When the Peacemaker TV series was announced by Warner Bros., most fans assumed it would be a prequel to The Suicide Squad. However, as the movie's post-credits scene established, the HBO Max series looks set to pick up shortly after the events of James Gunn's big screen take on Task Force X.
However, during an interview with Variety, the filmmaker explained how The Suicide Squad plants the seeds for the series and confirmed that it will revisit the villain's past while also addressing his future.
"Well, through the story, you learn where Peacemaker came from. There’s a moment in the movie where Bloodsport talks about his father and what his father was like, and you cut to a shot of Peacemaker, and Peacemaker nods. That’s the seed of the entire 'Peacemaker' series," Gunn teased.
"So we get to see Peacemaker with his father, who’s played by Robert Patrick, where he came from, what he’s done, what that means to him, and where he’s going after all of this. Because he’s not an evil person, he’s just a bad guy. He seems sort of irredeemable in the film. But I think that there’s more to him. We didn’t get a chance to know him [in 'The Suicide Squad'] in the way we get to know some of the other characters. And so that’s what the whole show is about."
The director (who will helm five of the eight episodes) went on to say that Peacemaker won't necessarily deal with the consequences of Christopher Smith's actions in The Suicide Squad, but will take a deep dive into what makes him tick.
"Peacemaker feels like he’s on the outside. So that moment in [the bar] La Gatita Amable, when he’s dancing with [the team], and they’re becoming connected to each other for the first time — that is an unusual feeling for him," Gunn explains. "And then when he goes with his ideals over that sense of connection he’s making that choice over his own emotions. The show is about that."
It's going to be very interesting to see what Gunn and John Cena do with Peacemaker in the HBO Max series when it launches next January, and there's clearly more ground to cover with the character. The Suicide Squad really did just scratch the surface with what makes this deranged member of Task Force X tick, and all of that will be explored at the same time he's tasked with "[saving] the f***ing world."
Click on the "Next" button below for a breakdown
of the biggest moments in The Suicide Squad!
8. Meet Task Force X
We kick things off with a new Task Force X being assembled in Belle Reve for a dangerous mission in Corto Maltese. Rick Flag is joined by Captain Boomerang, TDK, Mongal, Javelin, Savant, Blackguard, Weasel, and Harley Quinn. They're being sent to the island to destroy Jötunheim, a Nazi-era laboratory that is home to the mysterious "Project Starfish."
Landing on the beach, Weasel drowns, and the team finds themselves squaring off with the might of the island nation's military. Blackguard steps forward and reveals he betrayed his fellow villains, but receives a bullet to the face for his troubles. With that, the rest of the team are taken out in suitably gory ways (find more details on that here), though Harley lives and Flag escapes.
A second Task Force X arrives - the first squad was just a diversion - and this one is made up of Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2.
7. Rescue Attempt
Flashbacks explain that Bloodsport has been forced to join Waller's team because his daughter was caught shoplifting. No big deal, right? Well, unless he does what the A.R.G.U.S. boss says, she'll make sure the teenager is sent to Belle Reve, a place where her chances of surviving are slim.
Task Force X get acquainted with each other - which includes King Shark nearly eating Ratcatcher 2 - and learn that Flag is alive. Attacking a camp full of soldiers, the villains make short work of the men on duty only to discover that Rick has befriended these rebels in taking out Corto Maltese's new dictator Silvio Luna. Harley, meanwhile, is freed from captivity to meet with him.
While all this is happening, we learn that Starro was discovered in outer space and brought to Earth decades earlier. He's been experimented on - primarily by The Thinker - ever since, and Luna and his men hope to use the alien to control their enemies and make an impact on the world stage.
6. A Twisted Turn Of Events For Harley Quinn
Bizarrely, it turns out that Luna wishes to marry Harley. Birds of Prey established that a lot of powerful men are interested in The Joker's former girlfriend, but given what a hunk this dictator is...well, Harley has no problem doing the nasty with him (in an extremely passionate sex scene).
