‘Peacemaker’ Just Redeemed Its Worst Character and Made the Show Even Better

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 7.

Peacemaker Season 2 is nearing its end with only one episode left, but it has already dropped another shocking addition to the series. Focusing on Chris (John Cena) as he discovers a parallel universe where his brother, Keith (David Denman), and father, Auggie (Robert Patrick), are still alive, but nothing about this new universe is what it seems. So far, Peacemaker Season 2 has included several sudden twists, ranging from Eagly’s unexpected backstory to Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and Rick Flag Jr.’s (Joel Kinnaman) history, but the most gripping reveal comes at the end of Episode 6, “Ignorance is Chris,” when the parallel universe that Chris idealizes is revealed to be Earth X, where the Nazis won World War II and still control the world.

Episode 7, “Like a Keith in the Night,” builds off that twist, exploring the reality of the parallel world and the people inside it. In fact, this episode uses fans’ expectations of one of the series’s most notorious characters to create a shocking revelation that adds a new complexity to the parallel universe. Despite everything fans know about Chris’ father, Peacemaker suggests that the alternate Auggie is actually decent man despite the horrors of the world he lives in.

‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Makes the Alternate Universe Auggie Into a Hero

Auggie may be working against Chris in Episode 7, but he proves himself to be more complicated than a mere antagonist. When Chris first meets this version of his family, it is an idealized representation of them, and though that illusion is shattered with the truth about the world, Auggie actually holds up. After learning that Chris killed and then posed as his son, Auggie is determined to find Chris and all of his friends, tying up Economos (Steve Agee) and attacking the authorities to capture Chris and Harcourt. But despite all of that, when Harcourt calls him a Nazi, he denies it. Auggie gives a speech condemning the horrors in his world and claiming that, while he doesn’t have the power to set things right, he does what he can to fight the monsters and make his world a better place. Considering that, for generations, the people of his Earth have been indoctrinated into Nazi beliefs, Auggie’s resistance to the idea takes both strength and courage, making him an unlikely hero.

Auggie has been honored on Earth X, with a mural of him and his sons decorating the streets and access to ARGUS, yet he defies the oppressive powers. Even though the series has not shown Auggie doing anything to actively stop the rampant hatred of Earth X, his ability to think for himself is commendable. Auggie acknowledges that the cops are not innocent and doesn’t seem to have the slightest hesitation when hearing that one of the group is a Black woman, whom he plans to help escape. The reveal that he might actually be a good person adds a new level of complexity to the world, showing that not everyone believes in the way things are, even outside of the Sons of Liberty.

Alternate Auggie Is an Unlikely Ally for Chris in ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

Image via HBO Max

Auggie may recognize the problems in his world, and although Auggie’s feelings on injustice are explored more through discussion and not action, he proves himself to be a decent man in how he treats Chris. Yes, he captures Chris, Harcourt, and Economos, but even after hearing the full story of Chris killing his son, he doesn’t react with vengeance. Auggie firmly, but not unkindly, insists on hearing the entire story. When Keith interrupts, Auggie pulls him back, and in the end, he shows Chris compassion. Auggie accepts the story, believing that what Chris did to his son was an accident. While Keith calls for blood, Auggie is willing to show mercy, simply wanting to find the rest of the otherworldly visitors and send them home. Yes, he plans to change the code so they cannot return and hopes to keep his portal a secret, but that could also be achieved by killing them, and Auggie shows no desire to do so.

In fact, Auggie goes beyond treating Chris fairly, absolving him of his son’s death by admitting that, though he loved him, alternate Chris was a mess with violent tendencies. Overall, the Auggie of Earth X is shown to be more enlightened as he deals with the situation at hand more calmly than Keith and gently reminds him that revenge will not help bring back the Chris they loved. It’s this kindness that makes it easy to believe his claims that he isn’t a Nazi.

‘Peacemaker’ Season 2’s Auggie Twist Is Shocking

Image via HBO Max

What stands out about this reveal is that, despite him being from a darker timeline, this Auggie is a better person than the one introduced in Season 1. Every attribute of his character stands in stark contrast to the initial version, subverting the audience’s expectations. In the DCU‘s universe, Auggie is a cult leader, promoting white supremacy in a world where that is not expected of him. Meanwhile, while it would be easy for alternate universe Auggie to go along with the norm, he refuses to do so.

Even more startling is his treatment of Chris. Unlike alternate Auggie, who offers fairness and understanding, the Auggie who raised Chris was incapable of showing mercy or kindness to even his own son. Throughout the first season, he belittles Chris, haunting him to the point that Chris kills his own father, and it’s difficult to blame him. Throughout Season 1, Auggie embodies the toxicity in Chris’ life, giving the audience an idea of where all the lead characters’ worst tendencies came from. Meanwhile, alternate Auggie takes a drastically different approach. It’s ironic that Auggie is the only real hero in the dark timeline of Earth X, but it is another change that distinguishes the worlds from each other. This alternate version of Auggie may not be perfect, but he is a far better person than his Season 1 counterpart.

Peacemaker is streaming on HBO Max with new episodes on Thursdays.

Release Date

January 13, 2022

Network

HBO Max, Max

Directors

James Gunn, Brad Anderson, Rosemary Rodriguez