THE FANDOM ZONE 334: "Full Nelson" Is Up!

 
"Chris, listen to me. Every time someone around you dies, it's because you're not listening to yourself! Your father told you to fight your brother, you did. Waller told you to kill Rick and you did. And you knew you shouldn't have gone to that other world! Don't tell me you thought, in your heart, that was the right thing to do. But when you are truly who you are, Chris Smith, what happens? Chris, what happens, man?"
"...Nothing."
"You touch people, man. I believe in miracles because of you. I saw an eagle hug a human. I know who I am because of you. And...when I'm around you...I feel loved. You're big and you're stupid, but I know you love me. And I don't think I can say that about anybody else in this world."
-- Leota Adebayo and Chris Smith, Peacemaker -- "Full Nelson"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Full Nelson", the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, featuring John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Stephen Blackehart as Sydney Happersen, and Terence Rosemore as Otis Berg!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik celebrating Italy's victory over Estonia, my suggested title for this episode, the Season 2 finale feeling more like an epilogue instead of a finale, the tone of the episode being all over the place, James Gunn overindulging, Otis getting the last name Berg, some comics background on Checkmate and the 2007 limited series Salvation Run, wondering why Big Belly Burger is serving alcohol, Chris being completely checked out, the dimensional portals reminding Nik of Stargate, the imps' Fifth Dimension resembling a live-action version of the board game Candy Land, Harcourt stepping up to take out the imps, Adebayo persuading Adrian to use his captured drug money, Rick Flag Sr. and Sydney Happersen celebrating while Harcourt's team keeps getting massacred, Rick wanting to use Salvation to get rid of metahumans without being legally responsible for them, Peacemaker and Harcourt's relationship being similar to Star-Lord and Gamora's from Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Adebayo and Keeya ending their marriage amicably, Adebayo telling Chris that he inspires people and isn't cursed, Harcourt finally breaking down and admitting that she enjoyed being with Chris on the boat, the formation of Checkmate, wondering if Peacemaker returns in Gunn's upcoming Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, John Economos possibly finding someone who appreciates him, our favorite quotes of the episode, Nik's upcoming return to Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast, our upcoming discussion of Wonder Man in January 2026, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
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The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in three months when DJ Nik and I discuss the first episode of Marvel's Wonder Man on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 333: "Like a Keith in the Night" Is Up!

 
"That was the most people I ever killed in a swimming pool with a telephone wire."
-- Judomaster to Leota Adebayo., Peacemaker -- "Like a Keith in the Night"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Like a Keith in the Night", the seventh episode of  Peacemaker Season 2, featuring John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Robert Patrick as Blue Dragon/Auggie Smith, David Denman as Captain Triumph/Keith Smith, and Stephen Blackehart as Sydney Happersen!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik celebrating a win over Cremonese, the episode feeling like a season finale, Chris Smith not getting a break no matter how hard he tries, Stephen Blackehart being a James Gunn go-to actor, Lochlyn Munro as Betty Cooper's serial killer dad on Riverdale, some comics background on Sydney Happersen, James Gunn includes a character named Fitzgibbon in all of his films, still wanting Mindhunter Season 3, Harcourt pointing out all that Chris missed all the copies of Mein Kampf on Earth-X A.R.G.U.S.' desks and a giant mural of Hitler, Adrian-X telling Adrian that people of color are forced to live in concentration camps on Earth-X, Adebayo getting rescued from an angry mob of white supremacists by Judomaster, wondering why Chris and Harcourt pulled the Peace-cycle over for the cops, Rick Flag Sr. and Sasha Bordeaux meeting with Sydney Happersen, Harcourt potentially getting into a co-dependent relationship with Chris, Adebayo and Judomaster bonding over a game of Scrobble, Nik getting to interview Hardcore Superstar, whether Earth-X Auggie loved his Chris, Auggie telling the police to leave his property until they get a warrant, Judomaster having no problem with the Vigilantes' plan to kill the cops and storm the Smith house, Auggie telling Harcourt that he doesn't share Earth-X's ideologies, Vigilante abruptly stabbing Auggie repeatedly in the neck, Chris' primal scream at seeing Keith also getting stabbed by Vigilante, Harcourt intending to kill Keith to protect Chris, Peacemaker turning over the Quantum Unfolding Chamber portal device and allowing himself to be arrested, Happersen telling his guard that he plans to access PornHub, our favorite quotes of the episode, next week's discussion of the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in one week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Full Nelson", the Season 2 finale of Peacemaker, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 332: "Ignorance Is Chris" is Up!

