Every Peacemaker Season 1 Character Ranked By Despicability

Freed from the confines of the more family-friendly Marvel Cinematic Universe, James Gunn let loose on the HBO Max series "Peacemaker," starring former wrestler John Cena as the title character. Reprising his role from Gunn's "The Suicide Squad," Cena spread his wings in the eight-episode first season, giving nuance and depth to the formerly one-note killer seen in the film.

With more room to play with, Gunn crafts a compelling set of characters to fill the space around Cena's vigilante anti-hero — good and evil alike — who all seem to fall on the wrong side of the moral line. With few exceptions, no one in the series is afraid to do hideous, despicable things, even if they are ostensibly doing those things for a good cause. In fact, even those exceptions often seem to cross a line. With so many awful characters, we thought it would be good to take a deeper look and rank them all based on how despicable their behavior truly is. 

If you've seen the series, you can probably guess who takes the top spot, but who else is right behind him? Read on to find out.

The sarcastic, loveable officer Larry Fitzgibbon of the Evergreen Police Department is the partner of Sophie Song. Unwaveringly loyal and protective of his partner, all he really wants is to get to the bottom of a murder case involving Christopher Smith and make sure justice is served. In the series' second episode, Fitzgibbons arrives at an apartment complex alongside officer Song to investigate a violent crime scene and apparent murder. What they find is the aftermath of a woman's superhuman attack on Peacemaker that forced him to use his sonic helmet and obliterate his attacker in self-defense.

Fitzgibbons loses Peacemaker after he manages to escape the building with help from Harcourt and Adebayo, but almost catches up to him in his mobile home in "Murn After Reading." Once again, Peacemaker gives him and Song the slip, escaping into the forest. As one of the few consistently honorably characters on "Peacemaker," it's all the more disheartening when the Butterfly invader Eek Stack Ik Ik frees the rest of their people, because one of them gets into Fitzgibbons. After taking over his body, the Butterfly turns him from an upstanding officer into a vengeful alien killer.

Determined cop Sophie Song is the first officer to zero in on Peacemaker as the suspect in a brutal murder, and once she does, she refuses to be deterred. Though she is ultimately misguided in her pursuit of Christopher Smith, her sense of honor shines when she pegs his father Auggie as the vile piece of human trash that he is. However, when it becomes clear that Auggie isn't the real culprit, she knows that letting him go is the right thing to do. Even if he does deserve to be in prison for other reasons, Song still believes in the rule of law.

She tolerates Auggie's incessant racist and insulting remarks, even if she would be forgiven if she didn't. She doesn't tolerate corruption, though. She spots Captain Locke as a problem in the department right away and isn't afraid to stand up to him. Undeterred, Song goes around his orders and sets Auggie Smith free. Tracking Peacemaker to his mobile home, she brings the full force of her police department on him. However, thanks to a tip from Murn, Peacemaker is able to make his escape and flea with Vigilante. Unfortunately, in the ensuing action, the Butterfly Eek Stack Ik Ik is freed. Looking for a new host, the Butterfly leader attacks Song and takes over her body, making another honorable "Peacemaker" character into a puppet for this villain.

Hospital janitor Jamil may not be a villain or even that vile of a man, but he's got his slimy streak too. He was all too eager to break hospital rules and smoke weed with Smith while he recuperates, which might not be the most morally repugnant thing to do, but it is certainly sketchy. He is also happy to help Smith even when he admits to being a fugitive, even though he knows Peacemaker has killed a great number of people. On top of that, Jamil reveals to Smith that he is an untrustworthy man, putting him at least a little higher on the despicability scale than your average citizen.

Later, in "Murn After Reading," Jamil acknowledges that he lied to students and staff at his daughter's school about his relationship with Peacemaker. Under the auspices of being his daughter's "uncle," Smith visits her class and provides graphic details about his life as a superhero. Though his stories are less than child-friendly, Jamil wholeheartedly endorses Peacemaker's appearance, even lying to himself about the nature of his friendship with the hero.

One of only a few characters to carry over from James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" feature film, Steve Agee returns as John Economos, the squad's tech support specialist who stands up to his boss Amanda Waller. Now a key member of Murn's team hunting down alien invaders, Economos isn't above pulling some underhanded tricks to get the job done. Not above killing, the only thing that stands in the way of Economos becoming an even more despicable member of the team might be his weak stomach for violence and bloodshed. 

Still, Economos does find the guts to blindside Judomaster with his truck and capture the supervillain. Later, when he has little choice, he gleefully mows down a group of Auggie Smith's white supremacist clansmen. He is also unmoved by his team's capture of innocent civilians during the final confrontation with the Butterflies and helps murder the alien "cow" that supplies their food. He is even willing to enter the field himself to help kill the invaders, but he doesn't get the chance. Instead, Economos clumsily trips over a fence, fracturing his leg, with the wound so nauseating that he is frozen in disgust.