It looks like Quinn might have found her happy ending, but when Luna starts talking about world domination and killing children, that's enough of a red flag for her to gun him down. Now, Mateo Suárez, the Major General of Corto Maltese, is in charge, and that really isn't good news for the country.
As for the rest of Task Force X, they head to a bar in an effort to apprehend The Thinker.
5. Reunited, And It Feels So Good
After a brief bonding session, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, and King Shark escape with The Thinker. Flag, Bloodsport, and Peacemaker, however, are apprehended by soldiers, but they make short work of their captors and end up escaping with relative ease (this is a seriously badass moment).
Before heading to Jötunheim, Flag wants to rescue Harley. She's being tortured by Suárez's men, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself, she's able to escape in The Suicide Squad's standout sequence.
Reunited with Task Force X - who never get the opportunity to pull off their rescue mission - Harley helps to interrogate The Thinker (well, "help" might be a reach) and they finally make their way to Project Starfish.
4. Betrayal
Breaking into the base, the team splits up and starts planting explosives. Flag and Ratcatcher 2, meanwhile, are introduced to Starro the Conqueror. The alien has not had a happy existence, and The Thinker has been experimenting on the mind-controlled enemies of Corto Maltese in shockingly gory ways.
Flag is furious, but even more shocked to learn that the U.S. Government was involved. The reason Task Force X has been sent there is to cover up their part in attempting to weaponise Starro, and the heroic leader of the team decides to take the drive with that information to expose it to the world.
Waller may have seen this coming, though, as Peacemaker has been tasked with stopping that happening in the name of peace. A brutal fight follows, ending with Flag being stabbed through the heart.
3. Holding Out For A Hero
Ratcatcher 2 saw what Peacemaker did and goes on the run with that drive. The rest of the team find themselves battling the military, but a costly mistake by Polka-Dot Man sets off the explosives early.
Chaos ensues, and just as Peacemaker is about to gun down Ratcatcher 2, Bloodsport arrives. He figures out what's going on, and shoots his fellow villain, seemingly putting an end to him once and for all. Unfortunately, those bombs have just freed Starro, and after the alien tears The Thinker to pieces, he's unleashed on Corto Maltese and proceeds to take control of its population.
Waller orders the team to leave the people to their fate and return with the drive as a destabilised country will actually benefit the U.S. Bloodsport is conflicted and the team decides to do the right thing. Seconds from her detonating the bombs in their necks, Waller is knocked out by a subordinate!
2. Battle With Starro
An epic battle with Starro the Conqueror follows, with Polka-Dot Man, unfortunately, among the casualties.
Some good old fashioned teamwork ensures that the alien is eventually overwhelmed by an army of rats who tear him apart from the inside. It's a tragic end in some ways, especially as Starro's final words are that he was happy floating through space watching the stars before being taken to Earth.
The leader of the rebels takes control of the country, and while it's too late for those who were attacked by Starro's drones, Task Force X has saved countless lives (which Bloodsport's daughter and the rest of the world have seen on television). So, they're heroes, but what comes next for the team?
1. Freedom
With that drive in hand, Bloodsport is able to blackmail Waller in order to gain his, Ratcatcher 2, Harley and King Shark's freedom. It's not exactly what Flag would have wanted, but he warns the A.R.G.U.S. boss that if she comes after any of them, the truth about the U.S. Government's involvement will be revealed.
Heading to safety, Bloodsport enjoys a moment of peace (with Ratcatcher 2's rat, Sebastian), and it's there we end things...until a post-credits scene reveals that Weasel is, in fact, still alive!
That's just for fun, but the second stinger is what really matters. In that, we learn Waller managed to pull Peacemaker from the rubble and saved his life. Now, he has a new mission (once he recovers) - to save the f***ing world! That's a story we'll see play out in HBO Max's Peacemaker next January...