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    Peacemaker

    Character » Peacemaker appears in 253 issues.

    Pacifist diplomat Christopher Smith is the Peacemaker, a man who loves peace so much, he is willing to kill anyone who stands in its way.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Peacemaker last edited by Justice1234 on 07/16/23 08:07PM View full history

    This is the page for the original Peacemaker Christopher Smith.

    Origin

    A clean-cut Peacemaker
    A clean-cut Peacemaker

    Peacemaker first appeared in the Fightin' 5 #40 in 1966 published by Charlton Comics. He was part of this team for five issues. Apparently he became popular enough that he was given his own series that lasted five more issues. Peacemaker became one of Charlton Comics biggest heroes.

    Peacemaker was acquired by DC Comics along with other Charlton heroes. He was introduced into the DC Universe by means of the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series. Peacemaker made his DC Comics debut in Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 in 1985. In the epic adventure that destroyed DC’s Multiverse, the Charlton characters were revealed to have existed on Earth-four. Their Earth along with Earths one, two, S and X were the only surviving Earths, which ended up converging into a single composite Earth, were the character was given a new origin.

    The character was used as basis for the Alan Moore's OGN Watchmen character the Comedian.

    After the 2011 New52 reboot, Peacemaker was returned to a new Earth 4. If there exist an analog in the Prime Earth, is unknown.

    Charlton's Peacemaker

    Christopher Smith grew up the only child of an army officer turned statesman father and a research scientist mother. His skill at flying fighter aircraft, interest in science and wealth came from them both. Smith, himself, became a pacifist diplomat working as a U.S. Peace Envoy for the Geneva Arms Conference.

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    While trying to nullify an international madman named Bork, Smith discovers simple diplomacy wouldn’t work. Smith loved peace so much that he was willing to fight for it. When more diplomatic means failed, Smith adopted the identity of Peacemaker to use more extreme tactics in his quest for peace. Using his hobby as a master weapons builder, Smith crafted a costume and developed numerous non-lethal weapons for his Peacemaker identity. Bork confronted Smith in the air by firing missiles at him. Smith managed to redirect those missiles and blew up the jet bomber Bork was in. From that point on Smith would use the Peacemaker identity whenever he felt it was needed.

    Smith operated from his private chateau in the Swiss Alps. The cliffs below his home secretly concealed his activities as the Peacemaker.

    DC's Peacemaker

    Crisis on Infinite Earths: last stand of Earth-4

    Peacemaker played a small role in the series, fighting beside heroes of all five Earths against the Anti-Monitor. Peacemaker’s last appearance in the series had him fighting the Anti-Monitor’s Shadow Demons. Unable to save the Earth-Two Green Arrow, Peacemaker was caught by surprise when a Shadow Demon touched his gun. The gun exploded in Peacemaker’s hand, causing him great and agonizing injuries. However, Peacemaker seemed to survive and his next appearances began to reveal DC’s reboot of the character.

    New Origin

    Peacemaker comes to DC on Earth-four
    Peacemaker comes to DC on Earth-four

    Peacemaker was now Christopher Schmidt, only son of Austrian munitions manufacturer Wolfgang Schmidt and American children’s book author Elizabeth Lewis. Christopher’s toddler years were pretty typical for a child of his social and economic class. However, Christopher’s life quickly changed as his father’s past was soon revealed when WWII documents obtained by the were opened. Wolfgang Schmidt had been an officer in the Nazis’ elite SS corps. and responsible for the deaths of over 50,000 innocent lives. Knowing his arrest was imminent, Wolfgang committed suicide right in front of Christopher on his fifth birthday.

    His mother Elizabeth, wanting to erase the taint of evil her husband soiled her with, quickly relocated from to her native with Christopher and legally changed their last name to Smith. The death of his father and constant upheaval at such an early age left Christopher severely traumatized. Christopher became unruly and a bullying throughout his adolescent years. When he turned 18 he enlisted in the military, which seemed to have a positive influence over him. In a couple of years he was recognized as an exemplary soldier.