Though a kind and good-natured woman with a strong moral center, Adebayo may be the first entry on this list that would qualify as "morally gray," at least based on her actions prior to the finale. As the daughter of Task Force X director Amanda Waller, she is no stranger to lies and deception, and while she doesn't fight her conscience over them, she keeps the truth from her teammates and lies to them more than once. She even lies to her wife, Keeya, and betrays Peacemaker when she frames him with a fabricated manifesto, even though she knows it will likely put a target on his back.

While she does not have a strong stomach for murder in the same way that Emilia Harcourt, Murn, or the Vigilante do, she still finds the strength to kill when she has to. When she does show her deadly streak, however, it is for a good cause. In the end, she does come clean to her teammates about what she has done and ultimately reveals to the world what her mother is doing with Task Force X. After proving she is a moral person, she turns her back on her mother and apologizes personally to Peacemaker.

Another holdover from the big-screen feature "The Suicide Squad," James Gunn's real life partner Jennifer Holland plays agent Emilia Harcourt, Murn's right-hand woman and perhaps the most skilled mercenary on the team. With nearly unmatched sharp-shooting skills, she is a trained killer and has no compunctions about it. She uses those talents to tag several police officers who are in pursuit of Peacemaker, showing she isn't shy about taking down the good guys either — though it's worth mentioning she uses a non-lethal dart gun. She does, however, murder the human security guard of Senator Goff in cold blood as he begs for his life.

It's not just guns that she's good with. Harcourt is also a top-notch hand-to-hand combatant, as seen when she squares off with a bar patron who she brutally beats. She even goes toe-to-toe with the villain Judomaster and holds her own pretty well, all things considered. In their rematch, she isn't afraid to fight dirty and even seems to enjoy getting bloody. She comes out on top thanks to the assistance of Adebayo's taser. However, Harcourt's morals are definitely on the wrong side of righteousness, even if her goals are well-intentioned, as her mercilessness and unforgiving attitude attest to.

Peacemaker's beloved pet, the bald eagle creatively named Eagly, earns his place in the middle of the pack not just because he's a violent killer but largely because, as a wild animal, he seems to have no moral compass at all. Eagly has no sense of right and wrong when it comes to missions with his master — he simply does whatever he is told. A loyal and faithful companion, he's a surprisingly lethal partner, using his razor-sharp claws and his pointed beak as instruments of death.

He puts those instruments to good use because if his devotion to Peacemaker means eagerly and violently assaulting — or gouging out the eyes of — anyone who might do Peacemaker harm, that's just what he'll do. It doesn't matter who they are, good or bad, supervillain or police officer. Thankfully, Peacemaker himself is just as devoted, and his loyalty to Eagly drives him to take down anyone who would harm his beloved bird. Perhaps as we see more of Eagly in "Peacemaker" Season 2, we'll learn more about him and determine whether he is truly despicable or just a good soldier. For now, however, we're content to say that the American bird is a morally void killing machine.

When we first meet the mysterious man named Clemson Murn, we are greeted by a ruthless, no-nonsense leader. He's here to do a job, and he isn't about to play games or babysit his team or even fill them in on the details. This is deep state espionage work, after all, the wettest of wetworks, and he expects the men and women under his command to follow orders, no questions asked. When it's finally revealed that he is a host for a Butterfly rebel named Ik Nobe Llok, that mission doesn't change. He isn't so much impersonating the real Murn as doing what needs to be done to take down the Butterflies that he is fighting against.

Murn has no problems crossing moral lines to achieve his endgame, especially when so much is at stake. In reality, we don't even know if the Butterflies have the same ethical and moral standards as humans, but as Murn, Ik Nobe Llok proves they're a killer through and through. While they do show at least some remorse in repurposing a man's body for their use, they also don't seem to mind performing horrific deeds to stop their enemies. Even when they are uncertain if Senator Goff and his family are really alien invaders, they are still willing to have them killed just in case, showing they are more of a despicable anti-hero than a noble do-gooder.

If you think the Ik Nobe Llok was a bad Butterfly, wait until you meet Eek Stack Ik Ik, the leader of the alien invaders trying to take over the planet. Willing to kill and take over the bodies of thousands of humans, if not more, Eek Stack Ik Ik effectively kills an American Senator — and his family, including two young children — so they can be in a position of power capable of influencing a powerful Earth government. They lead their people to slaughter an entire town's police force and use the cop's bodies to hunt Peacemaker and his team, who are headed up by their greatest enemy: Ik Nobe Llok. Despite their claims of having a noble cause, Eek Stack Ik Ik has no moral qualms about killing those that stand in thier way.

When Eek Stack Ik Ik finally does get their hands on the rebel Butterfly calling itself Clemson Murn, they waste no time in shooting him dead in cold blood. Eek could have attempted to reason with him but instead gives him no quarter. Though Eek does try to sway Peacemaker into joining them in their conquest of Earth, it is only because they see a kindred spirit — a ruthless killer with a seemingly noble end goal.

