Easter Eggs You Missed In Peacemaker

You'd be mistaken if you thought Peacemaker didn't walk away from "The Suicide Squad" with a few souvenirs aside from the mark that Bloodsport left behind. After emptying the personal items he is carrying during his hospital visit in the first episode, viewers can plainly see a postcard from Corto Maltese. Furthermore, once Peacemaker attempts to pay his taxi driver for the car ride to his dumpy trailer, he offers him Corto Maltese currency, teasing the driver that it could be worth a million dollars. Of course, the driver isn't a fool and takes his helmet as payment instead.

Aside from being the setting of "The Suicide Squad" film, Corto Maltese has an extensive history as a fictional country in the DC universe. It was first introduced in Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" comics released in 1986. Miller used Corto Maltese as a sensitive pressure point in the burgeoning tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the ongoing Cold War. In that series, the Soviets maintain control of the tiny South American island, but the U.S. supports a rebellion to usurp power over the country's leadership. This causes Russia to fire a nuclear warhead at the U.S., which Superman attempts to stop. 

Corto Maltese is also referenced in Tim Burton's "Batman" in 1989 and countless comic storylines. Finally, It is also a hotspot throughout The CW's Arrowverse.

Peacemaker has a bone to pick with the Justice League. He may even be envious of their popularity and prestige in the superhero community. After all, Peacemaker often laments that no one likes him, but everyone loves Superman. In the first episode, Peacemaker is made fun of by the hospital janitor, Jamil (Rizwan Manji), when he claims to be a superhero. After Jamil brings up his favorite hero, Aquaman, Peacemaker claims he heard from a "credible" source on the web that Aquaman has sex with fish.

During a meeting, Clemson Murn discusses how the butterfly aliens take over human bodies — by entering through an orifice. When the team jokes about John's slide depicting a butterfly entering a human anus, Peacemaker mocks another famous alien, Superman, for apparently having a unique fondness for bodily waste. Once again, the internet apparently tells no lies in Peacemaker's mind. Later, Peacemaker calls Batman a "jackass" who fails to do the job of eliminating villains while arguing with his father's neighbor.

After appearing as a guest speaker at a school as a favor to Jamil and his daughter, one child asks Peacemaker if he ever met the Flash. He claims he has and that the Flash is a jerk -– although he uses more colorful descriptors. Peacemaker also insinuates that Wonder Woman has the hots for him. Overall, it's pretty clear that Peacemaker has very little respect for the greatest heroes in the DCEU.

In a DCEU show, we're obviously going to expect references to the greater DC universe, of which Batman is a major part. However, a Bruce Wayne reference is a bit rarer and more unexpected. In the first episode, Amanda Waller tasks her daughter, Leota, with the job of planting a fake Peacemaker diary in his apartment. That way, once the inevitable result of the mission is complete, a search of Peacemaker's home will incriminate the hapless mercenary and likely send him right back into Amanda Waller's arms.

The diary cover has a sticker featuring a logo for the Wayne Foundation. The Wayne Foundation is a philanthropic entity and Bruce Wayne's means of combating the criminal element from outside the cowl. He often uses the organization to soapbox for economic reforms that will aid the lower class and help support the citizens of Gotham diminishing desires to move toward crime. The Wayne Foundation has also provided much-needed resources to the impoverished. The sticker on the faux-Peacemaker diary is curious as the symbol actually resembles the Wayne Enterprises logo in the Nolan trilogy of Batman films, not the logo found in the DCEU.

In the second episode of "Peacemaker," John frames Peacemaker's father, Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), for the murder of the butterfly-bewitched assailant Peacemaker was forced to kill in the first episode. When Detective Sophie Song (Annie Chang) sees Auggie's followers kneeling before him in lock-up, she remarks to her partner that she had thought that "capes" were sent over to Arkham or Belle Reve. This aside indicates that super villains typically receive mental health treatment with their prison stay — or they're thrown to Amanda Waller to be utilized in her Suicide Squad.

Arkham Asylum is a famous and iconic locale in the DCEU. It's located in Gotham and houses many of Batman's villains deemed insane or mentally unstable. Of course, villains commonly escape from the maximum-security facility because, well, how else will Batman ever face his greatest foes again?

Belle Reve is another high-security facility that contains the most hardened and powerful metahumans. Amanda Waller is often seen operating the Suicide Squad out of this prison. Most of the Suicide Squad volunteers vying for a reduced prison sentence come from this prison. Detective Song's mention of both facilities acknowledges that the world contains baddies that aren't fit for ordinary prison life. Perhaps, considering that Auggie is the White Dragon, he should've landed in one of those places instead.

Peacemaker has lived a wild life. The series makes no secret of that, as he constantly unveils tidbits about his past. When talking to Murn about the idea of allowing Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) to join the team in Episode 4, Peacemaker questions the call as he thinks Vigilante might be a little too crazy for the mission at hand. Murn is aware of Vigilante's issues but is willing to ignore them because he needs help. Peacemaker then states that his idea of what's messed up has been a bit off-kilter ever since he teamed up with Matter-Eater Lad, one of the strangest DC superheroes out there.