 
"Last time I saw you, you were denying metahumans were a threat and now it seems they're taking over the world."
"Sort of, yeah."
"You have the Justice Gang and Superman determining international politics. Meanwhile, I'm here in Belle Reve listening to a bear-sized man with dragon skin butt-fucking a glowing twink with cartoon eyes in a cell beside me every night. I did everything I could to eradicate the metahuman blight, and now I'm enshrouded in it for the next...What did the judge say?...Two hundred and sixty-five years."
-- Lex Luthor and Rick Flag Sr., Peacemaker -- "Ignorance Is Chris"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Ignorance Is Chris", the sixth episode of Peacemaker Season 2, ffeaturing John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante/Adrian Chase, Robert Patrick as Blue Dragon/Auggie Smith, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik celebrating his mom's birthday, shorter episodes possibly being a saving grace, Nicholas Hoult as The Beast and Nux from Mad Max: Fury Road, some comics background on Lex Luthor's first appearance and Earth-X, James Gunn moving Lex Luthor's cameo up to Episode 6, Van Kull maximum security prison, German power metal band Helloween, Naomi Watts in The Ring, finally getting Adrian in his Vigilante suit again, Adrian's secret stash of captured drugs and drug money, exploding bags of cocaine, Adrian probably being on the spectrum, wondering how Judomaster will get his Flamin' Hot Cheetos on Earth-X, Harcourt making up an excuse that she fouled up the bathroom, Mick Jagger leading "The Beetles" on Earth-X, Vigilante diving into a set of bushes, Vigilante meeting his Earth-X doppelganger, Rick Flag Sr. having a chat with Lex Luthor in Belle Reve, Chris reuniting with Harcourt, the definition of anti-fascist, the big reveal that the parallel Earth is the one where the Nazis won World War II, Earth-X Harcourt meeting Harcourt, the cliffhanger of Adebayo running for her life from Keith Smith and a mob of white supremacists, the post-credits scene of Harcourt insisting that she talks to the ghost of Keith's mom, the introduction of the DC multiverse, our favorite quotes of the episode, some Fandom Zone Fanmail from Christine Peruski, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in one week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Like a Keith in the Night", the seventh episode of Peacemaker Season 2, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 331: "Back to the Suture" Is Up!

