The latest episode of DC’s ‘Peacemaker’ has confirmed that the titular character is bisexual, making him the second queer character in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) following Harley Quinn. According to showrunner James Gunn, the idea came from John Cena, who plays the lead role in the show.
“Peacemaker is an interesting character because he’s f**ked up in so many ways, and then in other ways, he’s kind of weirdly forward-thinking,” Gunn said in an interview with Empire magazine. “John does improv all the time, and he just turned Christopher Smith into this hyper-sexualized dude that is open to anything sexually. I was surprised by that. But I thought, ‘I guess it makes sense that this guy isn’t one-dimensional.’”
Some fans who care about the main character’s sexual orientation have been suspecting that Peacemaker might be bisexual for a few episodes now, but a scene in the latest episode seems to have undeniably confirmed it.
The scene in question takes place when Peacemaker’s dad, White Dragon, is beating him up and throwing insults at him. “I knew you was unclean when you was born, and even more so when you killed your brother,” he tells his son. “I knew when you listened to that devil music. I knew when you shaved your body like a woman. I knew when you slept with the whores of polluted blood... and men!”
Gunn has pointed out that while Peacemaker “doesn’t have any issues with sexuality,” he seems to draw the line at bestiality. “As long as you’re not f**king animals – that he’s not into. But besides that, he’s pretty open. And yet other things, he’s completely close-minded on.”
Peacemaker’s coming out makes him the second queer character in the DCEU as Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was also revealed to be attracted to both sexes after her breakup with the Joker. The actress has reportedly been pushing for upcoming DCEU movies to explore Harley’s romantic relationship with fellow villain, Poison Ivy.
Meanwhile, ‘Peacemaker’ has finished its first season and HBO has confirmed that the show will be renewed for a second season. It’s also been revealed that James Gunn will be put in charge of another ‘Suicide Squad’ spin-off series, but no further details have been provided at this point.