James Gunn Reveals Peacemaker Actor Auditioned as Two Characters

Warning: this story contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 6. Peacemaker series creator James Gunn reveals the actor who auditioned as two characters because of the twist in Thursday’s “Chapter 6: Murn After Reading.” Carrying out an arrest warrant for Peacemaker (John Cena), Detective Song (Annie Chang) — along with the rest of the Evergreen Police Department — becomes host to the parasitic aliens called Butterflies. Butterfly leader Goff (a.k.a. ‘Eek Stack Ik Ik’) burrows into Song’s brain, puppeteering her corpse as Goff/Song readies the troops for an extraterrestrial invasion of Earth (to the appropriate tune of Reckless Love’s “Monster”).   

“When [Chang] auditioned she had to audition as TWO characters – Sophie & Goff,” Gunn tweeted during Saturday’s #PeacemakerParty on Twitter. “Some actors were great at one or the other but only Annie was great at both.” 

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Revealing a behind-the-scenes snap of a bloodied Song, Chang tweeted, “Thank you for all the love for ep 6. I never thought I’d get an opportunity to be so badass.” 

Goff/Eek Stack Ik Ik inhabited the body of United States Senator Royland Goff (Antonio Cupo) until he was shot and killed by Peacemaker in Episode 3, “Better Goff Dead.” The winged alien was imprisoned in a glass jar accidentally shattered by Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), freeing Goff/Eek Stack Ik Ik — and potentially dooming the entire planet. 

“Let me just put it this way: We only have two episodes to wrap up a lot of stuff. You can imagine it’s going to be very explosive, literally and figuratively explosive,” Chang’s co-star Chukwudi Iwuji, who plays former Goff follower and good guy Butterfly Clemson Murn, recently told TV Insider. “Chaos is going to reign. Hilarity is going to be taken to another level. But at the heart of it, if you’ll excuse the pun, is the heart.”

“James Gunn always somehow manages to infuse heart in the most unlikely moments, and there’s a hell of a lot of that left in the final moments,” Iwuji said. Watch the first-look trailer for Peacemaker Episode 7, “Stop Dragon My Heart Around.” 

Starring John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Chukwudi Iwuji, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick, new episodes of DC’s Peacemaker premiere Thursdays on HBO Max.