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Peacemaker used to be an obscure holdover from the purchase of Charlton Comics by DC and was arguably most well known for being the basis of the Comedian in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen. However, today the man so dedicated to peace that he’s willing to kill for it might actually have surpassed his derivative in popularity thanks to a large role in 2021’s The Suicide Squad and in HBO Max’s Peacemaker television series.
First appearing way back in 1966’s Fightin’ 5 #40 by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette, the character has had quite the time allotted for filling out his immense arsenal of weapons and gadgets.
10 Guns, Lots Of Guns
Christopher Smith is a clear proponent and supporter of the NRA, having a collection of weaponry so immense that he requires a château in the Swiss Alps to store it all in. While his Silver Age counterpart focused primarily on non-lethal weapons such as nerve gas pistols and sedatives (despite the fact he explicitly killed just about every enemy he ever faced), his Post-Crisis and Modern Age incarnations have carried everything from automatic assault rifles to explosive grenade launchers. The entire list could be filled with just those weapons, so instead this spot has been reserved for the entire assortment so that the rest of the list can touch on some of his more unique tools.
9 Anti-Swamp Thing Escrima Sticks
Speaking of which, the current Suicide Squad ongoing series by Robbie Thompson and Eduardo Pansica has regularly depicted Peacemaker wielding Nightwingesque escrima sticks to bluntly brutalize his enemies without murdering potential Squad members.
As detailed in both the main title as well as The Swamp Thing maxi-series by Ram V. and Mike Perkins, Amanda Waller eventually aims her expendable crew at the Avatar of the Green. To make things more of a fair fight, Smith is equipped with chemically treated biotech rods to batter the monster with. These weapons don’t have many uses outside of bashing poor Levi Kamei, the current Swamp Thing after Alec Holland died in the pages of Justice League Dark, but still a neat trick to have up one’s sleeve if the need arises.
8 The Fire Proof Vulcan Helmet
Peacemaker has always had trouble being taken seriously with his toilet bowl-shaped headpiece. Way back in 1967’s The Peacemaker #5 Gill and Boyette would try to solve that issue by providing the hero with a new helmet design that… somehow looked even sillier. Based on the Roman god of fire for its heat-resistant material, this would be the primary defensive option Smith would employ against Mr. Blaze and “the firemen”. Thankfully for Smith, he just so happened to be working on a freeze ray the exact same day as his encounter with the molten monsters. Sometimes life, and Silver Age comic plotting, are just convenient like that.
7 Peacemaker Patented Shark Sedative
Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe was a series of comics released following the company-wide reboot of Crisis on Infinite Earths which showcased in encyclopedic detail the stats, lore, and gear of each character in the company’s history up to that point. In the 17th issue of the series, the weaponry and backstory of Peacemaker was detailed, including an explicit reference to a “shark sedative” which, according to the comic, can work on any sea life.
This was obviously a cheeky nod to the 1966 Batman film starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the dynamic duo where, in a scene as iconic as the death of the Waynes, Batman must use his patented bat-shark repellant when he is accosted by a great white while hanging from the bat-copter. Any such reference to true cinema must be properly appreciated, hence its placement on this list.
6 Peacemaker, Now Water Proof
The underwater attire of Christopher Smith would first be glimpsed in The Peacemaker #1 where he battled the Commodore and his nuclear submarine, but it would be put to more dynamic use in The Peacemaker #3 where the hero comes face to face with Enrico Lucetti and his army of fishmen. Envisioned as the necessary future of human evolution, they could be submerged underwater for their entire lives without taking a breath. Hence why Peacemaker had to equip his ensemble with an added breathing mask and oxygen tank.
5 Ridiculous He-Manesque Battle Copter
When he was given his first solo series in over 20 years, Christopher Smith was reimagined by writer Paul Kupperberg as a mentally unstable lethal lunatic who first appears hovering over the luxurious French Riviera in a wildly outlandish hovering battle copter. Looking somewhere between Frank Miller’s bat-tank in The Dark Knight Returns and every G.I. Joe vehicle ever made, this floating arsenal designed by penciler Tod Smith was the perfect introduction to the new unhinged anti-hero and his obsessive overkill. The craft, unfortunately, doesn’t do much outside of look cool as Smith quickly jumps out after being urged by his dead Nazi ghost dad to get out and do the killing himself. It makes more sense in context.
4 Bullet, Pressure, And Heat Proof Body Armor
Despite looking, feeling, and appearing to just be a silly red t-shirt, Peacemaker’s torso is actually covered in a high-tech bulletproof fiber which he himself invented. Something left out of future adaptions of the character is his scientific background. In the original Charlton books, his mother was a world-famous scientist and her influence gave Smith the ability to inexplicably craft future tech like his jetpack and jet. The suit is also resistant to the pressures of the deep ocean, as shown in his battle with the fishmen, and to high temperature, as shown in his battle with the firemen. Ironically he never fought bulletmen, unless you count regular goons, but there’s still hope for the future.
3 His Jetpack That Better Appear In The Show
In the currently streaming Peacemaker series from The Suicide Squad director James Gunn, the titular anti-hero played by John Cena explicitly asks his handlers for a jetpack. This is in reference to the jetpack he actually has in the comics which he would use to peacefully trick enemy missiles into hitting their own soldiers. For a show that has already shown some of the wackier aspects of Smith’s arsenal, it’s totally in the cards that audiences might see him get what he wants and battle his enemies on the land AND air.
2 Mach 3 Fighter Jet And Blackbird
In the Silver Age tales of Peacemaker he used his own hand-made M3 fighter jet to traverse the world and deal with global threats to peace and security. Flashforward to the 1988 mini-series and he’s bequeathed a blackbird stealth jet on top of the previously mentioned hovercraft by mechanical engineer Frank Keller. Unfortunately, he’s yet to use any of these vehicles in the more modern comics, but given time and exposure, they’re sure to crop up again. Till then they remain holdovers from when he had wealth and government support.
1 Swiss Army Knife Of A Helmet
While in the HBO Max series Peacemaker has a variety of helmets with different capabilities thanks to his father, in the comics they are usually all consolidated into one singular piece of headwear. Both the Silver Age comics and the 1988 mini-series display a variety of abilities, including a laser mounted on the dove emblem which can collapse mines to a radio emitter that can cancel out all noise in a room. It’s also, as one would expect, resistant to most weapons and has saved Peacemaker’s life multiple times. For some reason, enemies aim for the forehead and not the exposed mouth or arms. The exception which proves the rule is the Vulcan design which, outside of its one appearance, has yet to crop up again in modern stories. Regardless, it can still be glimpsed as part of his wardrobe in the HBO Max series. At this point, Peacemaker should just consolidate ALL of his weapons into his helmet and save himself the pocket space.
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