 
"Ads, I'm trusting you to tell the others goodbye for me. I know you won't agree with what I'm doing but I feel like it's the right thing. I've tried to make up for my mistakes, but I'm not sure redemption is something that's truly possible. At least not here. So... I'm going to make a life in the other world. I'm going to be a brother to my brother... a son to my dad. And I'm going to tell Emilia, "Yes, we'll work on this." I'll cherish life and overcome my trauma and be the good man there that I was never be able to be here. Don't be bummed. I love you all, even Harcourt after all that fucked-up, cunty bullshit she did. But I don't belong here. I think that if you and Harcourt and Economos turn this alien-dimensional-canister thing over to A.R.G.U.S., you'll be in their good graces enough to all get promoted. Then...everyone will be happy. Love, Chris and Eagly."
-- Chris Smith's letter to Leota Adebayo, Peacemaker -- "Back to the Suture"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Back to the Suture", the fifth episode of Peacemaker Season 2, featuring John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., and Nhut Le as Judomaster/Rip Jagger!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like the pronunciation of Sassuolo, trying to figure out what "Back to the Suture" refers to in the episode, wondering if James Gunn didn't have enough plot ideas to fill all eight episodes this season, the DCU not requiring you to watch everything to understand what's going on like the MCU, celebrating Batman Day, the flashback to the funeral of Rick Flag Jr., the Enchantress not being into an open relationship, the recurring gag of Rick Flag Sr. telling Harcourt to call him "Rick", Chris moving across Kupperberg Park by using various human shields, Chris risking his freedom to get confirmation that Harcourt isn't into him, Sasha Bordeaux being revealed as a cyborg and whether she'll be revealed as an O.M.A.C., Harcourt begging John Economos to book Chris in official records to save his life, Red St. Wild acting like Wile E. Coyote trying to kill the Road Runner, James Gunn's weird trope of violence towards animals, Eagly being confirmed as the Primal Eagle, Chris taking the beating from Rick Flag Sr. without fighting back, Rick Flag Sr. trying to convince Sasha Bordeaux he has a much bigger plan for Peacemaker than simple revenge, Langston Fleury learning to take Judomaster seriously, more speculation on Earth-X, Judomaster leaving Cheeto dust on Chris' letter, Adebayo having to console Adrian, Harcourt telling the 11th Street Kids they're going to the parallel Earth to get Chris back, Adrian having to point out to Adebayo that she was just solicited for prostitution, our favorite quotes of the episode, cats bearing a grudge if you don't mention them on your Christmas cards, Nik watching Darkman II: The Return of Durant, Xan Sprouse and I watching The Thing (1982) on Drunk Cinema, the universe caring for Nik, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
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And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in one week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Ignorance Is Chris", the sixth episode of Peacemaker Season 2, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 330: "Need I Say Door" Is Up!

 
"There's no fucking way you know what Beluga caviar tastes like."
"Oh, my God...That eagle eats better than me!"
-- John Economos and Red St. Wild, Peacemaker -- "Need I Say Door"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Need I Say Door", the fourth episode of Peacemaker Season 2, featuring John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik shopping for his friend with benefits, "Need I Say Door" being a filler episode, Gunn hinting about some big DCU character appearances on Peacemaker, some trivia on Kupperberg Park being named for DC Comics writer Paul Kupperberg, the flashback of Chris' dad killing an alien when he was a child, John Economos being stuck in a van with everyone he doesn't get along with, Nik's love of the nickname "Captain Cultural Appropriation" for Red St. Wild, the difference between American McDonald's restaurants and Italian McDonald's restaurants, John Cena getting to use his wrestling skills in Peacemaker's fight with Judomaster, Economos being fed up with A.R.G.U.S., Adebayo seeing her ad printed in Pro Soldier magazine, Adebayo trying to warn Chris that the alternate Earth could be too good to be true, Economos being really bad at stalling, wondering why Emilia Harcourt doesn't have more bruising and lost teeth from her fights, giving credit to Michael Rooker for stripping down at his age and dancing around a fire, Red St. Wild being a bird dropping connoisseur, our favorite quotes of the episode, Nik discussing the Spice World movie on his movie podcast, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

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The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in one week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Back to the Suture", the fifth episode of Peacemaker Season 2, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 329: "Another Rick Up My Sleeve" Is Up!