Matter-Eater Lad hails from the distant future. By nature of his race, he can eat matter in all its forms, just as his name implies. Most famously, he joins the Legion of Super-Heroes. At first blush, the capability of eating anything might not seem practical when employed for super-heroics. However, Matter-Eater Lad is capable of eating devastating weaponry and even powerful artifacts deemed as indestructible. Humorously, Peacemaker remarks that he once saw the character eat an entire Wendy's restaurant. That may have sapped the snark out of the food chain's notorious Twitter feed for at least a day or so.

This particular reference is simply James Gunn making connections to his film "The Suicide Squad" to enact a bit of world-building within the DCEU. In the fourth episode, a fun little superhero bunny figure can be seen sitting on the dash of Vigilante's car. This isn't simply a throwaway detail included showing how child-like or off-the-wall Adrian is. In fact, it's a reference to a fictional character, Ultra Bunny, who was created for the DCEU by James Gunn, as he revealed when he posted a sketch of the character on Instagram.

In "The Suicide Squad," Rick Flagg's team is eliminated and he is taken captive by guerilla fighters rebelling against the Corto Maltesian regime. However, he's given a new shirt and some gear when it becomes clear that they are on the same side. The shirt he wears for the remainder of the film is an Ultra Bunny t-shirt. Apparently, the fictional character is even popular in Corto Maltese.

The number of references and Easter eggs in "Peacekeeper" demonstrates James Gunn's dedication to the comic book source material. Of course, he is no slouch when it comes to creating comic-centric adaptations, such as with his mega-blockbuster Marvel hit "Guardians of the Galaxy." However, it's clear that he and everyone else behind the show's creation have plenty of respect for the history of comics, despite the crudeness and comical tone of "Peacemaker."

A generic reference is made toward the comic book industry at large when Peacemaker heads out into the parking lot to fight Judomaster (Nhut Le) in Episode 4. Peacemaker passes by a truck with the words "Atomic Age" emblazoned upon it. That might not mean much to the average person, but comic book fans might recognize that phrase as a reference to the Atomic Age of comics. This is an era of comics that occurred mostly during the Cold War and often explored the worldwide threats of nuclear power, which makes this Easter egg a fun reference to the history of comic books.

Kite-Man isn't a stranger to recent DC media projects, as he had a humorous role in the Season 1 of the animated "Harley Quinn" series vying for Poison Ivy's love. As such, this reference may not be entirely lost on everyone. Either way, Kite-Man is just as ridiculous as his name implies. His entire persona is modeled around a kite. He can fly (or glide) like a kite and often employs kite-related weaponry. As a comic book character, he isn't well known and sprung from a far campier era of the comic book medium.

In Episode 5, Peacemaker proudly displays a newspaper clipping in his trailer where he is hailed as a hero for apprehending Kite-Man. While Peacemaker has been derided during this series as a wannabe, and even sometimes as a villain, this clipping makes it appear that he was once recognized as a true-blue superhero. Perhaps, that's why he keeps a reminder of this fond memory in his trailer. In the next episode, he's seen telling school children the story of when he brought down Kite-Man and turned him in. 

Perhaps Auggie's elderly neighbor was on to something. Peacemaker may kill his enemies now, but at one point he used to operate as a straight arrow similar to Batman -– a hero he seemingly despises.

Dracula became a sensation after the release of Bram Stoker's novel and has endured the ages as a menacing figure. Comic book publishers have often employed the character in their works, including DC Comics. Batman is one such hero who has encounters Dracula when the creature of the night was posing as Dr. Alucard. The vampire is converting humans and develops a deep fascination with Vicki Vale. In this storyline, Bruce Wayne actually kills Dracula with a device that emits sunlight. 

In Peacemaker, Vigilante is the one to unveil the possible existence of Dracula in the DCEU. In Episode 6, he makes a passing statement to Peacemaker that his face looks weird, like he's "looking at a Dracula." The use of the word "a" preceding Dracula could hint at multiple Draculas, as is the case in DC Comics lore due to the existence of the multiverse. Of course, he could be referring to the fictional character created by Bram Stoker, but that seems unlikely given the plural implication.

Alright, this is likely one Easter egg nobody missed since the moment was on display for a handful of shots and accompanied by dialogue from the star characters making cameos. However, at the tail end of the series, the Justice League does arrive at the sight of the butterflies' clash with Peacemaker and crew, but they're too late. Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller reprise their roles of Aquaman and the Flash, respectively. Aquaman even hilariously drops an f-bomb as he dismisses the rumors about him having sex with fish.

While Superman and Wonder Woman were present, it doesn't appear that Henry Cavill or Gal Gadot joined the filming of the scene, and we are only treated to a glimpse of their shadowy silhouettes. Curiously, Batman is absent from the lineup as well. Was that intentional, given that we know Ben Affleck's last performance as Batman is in "The Flash" movie? Or perhaps, Batman couldn't simply arrive on the scene as speedily as his metahuman associates. Regardless, Peacemaker once again displays his disgust for the team and doesn't even give them the time of day.