Peacemaker's Multiverse: Is Chris Smith Running a 'New Game+' or Just Falling for the Ultimate Bait-and-Switch?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Peacemaker Season 2's multiverse isn't just fan service; it's a clever, bleak twist where Chris Smith finds a 'perfect' Earth-2 that may actually be a white nationalist regime, forcing him to confront his own lack of growth and violent tendencies, rather than truly changing.
Alright, listen up, mates. We've all been there, haven't we? Wading through another 'multiverse' storyline in our favourite sagas, feeling that familiar sigh creeping up. It's like developers keep slapping a 'cinematic universe' label on everything, hoping we won't notice it's mostly just an excuse for fan service cameos and brand synergy that makes your eyeballs roll so hard they almost achieve orbit. Right? Fair dinkum, it can get a bit much.
But then, James Gunn waltzes in with *Peacemaker* season 2, and I've been tinkering with the latest episode, "Another Rick Up My Sleeve," and bloody hell, it’s wilder – and smarter – than it first appeared. See, where others treat the multiverse like a cosmic playground for 'remember this guy?', Gunn seems to be using it more like a twisted philosophical quest – the kind that makes you question your character's entire build, not just their skin. Think *Fringe*, *Everything Everywhere All at Once*, or *Dark Matter* – stories that actually ask, 'Who would you be if things were just a little different?' and then give you a gut punch for an answer.
Now, for those of you not caught up (and fair warning, there are some major spoilers ahead for *Peacemaker* S2E3), our boy Chris Smith, the Peacemaker himself (John Cena, absolute legend), lands in what Gunn calls Earth-2. And from Chris's perspective, it's the 'best dimension ever.' His dad, Auggie, the White Dragon – a bloke who spent most of season one being a pure, unadulterated villain – is alive and, get this, *loves* him. His brother, Keith, who Chris accidentally killed as a kid (a trauma that basically defined him), is also alive and well. And the love of his life, Emilia Harcourt, is practically throwing herself at him. It's the ultimate 'fix all my problems' cheat code, isn't it? Like finding that one glitch that lets you skip the entire grind and just enjoy the endgame. Chris even offed his Earth-2 doppelgänger to slide right into this seemingly perfect life. Talk about a clean slate, eh?
But here's where my gently skeptical digital wizard senses started tingling. When something sounds *that* good, it usually means there's a nasty bit of code hidden in the background, just waiting to crash your game. Chris, bless his violent, well-meaning heart, spent season one trying to deal with his self-loathing, his daddy issues, and the fact he's, well, a bit of an indiscriminate killer. He claims he's changed, less arrogant, shaken off trauma. He sees Keith alive, and reckons that's his ticket to being a better man. But is he *really* moving forward, or is he just taking the easy route, indulging in old fantasies, and solving problems with lethal force – the very things he's meant to be past?
It’s like he's trying to 'level up' his life without actually doing the grinding. He's found a dimension that gives him everything he wants, but he's not asking *why* his alternate self was so unhappy despite having it all. He's not examining what he did to 'earn' his Earth-2 father's love, or what his family's 'hero' status means for the rest of that world. And that, dear readers, is where the really bleak twist might be lurking, like a cleverly hidden boss battle.
The article over at Polygon (from Samantha Nelson, great read, check it out!) makes some seriously sharp observations that align with my own 'reading the digital tea leaves' approach. As Chris cycles through this 'perfect' town on his Peace Cycle, everyone cheering him on is white. The ARGUS team? All white. The DMV attacked by the Sons of Liberty? Yup, predominantly white. Our original-Earth Auggie was the 'White Dragon,' an overt white supremacist. His Earth-2 counterpart is 'Blue Dragon,' but the article (and my own gut) suggests his *values* might not have changed one iota. What if, in a world where Keith didn't die and drove a wedge, Auggie and his two 'strong soldiers' used their stolen interdimensional tech to build… well, a white nationalist regime? And what if the Sons of Liberty aren't terrorists, but a genuine resistance movement fighting oppression? Now *that's* a twist that makes the MCU's multiverse feel like a tutorial level.
Chris's brutal actions in Earth-2, matched by his brother's casual disregard for civilian casualties, impress a meek version of Harcourt – a stark contrast to the tough-as-nails woman he pines for in his own dimension. He's getting the 'easy win,' the superficial approval, without any real self-reflection. It's like getting all the best loot without fighting any actual bosses. The other sci-fi multiverses Gunn seems to be channeling often start with that wish-fulfillment, but quickly turn into a stark confrontation with how truly awful things can get, forcing characters to face the darkest versions of themselves and the choices they made.
Ultimately, *Peacemaker* season 2 seems to be setting up a far more meaningful internal battle for Chris. It's not about punching another universe's bad guy; it's about him confronting the part of his own psyche that hasn't changed, the lingering trauma and violent tendencies. He's fixating on being celebrated and a relationship with Harcourt, rather than valuing the genuine, hard-won relationships he's built in his own world. This isn't just about an alternate reality; it's about whether Chris can truly 'git gud' at being a better human, or if he'll just keep taking the easy path, no matter how morally bankrupt that path might be.
And that, mates, is how you use a multiverse: not as an excuse for more of the same, but as a potent narrative spell to explore the deepest, darkest corners of a character's soul. Bravo, Gunn, bravo. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to ponder if my own 'best dimension ever' would involve unlimited tea or just a consistently stable internet connection. Probably both, honestly.
Original reporting and theory via Samantha Nelson at Polygon
Tags: DCU, Peacemaker, Multiverse, Character Analysis, Superhero Shows
Original article: Polygon