Welcome back, Destructoid, to another week of what we've been watching lately. This time, we're highlighting two alien invasion-themed shows, one of which is a shocking success for DC, while the other is one of Marvel's worst projects ever.
I'm a bit late to the party, but with Peacemaker season two starting last week, I finally got around to watching the first one. It was so much better than I ever could've anticipated, and the overall aliens walking among us plot made me think back to the disaster that is Secret Invasion.
I don't mean to focus on pitting Marvel and DC against each other, but I couldn't stop thinking about how bad Secret Invasion was while watching Peacemaker. The whole plotline for Secret Invasion and the Skrulls is a beloved comic arc, and the show completely butchered everything about it. It feels silly to say, but the truth is, Peacemaker did a better secret invasion plotline than Secret Invasion did.
I'm one of the few people who enjoys just about everything Marvel puts out. I don't get superhero fatigue, and I've enjoyed pretty much all MCU projects, even the more controversial ones like She-Hulk, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Eternals. I wanted to find something to like about Secret Invasion back when it released in 2023, but there's just nothing there.
The storytelling was confusing, the writing was bad, none of the surprises were all that surprising, and some terrible choices were made. The most egregious one, in my opinion, is killing the iconic Maria Hill in the first episode for what felt like pure shock value and nothing else. To make an already bad decision even worse, Nick Fury, who has been her closest ally as long as we've known, barely reacts to it and moves on in no time.
There just wasn't anything compelling or interesting to enjoy. Nick Fury has always been an icon in the MCU, and often even a scene stealer at times, but even him being the lead couldn't save this show. I don't know what went wrong here, but Secret Invasion genuinely missed the mark on all accounts, and it's a real shame considering the massive cast of talent on hand for it and the glimpses of a solid idea that sometimes peeked through.
Peacemaker, on the other hand, is wildly compelling, with a vibrant cast of characters, shocking plot twists, stellar humor, and a genuinely phenomenal storyline. Prior to watching it, I didn't care much about Peacemaker as a character. I thought John Cena's portrayal of him in The Suicide Squad was great, but I never really had an interest in following him further, which is why it took me so long to finally tune in.
I now think Peacemaker is one of the best superhero shows ever made, which isn't something I ever thought I would say. Everything about it just works, and my only complaint is that I didn't start watching sooner.
I was fully captivated from the moment the opening credits started playing. Peacemaker has one of the most iconic opening sequences of all time, as the cast of characters dance their way through Wig Wam's "Do You Wanna Taste It" with completely blank expressions. It complements the tone of the show perfectly and is absolutely unskippable.
The wild cast of characters makes this show what it is. Cena's portrayal of Peacemaker, also known as Christopher Smith, is surprisingly complex, making you root for someone who previously seemed irredeemable after killing Rick Flag Jr. in The Suicide Squad. My favorite member of the team by far, though, is Vigilante, also known as Adrian Chase, a completely unhinged and incredibly funny character. I also deeply adore Adebayo, Harcourt, and Economos, and would do anything for Eagly.
The alien invasion sneaks up on you in this show, but once you get into it, the stakes are quite high and extremely compelling. Aliens are known as butterflies in this world, and they kill humans to take control of their bodies. In the end, even their motivations are complex, as they're doing so to try and save the world. Peacemaker does a great job at blurring the lines between heroes and villains, which makes it even more compelling.
Overall, Peacemaker is utterly captivating from start to finish, with characters you'll grow attached to and a storyline you'll want to continue as soon as possible. It's a welcome surprise of a show, and if you haven't tuned in yet, now's the perfect time to do so since season two is being released weekly.
As soon as I finished Peacemaker season one, I watched around the first five minutes or so of the second season solely because I had heard about the Justice League retcon and the new theme song. I was excited to see how both were handled, and they definitely didn't disappoint.
Replacing the Justice League from the old DCU with the Justice Gang from James Gunn's new DCU was truly a genius way to handle Peacemaker's transition. And I kind of love that it wasn't even properly addressed; instead, we're just kind of gaslit into believing that was what happened all along.
The season one theme song is perfection, and is the only opening credits of any show ever that I never skipped. Season two had a lot to live up to, and the new credits definitely exceeded my expectations. I'm thoroughly excited to start watching the next season properly, and I'll certainly be back to talk about it once the entire season is out.
So, Destructoid, have you had the chance to check out either of these alien-infested superhero shows yet? If so, which one did you like better? What else have you been enjoying recently that deserves a watch? Let us know down in the comments so we can discuss.
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The post Weekly Watchlist Vol. 9 – Skrulls struggle and Peacemaker prevails (Sept. 2-9) appeared first on Destructoid.