If we were to consider what he does in James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad," Christopher Smith – aka Peacemaker — might be even higher on our list, considering that he kills Rick Flagg and nearly guns down Ratcatcher 2. However, if we judge him based on what we see in the first season of his own series, he receives somewhat higher marks. Clearly affected by his actions in the aforementioned film, Peacemaker becomes morally conflicted about being a contract killer, even if it is in the name of peace. 

In his attempt to be less despicable, Peacemaker initially has no interest in joining Murn's team. He only relents when he realizes he might be sent back to prison if he refuses. However, Chris remains a terrible misogynist, even if he does learn better by season's end. He's also willing to believe any horrible rumor he hears — whether it's about Aquaman's sexual attraction to fish, or Green Arrow's weird fetishes — gossip that any reasonable person would question. 

He's also not above kidnapping or extortion, and his ceaseless abuse of Economos shows he often lacks any respect for even his friends. Still, Chris learns a lot from his team throughout their mission and finally stands up to his villainous father. He even forgives Adebayo for betraying him, showing that beneath his despicable exterior may lie a heart of gold.

Though not a Butterfly, Judomaster nevertheless fights for them, believing in their mission to save mankind from itself whatever the cost. However, Judomaster is no noble hero. Instead, he is a vicious killer with a penchant for resorting to violence when a little diplomacy probably would have worked wonders. Working for Eek Stack Ik Ik, he serves as a protector and bodyguard but fails when Peacemaker and his team take out Senator Goff's family. After being taken hostage, Judomaster is ruthless in fighting back against his captors, particularly Economos, and shows none of his enemies any quarter, unwilling to even let them surrender.

The villainous fighter also seems to lack all sense of fair play, toying with Peacemaker even when he has him tied up and even using Flamin' Hot Cheetoes to continually torment his captive enemy. Worst of all, the green-clad killer violently attacks a pair of teens outside of a convenience store who mock him. Smashing one of their heads into a car window and the other into a stack of propane tanks, Judomaster shows he lacks honor and is a despicable villain no matter what he may have told himself about his cause.

Possibly the oddest character in Season 1 of "Peacemaker," Vigilante starts as a devoted fan, friend, and aspiring sidekick of Peacemaker before becoming an official part of the 11th Street Kids. Adrian Chase could be described as downright dim-witted, but one description you'll never give him is that of a righteous hero. Crazed and violent, we might think of him as a villain if the show didn't tell us otherwise, as he routinely brutalizes and murders many. He is more than willing to kill police, and even innocent civilians, for even the most minor of reasons. 

When Peacemaker is hesitant to pull the trigger on women and children when ordered to by Murn, unsure if they were really the enemy, Chase steps in to do the job. When he does, he pulls it off with a disturbing smile. Thankfully, Vigilante has Peacemaker to keep him in check and make sure his mindless violence is pointed in the right direction. With Chase's help, Peacemaker is able to take down his father, the White Dragon, and the Butterflies — but he also happily kills a police officer chasing him as well.

More than a corrupt police officer, Captain Caspar Locke is an agent of Amanda Waller, a seasoned mercenary, and remorseless killer. While he doesn't make an appearance in the series until after the halfway point, he makes his despicable presence known in a big way. Sent in to take over the Evergreen Police Department when the investigation into Peacemaker gets serious, he hopes to stall the officers so Murn's team can complete their mission. 

However, it's not Locke's corruption, or even his service to Amanda Waller, that gets him the number two spot on our list. Instead, it's for callous disregard for human life and the absolute joy he takes in snuffing it out. Mocking his victims, he appears to be a genuine psychopath who takes extreme pleasure in a job that requires him to kill. In "Murn After Reading," Locke helps Peacemaker escape police that had tracked him down and murders several of them himself.

Possibly one of the most awful characters in all of the DCEU, Auggie Smith, the father of Peacemaker, could be the most despicable villain in any comic book adaptation we've ever seen. His evil and wickedness are so inhumane and twisted that we hardly need to rationalize his place on this list. Auggie is more than a supervillain with murderous intent and delusional dreams of grandeur. He's a violent racist and white supremacist who'd like nothing more than to wipe out entire populations. On top of that, Smith is an abusive father who forces his two children, Chris and Kieth, to fight for the amusement of his white supremacist clan members.

When his son Chris turns his back on his father after killing his brother in one of those fights, Auggie never forgives him. Auggie feels that even as Peacemaker, Chris still isn't living up to his vile legacy. He eventually turns on him, takes up his former supervillain persona, the White Dragon, once more, and tries to kill his own son. There's seemingly no low too far for Auggie to sink, as his racism, hatred, and horrifically violent acts of depravity know no bounds.