The Peacemaker series has largely been appreciated for its humor, sarcastic take on heroes, and the depiction of characters such as the protagonist himself. James Gunn is going all out, not just with the brutality but even the extent to which he is mocking the superhero life and genre.
But one of my favorite parts about every episode is the post-credit scenes. Yes, it is a style derivative of the MCU. Still, instead of using it to take the storyline forward, James Gunn uses it for additional humor while adding an extra layer to characters, which I love.
While these scenes are pretty understandable and straightforward, there’s still some insight involved in them. So here’s me explaining the post-credits scenes of Peacemaker episodes 1 to 3.
The Peacemaker post-credit scenes in Episodes 1, 2, and 3 involve interactions between Peacemaker and his father, Peacemaker’s captives identifying the “man in the helmet,” and the interaction between Harcourt and Vigilante. All of these add a sarcastic tone to the show’s satirical nature and provide mini insights into characters.
Episode 1 Post-Credit Scene Breakdown
In this, we see Peacemaker and his father in the secret facility built by his father and the weapons and sophisticated arms that enhance any soldier/mercenaries killing combat abilities. Here the father asks Peacemaker to try on the helmet, which will give him Scabies.
Scabies is a disease where mites penetrate the skin, lay their eggs, and essentially live there. It is quite painful, and the recovery process is strenuous.
Peacemaker’s father justifies the suggestion by saying every man should challenge himself.
Throughout the three episodes, we see Peacemaker’s father as a toxic white male supremacist, and this little scene points to exactly that. We also see him constantly degrade his son and want him to “man up.” So this scene is just another way for the father to implicitly prove that Peacemaker isn’t man enough to try on that helmet.
While these are just a couple of scenes, many others indicate Peacemaker’s upbringing and how currently he faces the dilemma of being a “good soldier” his father always wanted him to be versus being an actually good soldier who makes a difference.
Episode 2 Post-Credit Scene Breakdown
Peacemaker, in episode 2, while trying to escape from the police because he’d just blown up a butterfly metahuman, encounters a couple. He then ties them up, but before he does, we see him and the wife bond over their shared love for Cinderella vinyl record.
It’s almost an indication that the two are into each other.
In the post-credit scene, we see both the husband and wife being called to the station to identify the man in the helmet and the suit. The two identify the same person, Peacemaker’s father, because Leota bribes them into doing so.
However, the wife, Amanda, clearly mentions that Peacemaker – “the handsome guy” was definitely not the one and asks the officer for his picture.
Later on, in the series, we also see the two sleeping with each other, which kind of means that the post-credit scene, in a way, foreshadowed it.
Episode 3 Post-Credit Scene Breakdown
Vigilante, who is Peacemaker’s self-acclaimed best friend, decides to stalk him on his mission to take down one of the US senators who might be a butterfly.
The entire team, including Harcourt, comes to know of this, and she gives Vigilante a fair warning which is essentially a threat to kill his family if he messes up their mission.
Vigilante instantly laughs it off, saying it’s too late for that.
This apparently might mean that Vigilante has no family because they’re all dead, which might either be the reason behind him turning into a ‘vigilante’ and hunting down bad people or, on the flip side, he might be involved with his family’s death.
While this hasn’t been confirmed, I’m hoping it’s an arc James Gunn would explore in the upcoming episodes.
Conclusion
Overall the post-credit scenes from the three episodes seem to be taking a dig at MCU’s trademark style of moving the storyline forward by making it purely humorous and trivial while balancing it with just a subtle layer of character work.
The following episodes will be airing every week starting 20th January, and I can’t wait to see what more hilarity and dark, satirical comedy awaits us.
About Peacemaker
Peacemaker is a DC Extended Universe series that will delve into the past of the titular character, who’ll make his cinematic debut in James Gunn’s DCEU film, The Suicide Squad (2021). The character will be portrayed by John Cena, who will reprise his role in the HBO Max series.
Other cast members include Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Chris Conrad, and Chukwudi Iwuji among many others.
James Gunn will also helm the HBO Max series for its second season.
No Comments on Peacemaker Episodes 1-3 Post-credits Scenes Explained