| “ | I am Peacemaker. I want peace. I love peace. Enough to kill for it. | „ |
| ~ Peacemaker. |
| “ | My name is Christopher Smith. I used to be a diplomat. I came to D.C. in pursuit of one thing, and one thing only. Peace. And when I couldn't find it... my new life began. Peacemaker isn't just a name. It's my mission. Whatever it takes. Whatever the cost. | „ |
| ~ Prime Earth Peacemaker. |
Peacemaker (real name Christopher Smith), is a fictional character and superhero that originally appeared in Charlton Comics before the rights were acquired by DC Comics, appearing as the main protagonist of the titular comics.
He is a military veteran turned diplomat who wanted to achieve peace without using lethal force, but found himself becoming a vigilante to ensure pacifism to an extreme degree. Despite his goals, Peacemaker suffers from mental instability, having been traumatized as a child from witnessing his father commit suicide, hearing his voice, and believes that the souls he killed live within his helmet.
He was created by the late Joe Gill and the late Pat Boyette, and first appeared in Fightin' 5 #40 in November of 1966, and made his debut in the DC comics in History of the DC Universe #2 in February of 1987.
Biography[]
Charlton Comics[]
In the Charlton Comics, Christopher Smith was the son of an American soldier turned politician as his mother was a scientist, and he became a diplomat who wanted to ensure peace at all cost. Smith started his crime fighting by killing arms dealer Emil Bork, and continued to protect his country from threats. During the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline, Smith lived on Earth-Four that was destroyed by the actions of the Anti-Monitor. Peacemaker assisted many heroes in fighting the villain and the Shadow Demons, but ceased to exist following the creation of the New Earth timeline. As a result, Earth-Four Peacemaker was erased as a new version of him was created.
DC Comics[]
Early Life[]
Christopher Smith was born in New York City in 1950 to Wolfgang Schmidt, who was a Nazi officer who looked over a concentration camp during World War II, and Elizabeth Lewis, an American author. During his youth, Christopher was raised in Wolfgang's country of Austria, and later witnessed his father commit suicide after his past was exposed. Christopher was traumatized from the incident, and started to experience visions of Wolfgang as a Nazi who tasked his son in upholding his legacy. Elizabeth would move back to America with her son, and changed their last name to Smith to be separated from Wolfgang's past. Despite moving to his new location, Christopher found it hard to adjust due to the trauma he suffered.
Towards the end of the Vietnam War, Christopher enlisted in the United States Army once he reached the age of eighteen, and later reached the rank of sergeant. While leading a unit in Vietnam, Christopher was given bad military intelligence (and being urged by his father's vision) that resulted in him killing innocent people. Following the incident, Smith was court martialed for twenty years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. He was later given parole if he joined Project: Peacemaker, a secret group that fought against terrorism, and he accepted after being urged to by his father's vision. The project was later shut down despite Smith receiving training, and Christopher decided to head his father's business and changed the company's purpose to create appliances.
Becoming Peacemaker[]
After moving to Switzerland, Smith created the Pax Institute to help victims of war, and became obsessed with ensuring peace at all cost. Smith then decided to become "Peacemaker" and formed his own project, leaving two identities as as a peaceful diplomat and a pacifistic vigilante. During his early tenure, Smith suffered from mental instability as a result of being harassed by his father's visions, whom believed he wasn't being extreme enough against criminals or terrorists. He came across numerous heroes, such as encountering Tim Drake, which made him lament that he needed to make friends his age since the hero was only a child. In the "Crisis of Infinite Earths" storyline, Peacemaker worked with many heroes to fight against the Anti-Monitor, but suffered brain damage that made his instability worse.
During this time, Peacemaker worked with the Agency after they learned of his secret identity, and later the Shadow Fighters to save a girl and stop Eclipso. During the mission, Smith was flying a helicopter with his teammates, which later crashed and Smith was considered dead. He was later resurrected by unknown means, and proceeded to continue his vigilantism and fight crime. When encountering the Reach's infiltrator, Peacemaker met with Blue Beetle to give him the Reach. Smith would later be controlled by the Reach and the Sinestro Corps, believing that he could bring peace with them.
Prime Earth[]
Peacemaker's origin is similar to his New Earth counterpart, but he was an elite soldier who served in Delta Force, Green Berets, and Special Air Service. After his military service, Smith became a diplomat and promoted his idea of eliminating war, but found he couldn't achieve his goal. He then decided to become a costume vigilante known as "Peacemaker", where he kill anyone who stood in the way of peace. During the "Doomsday Clock" storyline, Peacemaker was one of the many heroes who was transported to Mars and confronted Doctor Manhattan, but was defeated by the cosmic being.
Other Media[]
DC Extended Universe[]
Peacemaker made his live action debut in The Suicide Squad as a secondary antagonist. He was portrayed by John Cena, who also played Jakob Toretto in F9 & Fast X, Agent Burns in Bumblebee, John Triton in The Marine, Danny Fisher in 12 Rounds, and also voiced Ferdinand the Bull in Ferdinand, Yoshi in Dolittle, his WWE character in Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery, and Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
John Cena returned to the role of Peacemaker for the TV series of the same name. Season 1 dealt with the aftermath of the events of The Suicide Squad, which made the character more of an anti-hero by the end of the season. The first season was also still set in the DCEU continuity before the franchise ended in 2023.
DC Universe (James Gunn)[]
Season 2 of Peacemaker will be set in James Gunn's new DC Universe multimedia franchise. John Cena will reprise the role despite this being a reboot.
Mortal Kombat 1[]
Peacemaker appears Mortal Kombat 1 as a DLC guest character (alongside Homelander and Omni-Man), with John Cena reprising his voice.
Gallery[]
New Earth[]
Prime Earth[]
Other Media[]
Trivia[]
- He was the inspiration of the Comedian from Alan Moore's Watchmen.
