The fifth episode of Peacemaker made its debut on HBO Max on Thursday, bringing another chapter in the wild story of Christopher Smith / Peacemaker (John Cena). Along the way of the series’ existing episodes, James Gunn’s script has referenced or alluded to some random aspects of DC Comics lore. That has included a number of costumed antiheroes or villains from DC’s mythos, including Doll-Man, Bat-Mite, Matter-Eater Lad, and more. The streak continued in the series’ fifth episode, which directly referenced one of the weirdest and most beloved villains in Batman’s rogues gallery. Spoilers for Episode 5 of Peacemaker, “Monkey Dory”, below! Only look if you want to know!
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Midway through the episode, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) agreed to visit Peacemaker’s trailer, where the two of them commiserated about their work with Project Butterfly. Along the way, Leota spied a framed newspaper hanging in Peacemaker’s home, which bragged about the hero having taken down Kite Man.
Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang in 1960’s Batman #133, Charles Brown / Kite Man makes a name for himself with a wide array of kite weapons, which often make him a thorn in the side of Batman. While often regarded as a bit of a joke character, he began to get a bit more depth in the DC Rebirth canon, which also coined his catch phrase “Kite Man, hell yeah!” The character has also factored heavily into the Harley Quinn animated series, where he’s voiced by Matt Oberg.
“It’s almost like playing a massive prank on the DCU making Bat-Mite canon,” Gunn recently told ComicBook.com. “I think I can’t say there was some big thought process to it. I’m writing, and these things come up, and then I just sort of go with them. I do think that Peacemaker’s relationship to other superheroes is very specific. He is envious. He wants to be in that holy trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. He is not. He wants to be a member of the Justice League, and they would never let him into the Justice League. He wishes that people loved him as much as they love Aquaman, but they don’t.”
“So he believes anything and kind of picks out what he wants to believe on the Internet, which any random Joe has tweeted or put on,” Gunn continued. “He also doesn’t quite understand the Internet. He’s not very well versed in the Internet, so he sees something on Facebook, and somehow he thinks that’s fact. But I think that it also serves his envy to be these things about people.”
What do you think of Peacemaker name-dropping Kite Man? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
New episodes of Peacemaker debut Thursdays exclusively on HBO Max.
