Did Peacemaker kill his brother? Details from the DCU series, explored

In the first episode of Peacemaker Season 2 (The Ties That Grind), Chris Smith (John Cena) learns about a Quantum Unfolding Chamber, a portal to the alternate dimensions.

Through one door, Chris finds a world in which both Auggie Smith (his father, played by Robert Patrick) and Keith (his brother, played by David Denman) had survived and became a superhero team known as the Top Trio.

Keith is a recently created character who has an alternate world superhero identity (Captain Triumph). This is a twist in one of the highly emotional scenes in the first part of Season 2.

Notably, Peacemaker Season 1 Episode 4 (The Choad Less Traveled) marks the first time the series started to explore the painful past of Chris and what truly made the DC anti-hero. The episode takes a new direction in terms of the nature of characters and plot, different from the humor and action of the other episodes. It was revealed that Chris was subjected to a toxic environment by his father, who was exposed as a white supremacist villain known as White Dragon.

In heart-stopping moments, flashbacks, and intense conversations between characters, viewers are made aware of how Auggie abused and used Peacemaker, scarring him ever since, and defining his violent way to bring “peace at all costs.”

In this episode, we are also first exposed to one of the key plot points on the show, the death of Peacemaker’s brother, Keith. As per the current storyline, Chris has been dealing with guilt for a long time because he believed that he was responsible for his brother's death during a fight that their father had orchestrated.

Though the truth behind Chris, his trauma, and his repressed memories were revealed later on in the season, Peacemaker Episode 4 is when the series first establishes a link between Chris and his backstory to his current experiences, foreshadowing his emotional journey and eventual clash with Auggie.

Storyline explored in detail

Peacemaker Season 1 Episode 4 is an essential episode in the series that starts to reveal the traumatic history of our protagonist. The episode begins with Chris going back to his father’s house to collect some equipment, only to discover that Auggie had been arrested.

It wasn’t a random arrest. Auggie was set up for the murder of Senator Royland Goff and his family. Peacemaker's team took this step to protect their secret mission, Project Butterfly. The goal of this mission was to prevent alien species, known as Butterflies, from occupying human bodies and taking over the planet. Auggie’s participation in Peacemaker’s vigilante activities made him problematic. So, the team chose to frame him because he knew too much and could reveal the mission.

Chris, who feels betrayed, goes on to clear his father’s name because he is still unaware of his father’s true identity.

This episode then confirms what the audience had suspected: Auggie Smith is not simply a tyrannical parent; he is the notorious white supremacist supervillain, White Dragon– leader of a racist cult and the perpetrator of many atrocities.

The revelation highlights how much Auggie’s ideology must have influenced Chris. Flashbacks and tense dialogues give us a hint of the childhood trauma Chris had, as well as the loss of his elder brother, Keith. Although the actual flashback of the death of Keith takes place in Episode 7, in Episode 4, clear indications of guilt in Chris and the ongoing torture of emotions are presented.

Chris and Keith were brought up by their father, Auggie. Now that we know his backstory, there is no doubt that he exposed his kids to dangerous, violent environments, such as bare-knuckle brawling and betting among friends as entertainment. In one of such cases, Auggie pitted Chris against Keith and set them to fight as he and his crew cheered on.

Chris was reluctant at first but assented under fear. The fight began as their usual brawl, but grew out of proportion when Chris, under pressure, hit Keith on his head with a heavy blow. Right after the blow, Keith fell on the ground, with blood coming out of his mouth.

Keith died from this wound, leaving Chris in shock and horror. Rather than trying to console his son, Auggie accused Chris of being a murderer and increased his guilt. This one incident led to Chris developing a lifelong trauma with a distorted sense of justice.

This experience influences his belief that he needs to attain “peace at any cost” as an unconscious attempt to justify the killing of his brother.

This plot is different from the comics. In the original DC continuity, Peacemaker got his trauma from the suicide of his father. James Gunn reworked this for the Peacemaker show, making Chris directly at fault for the accidental death of his brother.

Trending

Peacemaker Season 2 was released on August 21, 2025, with episodes released every Thursday at 9 PM ET on HBO Max. The season finale will air on October 9, 2025.

Also, read: David Denman reveals how he kept his Peacemaker role a secret from everyone, says ‘I really wanted the surprise to be there’

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback