In the Peacemaker Season 2 premiere, “The Ties That Grind,” Christopher Smith discovers a portal to an alternate reality, one where his life is seemingly perfect. One of the biggest differences in this new dimension is that Chris’ brother Keith is alive and well. Instead of Chris accidentally killing Keith when they were kids (as seen in Peacemaker Season 1), the siblings formed a superhero team with their father Auggie and fight crime together as the Top Trio. It’s a lot for the mainline DC Universe’s Chris to take in, as he gets to finally experience a loving dynamic with his dad and brother. Peacemaker establishes that Keith is a superhero in the other reality, but viewers may not know his costumed alter ego is a DC Comics deep cut.
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Speaking with ComicBook about his role in Peacemaker Season 2, actor David Denman shared that Keith’s superhero name is Captain Triumph. The character of Captain Triumph has a very fascinating history in the comics, but James Gunn didn’t pull from that when writing Peacemaker‘s version.
“[Captain Triumph] is an old, old, old character,” Denman said. “That guy … he was twins, and one brothers dies. And his spirit goes into the other brother, then he becomes Captain Triumph … I actually went to James and was like, ‘Is there any of that?’ and he goes, ‘No. This is a whole new character.’” Denman added that Gunn considered not using the Captain Triumph name so die-hard fans wouldn’t make the connection.
James Gunn’s History With Obscure Comic Book Characters
Going back to his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gunn has developed a knack for elevating obscure comic book characters to household names. Casual audiences weren’t familiar with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and that trilogy became one of the MCU’s biggest hits. Gunn carried those sensibilities over when he made the jump to DC. The Suicide Squad has meaningful roles for characters like Polka Dot Man and King Shark. Even Superman, despite starring a pop culture icon, made audiences fall in love with Mister Terrific.
Peacemaker fits right in Gunn’s wheelhouse, with its eclectic roster of characters that includes Chris Smith, Vigilante, and Judomaster. Bringing these deep cuts to the mainstream is appealing for a few reasons. First, it just offers a refreshing change of pace in the realm of comic book adaptations, as many of the A-list superheroes have already been brought to life on screen. And as Denman alludes to in his interview, the obscure status many of Gunn’s characters have gives the creative the freedom to put his own spin on things. There’s less baggage bringing someone like Captain Triumph into the fold, whereas Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman carry a significant weight of expectations.
Fans have only gotten to see one episode of Peacemaker Season 2 so far, but Keith/Captain Triumph could end up being another winner for Gunn. “The Ties That Grind” hinted at the close bond Keith has with his brother, so he should factor in heavily to Season 2’s emotional core. Early Peacemaker Season 2 reviews praised the show for delivering a surprisingly poignant story, so it’ll be exciting to see how things unfold between Keith and Chris — especially as the latter attempts to acclimate himself to a new reality.
It remains to be seen if Captain Triumph has a future in the DCU, but Denman knows he’d want to cross paths with Kal-El if the opportunity presented itself. “I’d love to be in that world with Superman and Mister Terrific … I loved [Superman] and I thought James did such a phenomenal job,” he said. Gunn is figuring out what he wants to do with his ongoing Superman Saga and already has his next DC movie planned out, so maybe there will be a role for Keith Smith if he crosses the dimensional plane and comes over to the DCU.
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