Warning! This article contains spoilers for Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace #1
The new origin for The Boys. Peacemaker has recently reached peak popularity with his live-action depictions in both The Suicide Squad and his own HBO Max series, Peacemaker. While perhaps more fans are exposed to Peacemaker now than ever before, the character has been a recurring background character in DC Comics for some time. With an all-new origin that goes into the tragedies of Peacemaker’s life, he gets an unexpected connection to Punisher and The Boys.
In Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace #1 by Garth Ennis and Garry Brown, Christopher Smith, also known as Peacemaker, is approached by a psychiatrist who meets with him to conduct a psychological evaluation before his next mission. During the interview, Peacemaker is questioned about his past so the doctor has a better understanding of his mental state. While Peacemaker shares some truly traumatic events throughout his formative years, he also goes into the training that made him the living weapon he is today. During that explanation, a secret connection to both Punisher and The Boys is revealed.
During his years in military service, Peacemaker climbed the ladder from the Infantry, to the Rangers, and ultimately to Delta. Along the way, Peacemaker was also on exchange with the Special Air Service or S.A.S., a special forces unit within the British Army. Peacemaker’s time with S.A.S. is his connection to the Punisher and William Butcher of The Boys, two books Garth Ennis has also helmed in the past. During Ennis’ Punisher MAX run, the Punisher had a close ally named Yorkie Mitchell, a fellow soldier who served in the Special Air Service. And in The Boys comic series, Billy Butcher served in the SAS before he was recruited to the titular supe-killing squad.
The S.A.S. appearing in some form or fashion in creative works by Garth Ennis is not just restricted to comic books. In 2011, Ennis premiered an original short film titled Stitched which is a roughly twenty minute horror/action thriller that brings to life the brutal violence Ennis so often brings to the pages of comics. The main character, Lynch, is a S.A.S. soldier who is deployed to Eastern Afghanistan where he and his fellow soldiers stumble upon zombie-like creatures. The short film premiered at San Diego Comic Con that year and was used to create interest in Garth Ennis’ comic book continuation series of the same name.
Garth Ennis’ fascination with S.A.S. has stretched across nearly every storyline Ennis had a hand in creating. From live-action short films to at least three separate comic book series, Ennis has found a way to connect a number of fictional military service by way of including the SAS into their respective backstories, and now Peacemaker has officially been added to that list alongside Frank Castle and Billy Butcher. Peacemaker’s new origin Punisher and The Boys by way of being associated with the elite British Army special forces unit, the S.A.S.
