The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 1 “A Whole New Whirled.”Christopher Smith AKA Peacemaker might have thought he was outside of the Suicide Squad and could live his normal life, but that’s not the case. Amanda Waller assigns him to a specialized team in the HBO Max series Peacemaker, forcing him to serve out more of his prison sentence as her own personal agent and hitman.
The series doesn’t go quite as heavy on the Easter eggs as The Suicide Squad, the movie that introduced Peacemaker to the DC Extended Universe. It does, however, have a handful of comic book references that fans will want to catch. It’s also not shy at all about referencing the wider DCEU by name checking heroes like Aquaman and reminding the audience that it is definitely set after the events of The Suicide Squad.
The Many References To The Suicide Squad
Fans tuning into the show who haven’t seen The Suicide Squad don’t have to worry because the beginning of the series premiere recaps it - and also makes sure to give lots of details throughout the hour to give fans a heads-up on the events that occurred.
There are references to Project Starfish itself, to the death of Rick Flagg, to Bloodsport’s fear of rats, and to Bloodsport shooting Peacemaker. The audience is also reminded that both Harcourt and Economos went against Amanda Waller’s direct orders in the movie and ended up getting assigned to a mission involving Peacemaker as a result.
Evergreen Is In Charlton County
The series is set in the city of Evergreen, something fans noticed thanks to set photos that surfaced long before the series began to air. Evergreen City is actually a location in DC Comics. The city is home to Green Lantern Hal Jordan for a while.
For the show, the city is in Charlton County. That’s not a location in DC Comics, but a nod to where Peacemaker got his start. He made his debut in Charlton Comics in 1966 before DC later acquired the character.
Peacemaker’s Dart Board
When Chris Smith makes his way back into his mobile home, there’s a bit of a mess left for him. He has been in prison for four years, after all. It’s possible that there are a few Easter eggs in his home, but one that fans spotted when the trailer debuted for the show is just what character is on his dartboard.
The DC Comic villain Eclipso is in the middle of it. In one storyline, Eclipso actually kills Peacemaker. The villain, a god-like entity who acts as wrath and darkness personified, actually made a live-action appearance in another DC-inspired property in 2021. He was the main antagonist of Stargirl’s second season, though the series doesn’t appear to be connected to Peacemaker.
Chris Wants A Jet Pack
Just when Chris thinks he’s safe in his home, Waller’s team shows up to apprehend him all over again. As they detail that he’s still needed since he only served four years out of a 30-year sentence, he tries to ask for a few new tools for the mission.
One of those is a jet pack. Though the team tells him no, his request for a jet pack is a nod to his comic book counterpart. In addition to his red, white, and blue suit and silver helmet, the jet pack is also something his character has on almost all of his missions. Peacemaker gets quite a bit of use out of it on the page.
Helmet Designs
Chris also makes a trip to see his father, and the audience not only finds that his father has been keeping his sidekick Eagly for him, but that he’s also the one responsible for Peacemaker’s look. He has a secret room inside (or more likely, below) his house that is a high-tech workshop for him to make all manner of helmets.
The different designs for the Peacemaker helmets echo changes to the design in the comics over the years. Each helmet is slightly different from the other, including the one with a fin that gets a mention in the credit scene for the episode.
The Wayne Foundation
Not only does the episode reveal that brand-new team member Leota Adebayo is Amanda Waller’s daughter, but also that she’s got her own assignment that the team doesn’t know about. Waller instructs her to plant “Peacemaker’s Diary” in his home.
The notebook is covered in stickers like a crying child and the planet Saturn, but fans will also spot a familiar logo on it. It has the logo for Wayne Foundation - or at least, one of them. That would be the company owned by Bruce Wayne AKA Batman. The Wayne logo doesn’t match up with the Wayne logo seen in the DCEU so far, but that could be an indicator of the object being a fake, or of the notebook coming from a specific division of the company.
Peacemaker is currently available to stream on HBO Max.