 
"Best dimension ever."
-- Chris Smith, Peacemaker -- "Another Rick Up My Sleeve"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Another Rick Up My Sleeve", the third episode of Peacemaker Season 2, featuring John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Michael Rooker as Red St. Wild, and the return of Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag Jr. and Nhut Le as Judomaster/Rip Jagger!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik looking forward to Inter Milan vs. Juventus, Joel Kinnaman in RoboCop (2014), some comics background on Rick Flag Jr., Judomaster and The Sons of Liberty, wondering why James Gunn chose "Oh Lord" by Foxy Shazam as the Season 2 opening credits music, the revelation that Emilia Harcourt was involved with Rick Flag Jr., Rick's poor choice in cheating on the Enchantress with Harcourt, Harcourt being conflicted about her feelings for Chris, Chris being asked about his doppelganger's drug habit, Leisure Suit Larry, Chris finally getting admiration and recognition as Peacemaker, the potential scientific consequences of Chris staying on the alternate Earth, the possible twist that the alternate could be DC Comics' Earth-X where the Nazis won World War II, Alternate Earth Rick Flag Jr. being socially awkward, Langston Fleury trying to throw John Economos under the bus, Chris apologizing to Emilia on behalf of his doppelganger that he killed, The Sons of Liberty hijacking the Department of Motor Vehicles, Peacemaker easily taking out The Sons of Liberty, the introduction of Red St. Wild, that awkward moment when Economos is getting reassigned to partner with Judomaster, wondering if Adrian has feelings for Economos, our favorite quotes of the episode, wishing that G.I. Robot will appear on the alternate Earth, Team Peacemaker discovering the interdimensional doorway, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in one week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Need I Say Door", the fourth episode of Peacemaker Season 2, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 328: "A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird" Is Up!

 
"A fucking duck attacked me!"
-- Langston Fleury, Peacemaker -- "A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird", the second episode of Peacemaker Season 2, featuring John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Steve Agee as John Economos, and introducing Tim Meadows as Langston Fleury!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik being traumatized by the sheep on Alien: Earth, the Ohio State Buckeyes beating the Texas Longhorns in their college football season opener, Superbad and Adventureland director Greg Mottola, Tim Meadows as the Ladies Man, Ponyboy Curtis from S.E. Hinton's 1967 novel The Outsiders, whether "bird blindness" is actually a thing, Amanda Waller probably escaping justice, Rick Flag Sr. learning that Peacemaker killed his son in The Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad becoming part of James Gunn's new DC Universe continuity, Chris having a hard time with disposing the body of his alternate self, Keeya informing Leota that they've broken up, Emilia Harcourt getting asked if she's an abuse victim, wondering how Harcourt would be working at a CVS pharmacy, Langston Fleury getting under Economos' skin and giving him a creepy shoulder massage, Adebayo advising Chris to give up the Quantum Unfolding Chamber to avoid going back to prison, Adrian really enjoying cutting up the alternate Peacemaker's corpse to spend time with Chris, wondering what's up with the alien disposing rats, the 11th Street Kids reuniting on the rooftop of Harcourt's apartment for a party, why you shouldn't throw bottles of beer to Economos, Eagly beating the crap out of an A.R.G.U.S. strike team, Harcourt telling Chris that he just wants her to be as broken as he is, Chris realizing that he has to go into a parallel universe to send a text, our favorite quotes of the episode, wondering if Joel Kinnaman's alternate Rick Flag Jr. will be brought into the DCU, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
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The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in one week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Another Rick Up My Sleeve", the third episode of Peacemaker Season 2, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 327: "The Ties That Grind" Is Up!

 
"Excuse me? Am I supposed to be able to hear you guys?"
"Excuse me?"
"You were talking about your butt and stuff...and also that I suck."
-- Peacemaker and Maxwell Lord, Peacemaker -- "The Ties That Grind"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "The Ties That Grind", the first episode of Peacemaker Season 2, featuring John Cena as Peacemaker/Chris Smith, Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.! 

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like if Nik enjoyed the new Peacemaker opening credits dance sequence, James Gunn balancing extremely comedy with extreme heartfelt moments, James Gunn retconning the ending of the first season finale "It's Cow or Never", some comics background on Sasha Bordeaux and White Rabbit, wondering if this version of Sasha Bordeaux will connect to the Infinite Crisis event limited series, Eagly getting his zoomies out in the Quantum Unfolding Storage Areas, wondering what's up with the unnamed alien, wondering if the alternate universe Auggie Smith is also a white supremacist, Peacemaker's interview fail with the Justice Gang, Harcourt beating the dashboard of her car until her knuckles are bloodied, Adrian thinking he's the Rain Man of owls, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Chris pulling out his "For a Rainy Day" bag of cocaine and hosting an orgy in his living room, Economos watching the orgy going on in Chris' house, wondering why the DCU is exploring the multiverse when Marvel is doing the same, Chris getting the dream version of his family, Harcourt going to a biker bar to get the crap kicked out of her, Economos visiting Adebayo in her crappy hotel room, that awkward moment when Chris gets confronted by his alternate self, that even more awkward moment when Chris kills his alternate self, our favorite quotes of the episode, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in one week when DJ Nik and I discuss "A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird", the second episode of Peacemaker Season 2, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

First PEACEMAKER Season 2 Trailer Teases Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, and Maxwell Lord

Do you really wanna taste it again?

