When DC is mentioned, a few characters are instantly thought of.  Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman even The Joker and Lex Luthor are among them.  These are the characters that set up the foundation of the DC universe.  If an event is occurring in the books or other mediums, these characters are at the center or at least have a huge part in it.  There’s no difference with the DCU.  The DCU got its cinematic start with Superman and no doubt some other prominent DC characters will have a huge impact.  Their presence in the universe will be something that is looked forward to and will have heavy implications.  However, one character is already having that type of impact without having the same status of fame as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and others.  That character is Peacemaker.  Peacemaker quickly shot up the DC rankings after his debut in The Suicide Squad and that status continued to rise with his show.  And now with the second season having more of a connection to a wider shared universe, his status will rise that much further.  But is Peacemaker deserving of this type of role? Should it have been someone else?

Peacemaker definitely was a great surprise in The Suicide Squad.  His relationship with other characters was great because each one was a bit different from the other.  With most of his teams, he seemed unapproachable.  A man whose aggressive beliefs about freedom made him intimidating to most of them.  They were a bit scared of one of their own teammates which added some depth to the team dynamic.  But his rivalry with Bloodsport made all their scenes some of the best in the movie.  Bloodsport was not imitated at all.  In fact, annoyed.  Bloodsport wanted to prove he was better than Peacemaker during the movie.  But Peacemaker had his charm which made his twist and his killing of Flag a bit shocking.  He was a great part in that movie which continued into his show.  But again, should Peacemaker be the character that is receiving all of this glory?

Before The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker was a character that was deep, real deep, down DC’s barrel of characters.  Even among the comic book community and DC fans, Peacemaker was still a character that was obscure.  But a James Gunn staple is to bring those types of characters to the forefront.  Gunn’s style of selecting characters, quickly brought Peacemaker up the rankings.  And because of that, Peacemaker is absorbing a bright spotlight.  Other than a successful first season, he had a cameo in Superman where he was thrashing Superman and now the second season of the show will have more implications in the DCU.  It’s great for the character but there are more deserving characters other than him.

Perhaps the main one is Deathstroke.  Deathstroke is a well-known character among the DC community.  He seems to be someone that is just on the cusp of being big.  He has been in stories over the years but nothing big enough to have him land on the scene in an impactful way.  Deathstroke has what it takes to be a house hold name but things have tied him up.  What makes it even more insulting is that he does share some flare with Peacemaker.  There is some overlap between the characters.  Since Deathstroke has had a bit more of a known history in the DC universe he should have been the one to have taken the same leap Peacemaker made.

Martian Manhunter is another character that seems as if he is on the cusp of making it big as well.  He finds himself in a similar spot as Deathstroke; a known character in the DC community but not among general audiences.  Since Peacemaker season two will put the characters into more of a science fiction genre, Martian Manhunter could have excelled in that type of series.  Perhaps make it a bit more believable as well since the seasons of Peacemaker are making a big shift in genres.  But Martian Manhunter seems to be a character that could hold down his own story but has been reduced to a supporting role for other characters.  If he would have been in same spotlight as Peacemaker, his name perhaps would have been on the same level as Superman and Batman.

Nightwing is the character that arguably makes the most sense replacing Peacemaker in the context of who should have instantly rose in popularity.  Again, fans know who Nightwing is, general audiences, general fans do not.  It makes logical sense since DC has been pushing Nightwing to a higher status in the books for some time now.  It would have done the character some huge favors if DC were to carry that momentum into a movie or a series just like Peacemaker’s case.  Nightwing is a huge fan favorite.  Fans have been wanting a movie starring Nightwing for a long time now.  He has much bigger fan base than Peacemaker does. But his climb to popularity was given to a character that perhaps was not deserving of that type of status.

If Peacemaker season 2 is about a character that gets help from a government body while they travel through the multiverse, there are more famous characters.  The Flash could have replaced Peacemaker.  Barry Allen or Wally West could have been the choice with no pushback.  Obviously, this character is more known and has a larger fan base.  Cyborg could have filled out this role as well.  He has access to Boom Tubes, portals that can be taken to transport its users anywhere.  Both characters have connections to S.T.A.R. Labs, which could be interesting in the multiverse and need some one empowered to navigate the randomness of the multiverse.  Both characters, are known and have more recognizability than what Peacemaker had when he made his debut.  And since these characters have a spot in the Justice League, a series starring them, could have led to the Justice League.  Just more characters that deserved more of chance than Peacemaker got.

Peacemaker, quite frankly, is not deserving of the fame he has been receiving.  And by extension should not be a vital piece to the DCU going forward.  There a lot more characters whose fame shines brighter but are still waiting their long overdue turn.  Peacemaker robbed them of that.  He is at best a C-list character and now he has an important role in an infant cinematic universe.  That role should have been given to more prominent and more fan favorite characters.  There a whole lot more characters that make a lot more sense. But until another character perhaps dominates fan demand, Peacemaker is the guy for now.