Why Peacemaker Has A Shield In The DCEU

Warning: Contains spoilers for Peacemaker season 1.

In the finale of the Peacemaker DCEU TV show, Peacemaker pulls out a large red a yellow shield, but he doesn’t use one in the comics. Peacemaker was introduced in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as a shallow and obnoxious figure that was not a huge distance from the character in the comics. In the Peacemaker TV show, the DCEU has seen Peacemaker become a more evolved individual, even as it has meant straying further from his comic book origin.

In Peacemaker episode 8, “It’s Cow Or Never,” when the team rush to attack the field of Butterflies Peacemaker arms himself with a large yellow and red shield adorned with the dove of peace. Once his P90 runs out of ammo, he pulls out the shield to deflect bullets and uses it as both a shield and an offensive melee weapon alongside his traditional pistol. When Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) tells Peacemaker to kill the cow, he rushes into the remains of the barn and loses the shield when the floor gives out beneath him.

In the comics, Peacemaker does not have his shield, but it is not the only weapon that has been added to his arsenal for the DCEU. In the comics, Peacemaker only has one helmet and its only power is being bulletproof (and, as far as Peacemaker believes, holding the souls of those he failed to save). By giving Chris Smith a shield in the Peacemaker season 1 finale, James Gunn is helping to signal the larger change that has taken place for the character. He has long believed himself to be a hero that defends peace, but has always done so offensively, marked by his famous line that he will do anything for peace, no matter how many “men, women, and children he has to kill to get it.” The DCEU Peacemaker TV series has seen him leave that idea behind, and he has slowly found his new identity as someone who doesn’t want to kill people. The shield is a great representation for Peacemaker becoming a defender of peace and the hero he always believed himself to be.

The use of the shield in Peacemaker is also an interesting nod from the DCEU to the MCU’s Captain America. While the simple use of a shield alone would just be using the same weapon, almost every move that Peacemaker uses with the shield appears to have been borrowed directly from Captain America moments. This obviously helps to drive home the fact that he is more heroic now and working for good; however, the show keeps an element of the old Peacemaker in there. Peacemaker’s shield has sharp edges that make it lethal in a way that the Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson Captain Americas don’t use their shields. The shield in Peacemaker is used in a way more similar to John Walker’s approach in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, which highlights that there is still some way for Peacemaker to go on his journey in Peacemaker season 2.

Interestingly, the use of the shield in Peacemaker is foreshadowed all the way back in Peacemaker episode 4, “The Choad Less Traveled.” When Peacemaker is collecting the helmets after his father (Robert Patrick) has been sent to prison, it is visible in the background. This makes it clear that White Dragon made the shield, as well as Peacemaker’s helmets and uniform, and his advanced technical abilities help to explain the power behind the shield. It’s not discussed what makes Peacemaker’s shield special, but it acts almost as if it is made out of Marvel’s vibranium. The tie between White Dragon and the shield is one more sign that Peacemaker is struggling to shake his father’s legacy, as suggested by the way that he is haunted by his father’s ghost in a presumable setup for Peacemaker season 2.