    His unit was sent to where he continued to serve with distinction and was promoted to sergeant. During the tenth month of his tour Christopher lead a scouting mission on a small village suspected of harboring enemy North Vietnamese troops. For no apparent reason Christopher fired upon the village inhabitants, killing old men, women and children. Christopher was court-martialed and sentence to life imprisonment at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.

    Near the end of his second year of imprisonment, Christopher was offered a pardon if he joined Project: Peacemaker, a top-secret, high-tech, independent anti-terrorist squad. Eight months into the program Project: Peacemaker was shut down and quickly became lost in the bureaucratic shuffle. Christopher was able to walk out of the base and disappear without incident. A year later, Christopher reappears in, running his father’s businesses and heading the Pax Institute (a non-profit organization devoted to the interest of peace and providing social services to victims of terrorism the world over). The experience of the program steered Christopher to achieve its prime directive: the combating of terrorism. He took the Peacemaker name for himself and established a new costume identity.

    Mental state is questioned.
    Mental state is questioned.

    Christopher’s sanity became increasingly unstable and his actions more violent. He began hearing the voice his father Wolfgang and believed the souls of those who fell victim to terrorism resided in his helmet urging him towards more violence and retribution. Christopher loved peace so much he was willing to kill for it. Attempts to stop his violent tendencies or control them came from the top-secret government bureau lead by Valentina Vostock called the Agency. However, Christopher could not be contained and he began creating enemies to fight. Harry Stein and the Vigilante (Dave Winston) were two such “enemies” Christopher pursued. The Agency once again stepped in, but not before Christopher killed the Vigilante.

    Despite his instability the Agency attempted to make him a field operative. They were able to recondition him so that the souls speaking to him within his helmet disappeared and he was given a live psychologist named Dr. Bridgette D’Abo, in which to resolve his fears. Around this time, Vostock relinquished command of the Agency to Harry Stein, who recreated it into a new organization, dubbed Checkmate, in relation to its chess-inspired command structure. Christopher continued to work for the newly reformed organization.

    Christopher was next recruited by Amanda Waller (of the Suicide Squad) to join the Shadow Fighters, who’s mission was to free the South American country of Parador taking over by Eclipso. The first attempt failed with Eclipso killing many heroes, in which Christopher was one of them. His soul, however, lived on in purgatory, and made an appearance in Day of Judgment helping a group of heroes return to Earth.

    Meanwhile he was considered dead, other two Peacemakers replacement him: the leader of the League Busters and Mitchell Black.

    Return

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    Christopher Smith returns to aid the newest Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes. Though he claims he is Mitchell Black, was later learn that he was actually Christopher Smith somehow returned. He explains that a year earlier, while fighting Intergang, he found himself in a pyramid that happened to be the same one in which the original Blue Beetle Dan Garrett found the Blue Beetle scarab. In that Pyramid, Chris came into contact with technology from the alien race THE REACH. Chris accidentally downloaded the database that was missing from the Scarab that Jaime had. The actual circumstances of his return were not fully explained.

    Chris worked with Jaime for a while, fighting super-villains and the Reach. Eventually, Chris was implanted with a Scarab himself, and was subsequently approached by a yellow ring during the Sinestro Corps War. He was sent to kill Jaime, but Jaime interfaced with Smith's scarab and helped him face his inner fears. Gathering enough courage for a last stand, Smith forcibly cut the scarab from his spine, leaving him injured but not dead. He helped defend Jaime's family from a Reach attack, and has continued to serve as a sort of mentor to the third Blue Beetle. At the conclusion of the Blue Beetle volume, Peacemaker leaves El Paso; before he departs, he bids farewell to Jaime and advises him to learn to become his own man. Later, he makes an appearance in Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape, as a detainee and potential recruit of the Global Peace Agency.

