The Show's Important Lesson for MAGA Followers That Might Be Too Angry to Listen

Theories concerning the major second season surprise in Peacemaker were circulating on the internet ever since the premiere. Viewers quickly suspected that the other dimension where Peacemaker landed couldn't be as perfect as it appeared. Many predicted it would be an alternate Earth, a nightmarish comic book reality where the Nazis won the Second World War leading to the United States becoming a white-supremacist regime.

The Revelation Is Revealed

Exactly what transpired. When our version of Harcourt traveled into this alternate world during the sixth episode, Harcourt right away observed all the clues Peacemaker had missed—such as the striking absence of racial diversity as well as an actual portrait of Adolf Hitler hanging in ARGUS headquarters. This kind of storytelling isn't groundbreaking: Parallel worlds where Nazi forces conquered the world are a common trope. This includes major series like The Man in the High Castle explored this idea. But, due to our present era, Peacemaker still succeeded in ignite debate among certain groups online.

The reactions were absurd. It's no surprise Nazis have been one of the most popular villains in media for decades: They symbolize absolute wickedness.

The Role of Nazi Villains

The Nazis during World War II were authoritarian, brutal, and violent. They murdered millions of innocent people while blamed an invented enemy from within in order to build and maintain their power. The idea is frightening to imagine a reality where they were victorious in World War II, which is why they've been an easy antagonist in film and TV for decades. Nazis represent among the rare enemies that we all agree were unforgivable, allowing action stars and protagonists free rein to do maximum force.

The Underlying Message

If everyone can still agree that Nazis of WWII were monstrous—which it's hoped that's the case—then the fury about Peacemaker the new season isn't really about the inclusion of Nazis in fiction, rather about the uncomfortable mirror it holds up. Certain audiences seem irritated that their version of patriotism, what they see as love of country, might be construed as Nazism. The show's creator seems understanding toward the mistake—it's easy to focus on your surroundings around you everything else—but lands strongly on a point all of us needs to reckon with: Ethnic nationalism, however it's dressed up, is a form of bigotry.

The Allure of a Perfect Life

When Peacemaker first visits the alternate Earth, he discovers a perfect existence in which his father and brother are still living offering the supportive family life he's never had, while his love interest of his dreams is in love with him. These improvements to his personal life blind him to the many obvious signs that he has wandered into a dystopian, Nazi-controlled version of America.

Extrapolating a bit further, Gunn suggests that we find it easy for all of us to overlook larger societal problems if we gain from them, or enhance our personal situations. For instance, a person might be fine with an emboldened paramilitary force terrorizing innocent civilians due to the color of their skin when they believe this will somehow improve their own life. Just the vague hope of employment or a bigger home can be sufficient to make us ignore whatever horrible actions are needed to achieve it. The U.S. has always been a capitalist society, but prosperity does not always need to come by causing someone else's suffering.

Put simply: It's easy to overlook the Nazi forest if you're looking at a few appealing details.

Interpreting the Creator's Message

It's understandable that some individuals could think the show's creator is coming after them directly through Peacemaker season 2. He's the show's only writer and often helmer, with a long history of loudly criticizing the former president and the MAGA movement. This even got the director dismissed from Marvel in 2018 when he attracted the anger of several conservative activists, who dug up some old, removed posts in an effort to smear and fire him.

The director's well-advertised views have inspired very superficial criticisms of his work. His recent Superman film got lambasted as overly progressive and pro-diversity. More recently, another online detractor gained traction with an incorrect theory about a character as a gender-bent incarnation of Cyborg—a claim that is not true. In this case, however, it's unlikely Gunn is comparing conservatives to fascists. That would be too simple for the writer, and Peacemaker season 2 isn't even a narrative he invented: It is an adaptation on a DC comic from the 1970s.

The Universal Lesson

Rather, Gunn is simply using a tried-and-true genre device to convey a message of valuing fairness compassion over self-interest. This idea that applies to everyone, regardless of political beliefs, which is why it's unfortunate that the people who should listen the most are preoccupied stirring up more anger on social media to heed the message.