Max has released the first teaser trailer for the second season of Peacemaker, James Gunn's TV series adaptation of the DC Comics superhero. The season continues the story of jingoistic mercenary Peacemaker/Christopher Smith, played once again by John Cena, and places the series into Gunn's new DC Universe, which launches with his upcoming film Superman (2025).

The two-minute teaser trailer opens with Peacemaker being driven by his friend Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) to a job interview with the Justice Gang, a DCU superhero team to be introduced in Superman. Abebayo tells Peacemaker, "They'll be doing backflips to get you to join" and gives him an encouraging fist bump of support.

Going inside, Peacemaker sits down and is welcomed by Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), asking him if he prefers going by Peacemaker or Chris. Inside a booth with Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Lord toggles a switch that presumably allows private conversation if needed. "Either's fine," replies Peacemaker.

"Can you tell us a little about your skills?" asks Lord.

"I'm considered the finest marksman in the world."

"The mic is off?" asks Hawkgirl. Lord replies that it is, even though it obviously isn't.

Thrown a bit, Peacemaker continues, "I am also proficient in hand-to-hand combat..."

Still thinking the Justice Gang is having a private conversation, Lord asks the others, "How many more of these do we have today?"

"Is that popcorn still here?" asks Hawkgirl.

"You loooooove popcorn," responds Guy Gardner.

"My butt is getting really big lately," adds Hawkgirl, still not realizing the mic isn't off.

Peacemaker continues again, "I have a variety of helmets..."

"This guy sucks," groans Lord.

"Excuse me?" interjects Peacemaker. "Am I supposed to be able to hear you guys?"

"Excuse me?" asks Lord, toggling the switch again.

"You were talking about your butt and stuff. And also, you said that I suck."

Maxwell Lord winces awkwardly, while Guy Gardner starts laughing and Hawkgirl begins munching on popcorn. "It is not funny," exclaims Lord.

Peacemaker storms out of the meeting and gets back in the car with Adebayo. They drive off and she states, "I don't get it. We saved the world," referencing the events of Season One.

On his cell phone, Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma), better known as Vigilante, remarks, "I thought everyone would finally treat us like heroes."

In a separate scene, Adebayo remarks, "I don't need anybody else. I just forge my own path."

John Economos (Steve Agee) replies, "You're living in the worst level of Grand Theft Auto."

Next, we see Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) getting into a bar fight, followed by a scene with her therapist telling her, "I've come to the conclusion you suffer from a particularly severe form of toxic masculinity."

Emilia is stunned by the diagnosis, then goes out to her car and rage-punches the dashboard.

In another scene, Economos tells Team Peacemaker that "A.R.G.U.S. has been monitoring Peacemaker ever since Rick Flag, Sr. was named director."

Later, Chris asks Abebayo, "Does he know that I--"

"Have killed his son?" interjects Adebayo. "Yeah."

In still another scene, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) tells someone, "Bring me Peacemaker."

Later in the trailer, Chris tells the others during a backyard hangout, "We haven't always been great people, but we are the 11th Street Kids. No one will ever break us apart."

A montage of clips from the season are shown, followed by Peacemaker asking Eagly, his pet eagle, "You ready for the next adventure, pal?"

Lastly, we see Chris, in his tighty-whities, open a door in his father's lab that takes him to an alternate Earth, where there's a poster of the band Hanoi Rocks, spelled Roxx instead. Suddenly, a gun clicks behind him, and we see another Peacemaker (also played by Cena) with a more stylish, streamlined helmet. "Who the fuck are you?" asks the other Peacemaker.

