DC Comics’ upcoming event is finally going to give Peacemaker the chance to be the hero the DCEU has shown he can be. Absolute Power draws closer and it looks like it’s going to change things for a lot of different characters, including Christopher Smith.

This July, Amanda Waller is going to take the DC Universe by storm in Absolute Power, an event that sees her team up with the Trinity of Evil to steal the powers of Earth’s metahumans. Throughout her mission, Smith has been by her side to help see her work through, but a variant cover suggests Peacemaker is turning against his employer.

Peacemaker Fights Amanda Waller’s Forces in Shocking Variant Cover

DC Comics has provided a look at what lies ahead later this summer with its batch of August solicitations. This month will see the second wave of titles tying into this event, including the fourth and fifth issues of Absolute Power: Task Force VII, the side series focusing on Amanda Waller’s team of Amazos with Justice League powers. The Absolute Power releases all come with a swarm of variant covers, including an interconnected series of variants by John Timms that shows the DC Comics’ event’s major players.

Absolute Power #2 comes with a Timms variant that prominently features Amanda Waller while her latest asset, the Brainiac Queen, looms in the background. Several Justice Leaguers are showcased on the alternate cover for Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5, which has both Flashes, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter facing down an off-screen threat. Absolute Power: Task Force VII #4 also comes with a Timms variant, this one heavily featuring Peacemaker and his alternate universe doppelganger Peacewrecker fighting outside the re-christened Hall of Order.

What’s curious about this variant is that Peacemaker and Peacewrecker, despite being portrayed as Amanda Waller’s lackeys, aren’t fighting on her side. They’re shown to be attacking an army of masked Task Force agents. The Task Force agents have their guns drawn directly on the two costumed fighters as Peacemaker and Peacewrecker dive straight into the fight. It’s hard to say what’s going on in the picture, but it almost certainly seems like Peacemaker is fighting Waller’s army, not fighting with them.

Peacemaker and His History with Amanda Waller

Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, joined Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad during the Infinite Frontier period where he became one of her most loyal assets. Shortly after Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Waller re-emerged with a plan to eliminate the metahumans of the world. After pairing up with the Council of Light, Waller began her work in the shadows. While Waller remained hidden from the world, Peacemaker was her primary field operative, keeping an eye on metahuman teams like the Titans and the Doom Patrol.

Peacemaker didn’t just spy on people Waller wanted to be monitored, he took an active role in helping her cement the power she currently holds. Smith was the one who ventured to Lazarus Island and retrieved the Helmet of Hate, which Waller used to empower her secret asset, Doctor Hate. Peacemaker also acted as Waller’s personal bodyguard when she finally stepped out of the shadows and took on her new role as the head of the new government division, the Bureau of Sovereignty.

Peacemaker has been by Waller’s side every step of the way, up to her recent acquisition of the Hall of Justice, she’s renamed the Hall of Order, to strip it for anything of use. He’s even fought heroes like Nightwing when the situation requires it, like Green Arrow and Nightwing. That being said, Peacemaker has shown a softer side for some heroes. When Arsenal wanted to interrogate Count Vertigo, Peacemaker allowed it on the condition that Roy could beat Smith in a target shooting competition.

Why Peacemaker is Turning Hero and Why it Works

For a collage that showcases Absolute Power’s major players, it seems a bit odd to show Peacemaker in conflict with Waller’s forces. After all, he’s been okay with everything she’s done so far. The thing people need to remember is that Smith values peace above all, and while that’s what Waller’s claiming she’s going to do, it’s clear her plans around going to bring nothing but chaos to the world. Perhaps in her quest for power, Waller’s going to go too far for even Peacemaker to stand by her.

The timing of Peacemaker turning to the good side makes sense. Fans of the DCEU are all aware of his recent live-action adaptation Peacemaker, a show that presents Smith as a flawed, but ultimately well-meaning individual. The recent DC Black Label series Peacemaker Tries Hard! had a version of Smith who was a bit of a jerk, but he was someone who desperately wanted connections with others. Every alternate version of Peacemaker has been given a deeper characterization while the Prime version has remained a bit stagnant.

Despite his constant presence around Amanda Waller throughout the Dawn of DC, Peacemaker’s thoughts and feelings haven’t really been explored. It’s not known how he feels about Waller’s plans or if he’s having doubts regarding her plans to strip metahumans of their powers and imprison them. But based on this Timms’ variant, it seems like something is setting Peacemaker off enough to go head-to-head with Waller’s enforcers. Perhaps DC Comics is finally letting Peacemaker grow and allowing him to become the hero fans know he can be.

Peacemaker Deserves the Chance to Be a Hero

While this variant could be a misdirect, it seems pretty intentional. Most of the public knows that Peacemaker, for all of his faults, is a hero. With Amanda Waller going off the deep end to take control of the DC Universe, now is the time for Smith to truly show how much he values peace by turning against Waller and siding with the heroes. It’s a long overdue character development for Smith and one that fans are sure to love. Hopefully, things will work out for the best if Peacemaker really does finally decide to become a true-blue hero.

Absolute Power: Task Force VII #4 is available from DC Comics on August 14th.