 on HBO Max. Not yet a subscriber? Sign up today to enjoy the best of DC movies and TV.

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DCComics.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.