If you'd like to check out the Peacemaker Season 2 teaser trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Max account on YouTube...

Peacemaker Season 2 is scheduled to debut August 21st on Max.

GHOSTWOOD 109: "The Suicide Squad" Is Up!

 
"I'm a superhero! I'm a motherfucking superhero!"
-- The Polka-Dot Man, The Suicide Squad

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we continue our retrospective of Twin Peaks Actors in Other Films by discussing The Suicide Squad, the 2021 superhero film directed by James Gunn, starring David Dastmalchian as the Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, and John Cena as Peacemaker!

LET'S ROCK!

In this episode, Xan and I discuss things like Xan and I geeking out about The Batman, looking at The Suicide Squad differently after watching Season One of the Peacemaker spinoff TV series, Xan and her Pez collection being a package deal, Peacemaker's racist father making racist comments, David Dastmalchian identifying with the Polka-Dot Man role because he has vitiligo, hating Joss Whedon on so many levels, wanting to see Dastmalchian in a Polka-Dot Man prequel TV series, the Midnight Bomber what bombs at midnight, more "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies, John "Dyebeard" Economos not being good under pressure, the Polka-Dot Man wanting to die because of the suffering from his superpowers, The Suicide Squad finally getting Margot Robbie's take on Harley Quinn right, my not being a music snob or comic book snob, the Joker targeting Harley Quinn, the Thinker giving zero effs about his appearance, Michael Rooker and David Dastmalchian being in both the DC and Marvel cinematic universes, Amanda Waller's plan to distract the Corto Maltese army with an expendable Suicide Squad team while the real team does its mission, Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, James Gunn being hired by Warner Bros. to direct The Suicide Squad after being fired from Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Idris Elba on The Office, the one reason why Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is better than Batman & Robin, which one of us likes celery, Bloodsport's daughter telling him he's a horrible father, comic books being real storytelling, Milton being a nod to Batman and Polka-Dot Man co-creator Bill Finger, Xan and I discussing 28 Days Later on Drunk Cinema, and more!

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Be sure to come back in two weeks, as Xan and I continue our retrospective of Twin Peaks Actors in Other Films by discussing The Addams Family, the 1991 supernatural dark comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Carel Struycken as Lurch, Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams, Raul Julia as Gomez Addams, and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester Addams!

PEACEMAKER Casts Chris Conrad as The Vigilante

 
Peacemaker is about to have a vigilante problem.

Deadline is reporting that Peacemaker, the upcoming HBO Max series spinning off from the upcoming film The Suicide Squad, has cast Chris Conrad as Adrian Chase, better known to DC Comics fans as The Vigilante.

Peacemaker will explore the origins of the character in the James Gunn movie, a man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it.

Conrad is probably best known as Johnny Cage in the movie Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and as Young Jason in the TV series Young Hercules and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.  He's also appeared in the movie The Next Karate Kid and in episodes of Patriot, Life, Criminal Minds, Bones, and JAG.

According to the article, Conrad joins John Cena as Peacemaker/Christopher Smith, Steve Agee as John Economos, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith, and Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo.

Created in 1983 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Adrian Chase first appeared in New Teen Titans (vol.1) Annual #2 as a Manhattan District Attorney who worked tirelessly within the system to dismantle the city's Mafia infrastructure.  He frequently worked with the city's resident superhero team, the New Teen Titans, but when Chase's wife Doris, son Adam, and daughter Drew were killed by a bomb planted by the Scarapelli mob family, Chase sought his own justice as the Vigilante.  

He underwent an extremely vigorous training program taught by a number of mystical spirits seeking revenge, and came back to the city perfectly synchronized between mind and body. As the Vigilante, he dispensed justice harshly, and although he inspired many heroes to attempt to make tougher choices, his career was also riddled with many defeats.  Eventually Chase abandoned his identity as Vigilante, believing that he could be both more effective and also happier as a judge.  However, during his absence the identity of Vigilante was assumed, in succession, by two of his friends without his knowledge.

