We never thought we’d see these wild scenes from Peacemaker season 2’s premiere play out in a DC Universe project, but James Gunn has already pushed boundaries for the newly-rebooted franchise. For many years, DC Comics adhered to the regulations of the Comics Code Authority when delivering even its darkest stories on the page. The live-action DC Universe, particularly its TV shows releasing on HBO Max, are restricted by no such authority, and James Gunn has already made this perfectly clear in the first episodes of Peacemaker season 2.
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Peacemaker season 2’s first episode, “The Ties That Grind,” not only included an orgy as Christopher Smith’s (John Cena) house, which involved overt full-frontal nudity and repeated drug use, but also depicted the Justice Gang in a way that undermines their virtue. Emilia Harcourt’s (Jennifer Holland) bar fight scene also included extreme gratuitous violence, while episode 2, “A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird,” included more nudity, Eagly’s violent rampage, and a scene showing Smith and Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma) dismembering the former’s doppelgänger. All of these scenes break the Comics Code Authority’s rules.
The Comics Code Authority was established in 1954 to regulate the material included in comic books and graphic novels. While it wasn’t a legal requirement, the CCA’s approval was a mark of pride for many comic companies, including DC Comics and Marvel Comics, for many years. DC Comics eventually broke with the CCA in 2011, a full decade after Marvel, allowing for more pushing boundaries and testing limits, while the live-action Peacemaker’s TV-MA rating means it can do the same on HBO Max. Had it been up to the CCA, none of these wild scenes would have unfolded in Peacemaker.
In 1954, the CCA prohibited the use of excessive violence, restricted the glamorization of criminals, as well as scenes of lust, horror, bloodshed, profanity, suggestive and salacious illustration, nudity, illicit sex, and pushed for forces of law and justice to be presented trustworthily. Peacemaker season 2’s first episodes break every single one of these regulations, including during the scene in which the Justice Gang are presented as being untrustworthy, gossipy, and debased individuals. DC has broken or ignored the CCA several times over the years, but perhaps never more than in Peacemaker.
Of course, the CCA has no standing on the live-action Peacemaker series, and DC hasn’t had a connection to the Comics Code in 14 years, but it’s still funny and shocking to see all these rules broken. DC Comics series such as 1984’s Swamp Thing, 1986’s Watchmen, and 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns released without CCA approval, so DC has been known to test the limits anyway. Peacemaker takes this to the extreme, however, setting a surprising standard for the DCU going forward, as it’s exciting to think where James Gunn and Peter Safran will take the franchise next.
Were you surprised to see Peacemaker push boundaries so much? Let us know in the comments!
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