    New52: Multiversity & Earth-4

    After the 2011 reboot, DC published the long awaited series Multiversity, where writer Grant Morrison explored alternate universes from the DC mythology. Earth 4, inhabited by the Charlton characters was one of them. The characters, as pointed by Morrison, resemble more their doppelgangers from Watchmen than with previous incarnations.

    In this universe, Christopher Smith is again the Peacemaker working along with President Harley and Nora O'Rourke to keep the world safe, but he is smart enough to knows than Harley hides something. However he follows the presidential plan and kill him. After being arrested and tortured by government agents, the final destiny of Christopher Smith is hanging in the balance.

    Skills and Abilities

    Christopher possesses the physical strength and stamina of a man who engages in intense physical exercise. He’s a master of various hand-to-hand combat techniques and is a skilled gymnast. A superb marksman, Christopher is also a proficient weapons maker and pilot.

    Equipment

    Peacemaker's arsenal
    Peacemaker's arsenal

    Most of Peacemaker’s fighting needs are tied into his costume. The costume itself is a thin, pliable body armor developed by Christopher. The helmet is a heat and pressure proof plastic containing sophisticated cybernetic circuitry, that operate various devices including communication (all-band radio) and surveillance devices, an ultrasonic blaster and at one point a laser. The right glove holds a vial that becomes a firebomb when crushed. The boots hold a Pentolite compound. The holster carries one of many conventional firearms, a Derringer, holds ammunition, a tool kit, explosive pellets, nerve gas, and a shark sedative (useful on all water-breathing creatures). On his back is a mini-jet-pack that works in both air and water. It is also operated by his helmet.

    Beneath Christopher’s Chateau, just outside, lies the base that holds Peacemaker’s armament and transportation vehicles. He uses several weapons, including and Uzi, an ultrasonic pistol and a derringer. For a short while Chris Smith was also armed with two of the most powerful weapons in the known universe, one being a Yellow Power Ring and a Scarab. With the two he became one of the most potently terrifying candidates for the Sinestro Corps as well as an infiltrator of the Reach. His willpower being overridden by the mechanical bug limited the effectiveness he could utilize and instill fear. Due to the persona's of Reach Tech A.I. being hobbled in free thinking and imagination capacity.

    Other Versions

    Successors:

    Peacemaker II

    The identity of Peacemaker II is unknown, but he was probably a U.S. government agent. He was supposed to take on the original Peacemaker's mission. He was a member of the Leaguebusters, a team that tried to take down the Justice League of America. His final fate is unknown.

    Peacemaker III: Mitchell Black

    Mitchell Black was a former doctor recruited by the Pax Institute (rebranded itself as the Peacemaker Project) to be one of their Peacemaker agents. For short period later Black worked as part of the L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons). Mitchell Black later died in the Infinite Crisis event.

    Alternate Universe:

    Kingdom Come: Earth 22.

    In the OGN Kingdom Come, a different Peacemaker made a brief appearance as member of Magog's Justice Battalion, along with the other Charlton characters. It was assumed than he is still Christopher Smith under the helmet. He visually resembles Mandalorian Boba Fett. In Multiversity, the Kingdom Come universe received the Earth 22 designation.

    In Other Media

    Film

    John Cena as Peacemaker
    John Cena as Peacemaker
    • Peacemaker s one of the main characters in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad, portrayed by actor and professional wrestler John Cena. He is introduced as a violent vigilante who is recruited for Task Force X after being incarcerated in Belle Reve Penitentiary.

    Television

    Peacemaker: The Series
    Peacemaker: The Series
    • John Cena will reprise his role in a solo Peacemaker series for the HBO Max streaming service.

    Merchandise

    DC Multiverse
    DC Multiverse
    • Peacemaker was featured in Funko's Pop! line of bobbleheads.
    • Peacemaker was featured in the DC Multiverse line from McFarlane Toys. He appeared in the King Shark Collect-and-Connect wave.
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