WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first three episodes of Peacemaker, streaming now on HBO Max.
HBO Max’s Peacemaker features a controversial character who has a problematic past in both the show and the comics. Peacemaker’s father, Auggie Smith, has a surprising tie to a DC Comics villain, but his involvement in his son’s life makes him an essential part of Peacemaker’s journey as a vigilante and a person with a morally conflicting code.
Episode 1, “A Whole New Whirled,” dives deep into the life of Peacemaker/Christopher Smith, who clearly grew up with a patriotic mindset that turned him into the vigilante he is today. While it’s unclear if he has a mother in his life, Chris took after his father’s “act first, think later” outlook that leaves them both unfiltered and with no understanding of the world’s real issues. Auggie may have a negative influence on his son’s life, but there’s a chance Chris can turn out better than him.
Auggie is introduced with a conservative and close-minded mentality that stems from racism, homophobia and sexism. It makes sense why the show chose Auggie to take the title of the villainous White Dragon, which has a history of its mantle being worn by many white supremacists in the comics. Auggie is a walking lawsuit filled with offensive terms and insults ready to spout when he feels threatened. This is shown as he’s referring to a detective of Asian descent as “chopsticks” and demanding Chris focus more on killing “blacks,” among other things. Chris is disapproving of his father’s racism, but in some ways, he has unconsciously manifested some of his father into himself.
Ordinary citizens and members of Amanda Waller’s black ops squad constantly point out that Chris targets more minorities than white people. Chris is willing to change this though, by promising he will kill more white people the next time around. He may have the wrong idea, but believes he has good intentions. He’s also painfully terrible with women, attempting to compliment them but ends up over-sexualizing their bodies, which causes a complicated relationship with Emilia Harcourt who he is constantly trying to court. It’s similar to Auggie’s frame of toxic masculinity that makes him believe that his son is weak for getting caught and taken to prison in the first place.
Chris may hate his father’s ideology, but his need for Auggie’s validation as a father is transparently obvious. He cares about his dad enough to save him from choking and seeks to impress him by telling him of Bloodsport’s rat phobia, only to be shut down when his dad scolds him for being shot by the same man that Auggie believes is emasculating. But Auggie seems to look past his disappointment when it comes to helping Chris improve as a vigilante. He is the man behind the silver mask, creating Chris’ helmets with various functions such as sonic boom, x-ray vision and the ability to give its user scabies.
The helmets may not be the only way Auggie is helping out in Chris’ life though. As Chris adjusts to being out of prison and in the real world working with the black ops squad, he begins to learn how to take criticism and apply corrections to his unintentionally offensive behavior. Chris sees the difference in his stubborn father, and can strive to be a better person than the man who raised him by just continuing to separate himself from Auggie. And with the tease of the White Dragon, Chris may finally have to confront his father about his unrealistic standards and high expectations that have made Chris an insecure and approval-seeking person.
To watch the complicated father-son relationship, stream the first three episodes of Peacemaker on HBO Max.
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