The first of these was fellow judge Alan Welles, who operated in a much more violent manner, even executing petty thieves.  Chase eventually tracked down and killed this incarnation of Vigilante, without realizing it was his friend.  The incident led to increased guilt on Chase's part and also increased scrutiny from a law enforcement task force headed by Harry Stein, as he attempted to cover up Alan Welles' role as Vigilante.

Dave Winston, Adrian Chase's bailiff, soon assumed the Vigilante identity.  Refusing to kill, Winston traded on the fierce reputation of Vigilante to intimidate information out of thugs. He was murdered by Peacemaker while attempting to stop the hijacking of a plane which Chase was on.  In the wake of Winston's death, Chase once again assumed the role of Vigilante, feeling that it was the only way to protect those he loved.  Seeking revenge on Peacemaker, the out of shape Chase was beaten in a fight and unmasked on live TV, thereby ending his secret identity and forcing him even further into the role of the Vigilante.

As the series progressed Chase became ever more conflicted over his role as Vigilante, the violence he engaged in, and the harm he caused to those around him.  He also became increasingly mentally unstable—alternating between bouts of enraged violence, paranoia, and terrible remorse for his actions.  Near the end, he even resorted to murdering innocent police officers who got in his way.  His mounting guilt culminated in the final issue of his series (#50) where, after contemplating the course of his life, Chase committed suicide.

Conrad will be the second actor to portray The Vigilante in live-action, after Josh Segarra on the CW series Arrow.

Peacemaker is scheduled to begin production in early 2021.

HBO Max Gives Series Order to THE SUICIDE SQUAD TV Spinoff PEACEMAKER

John Cena loves peace so much, he's willing to kill again for it.

According to DC Comics, HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order for Peacemaker, an action-adventure/comedy TV series spinning off from James Gunn's upcoming DC Extended Universe film The Suicide Squad.

The press release states that John Cena will reprise his character Peacemaker/Christopher Smith in an eight-episode first season, with Gunn writing all eight episodes and directing the first and others as well.  Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran, who also produces the Aquaman and Shazam! films, will serve as Peacemaker’s executive producers with Cena as co-executive producer.  Peacemaker is scheduled to begin production in early 2021, before Gunn begins working on the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

There are no details at the moment if the upcoming TV series is set before or after the events of The Suicide Squad, but "the series will explore the origins of the Peacemaker character, a man who believes in maintaining peace at all costs—no matter how many people he needs to kill to do it."

"Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag," Gunn remarked.  "I’m excited to expand The Suicide Squad and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series.  And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake."

Cena added, "I have said before that it has been a tremendous honor and an incredible opportunity to be part of The Suicide Squad and to work with James on what is going to be a fantastic movie.  I am unbelievably excited to have the chance to team up with him again for Peacemaker.  We can’t wait for fans to see this."

Created in 1966 by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette, Peacemaker first appeared in Fightin' 5 #40 as Christopher Smith, a pacifist diplomat so committed to peace that he was willing to use force as a superhero to advance the cause.  He used an array of special non-lethal weapons, and also founded the Pax Institute. 

Fighting an assortment of dictators and warlords, Smith later learned that his peace-through-violence efforts were the result of a serious mental illness brought on by the shame of having a Nazi death camp commandant for a father.  He believed his father's spirit haunted him continually and criticized his every move, even as he tried to live down his past.

Becoming a particularly deadly vigilante who would kill at the slightest notice, he started to believe that the ghosts of the people he killed, or who were killed in his vicinity, were collected inside his helmet and could offer him advice and commentary.

For a time, Peacemaker served as a U.S. government agent under Checkmate, a special-forces unit, hunting down terrorists until his own behavior became too extreme.  He eventually crashed a helicopter to destroy tanks controlled by the supervillain Eclipso and was reported dead.

Peacemaker is scheduled to begin production in early 2021.