With the new DC Universe taking shape, the second season of Peacemaker is acting as a crucial narrative bridge, clarifying which characters and events from the old continuity are being carried into James Gunn’s new canon. The season’s opening recap immediately establishes that Christopher Smith’s (John Cena) reluctant found family, the 11th Street Kids, have made the cut. This confirmation brought back one of the most beloved elements of the first season: Freddie Stroma’s Adrian Chase, the endlessly quotable and deeply disturbed antihero known as Vigilante. After stealing nearly every scene he was in during the show’s initial run, Vigilante became a breakout fan-favorite, a hilarious and unsettling foil whose earnest psychopathy and misguided loyalty created some of the show’s most memorable moments.
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Warning: Spoilers below for Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 4
Four episodes into its sophomore season, Peacemaker continues to deliver on Vigilante’s comedic potential. Stroma’s performance remains a highlight, perfectly capturing the character’s awkward sincerity and inability to read social cues, which provides a consistent source of humor. However, as the season reaches its halfway point, Vigilante, a character once brimming with thematic purpose, has been largely relegated to the role of comedic relief. His contributions are often limited to one-liners and awkward background reactions, a significant step back from the vital role he played in the first season. While still wildly entertaining, this reduction of his character feels like a missed opportunity, sidelining one of the series’ most compelling figures and failing to capitalize on the complex dynamic he shares with the protagonist.
Vigilante Has a Purpose on Season 1 of Peacemaker
In the first season of Peacemaker, Adrian Chase was crucial for developing the show’s central themes. Vigilante’s brand of psychopathy served as a dark mirror for Christopher Smith, reflecting the man Chris could have easily become without the capacity for introspection. His cheerful and unquestioning approach to killing stood in stark contrast to Peacemaker’s own internal struggle with his violent past, particularly the assassination of Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman).
A key example of this dynamic occurs during the mission to eliminate a US Senator and his family, who are secretly alien Butterflies. When Peacemaker hesitates, unable to bring himself to kill the children, Vigilante steps in without a second thought and executes the entire family while humming a tune. The moment is deeply unsettling, using Adrian’s casual brutality to highlight the flicker of humanity still present within Chris. As a result, igilante’s actions consistently forced both the audience and the characters to confront the violent reality of their mission, exposing the inherent flaws of a worldview where lethal force is the only answer.
Furthermore, Vigilante’s unwavering loyalty to Peacemaker provided opportunities to add surprising emotional layers to his character. His decision to get himself arrested and thrown in prison with the sole purpose of killing Chris’s abusive father, Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), was a misguided act of friendship. Believing that removing Auggie would finally free Chris from his psychological torment, Adrian concocts a laughably inept plan to provoke the White Dragon. When the scheme fails and Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) has to break him out, he is filled with genuine worry that he has only made things worse for his best friend. This rare moment of vulnerability showcased that beneath the homicidal glee was a person desperate for connection and validation, adding a tragic depth that elevated him beyond a simple caricature.
Vigilante Is the Only Season 2 Character Without an Arc
As Peacemaker Season 2 crosses its midpoint, it is clear that nearly every member of the 11th Street Kids has been given a defined emotional journey, except for Vigilante. Christopher Smith is at the center of a complex multiversal crisis, forced to confront an alternate version of his life that offers a painful glimpse of the happiness he was denied. Emilia Harcourt is grappling with being blacklisted by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), while revelations about her past affair with Rick Flag Jr. recontextualize her entire relationship with Chris. Even Eagly, despite also serving as a comedic relief, has been thrust into his own narrative arc with the arrival of his dedicated nemesis, the eagle-hunter Red St. Wild (Michael Rooker).
With Season 2 of Peacemaker half done, Vigilante feels adrift in the plot, his presence largely disconnected from the central narrative threads. While he remains a reliable source for a funny line or a bizarre non-sequitur, he has been given very little to do that actively pushes the story forward or develops his own character. The series has briefly hinted at a potential source of conflict through Vigilante’s growing jealousy of the strengthening friendship between Chris and Leota Adebayo, but this emotional undercurrent has remained subtle and largely untapped.
As a purely comedic element, Vigilante continues to succeed. However, the first season of Peacemaker proved that the show is at its best when it finds the perfect balance between humor and meaningful character progression. It allowed its ensemble to be hilarious and deeply flawed individuals, undergoing significant change. It is a genuine shame that, so far, Vigilante has not been afforded that same thoughtful treatment in the new season.
New episodes of Peacemaker premiere on HBO Max on Thursdays.
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Courtesy of Comedy Central
