What are the butterflies in Peacemaker? Details explored in depth

Throughout the first season, John Cena's Christopher Smith/Peacemaker and the rest of the 11th Street Kids were assigned a mysterious mission, named "Project Butterfly". Later in the season, we learn that alien butterflies have taken over human bodies and have been forcing them to perform their bidding. Thus, on a surface level, Season 1's narrative revolves around an alien invasion.

The butterflies feel overwhelming in the sixth episode of Peacemaker Season 1, titled Murn After Reading, as they take over an entire police department, making things even more difficult for our protagonists. However, two episodes later, we further discover the reason behind these alien butterflies' invasion, and it does not end up being a generic motivation to take over the world.

What are the butterflies in Peacemaker Season 1?

The Peacemaker Season 1 finale pulled the rug under the viewers and revealed the motivation of the butterflies. While viewers were under the impression that the butterflies were invading Earth for nefarious reasons, the finale reveals otherwise. The butterfly leader, who had taken over Police Detective Sophie Song's body, reveals the reason to Cena's titular character.

Turns out the butterflies had hailed from a planet they had to abandon due to environmental degradation. According to the insects, humans are on a similar path of repeating their mistakes, and thus, they decide to take matters into their own hands. The only dissenting butterfly, the one inside the 11th Street Kids' leader, Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), is killed.

James Gunn himself addressed their motivation in a Variety interview published after the finale on February 17, 2022:

"I didn’t want to make their goal something that was just, you know, 'Hey, we want to take over the universe, we want to conquer, we’re thoroughly evil!' I wanted the Butterflies to be characters that were as multi-layered as the other characters were, and I think that Goff, in particular, as the leader of the butterflies, is a character who I like a lot and find really interesting. She’s very much like Peacemaker."

The leader tries convincing Christopher to join them, but the Peacemaker destroys the source of their food, killing most of them except for the leader. This conclusion has fans debating whether Christopher was justified in rejecting the butterflies or not to this very day. James Gunn addressed Christopher's rejection in the same Variety interview.

James Gunn described Christopher's action in the finale as a sacrifice:

When asked about his thoughts on Christopher's rejection of the Butterfly leader in the finale, showrunner James Gunn responded to the Variety reporter:

“Peacemaker makes the ultimate sacrifice — of perhaps the world. He sort of does the wrong thing for the right reasons. He does the thing that’s spiritually right for him, because it’s honest and true and authentic to himself. But it’s also perhaps problematic and what’s going to come next for all of us.”

It must be noted that the closing minutes of the finale reveal that Chris did not kill the butterfly leader, and it is suggested that there isn't bad blood between the two. But Christopher's rejection of the offer to save humanity does hint towards the doomed future of the humans.

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Peacemaker Season 1 is currently streaming on HBO Max. Catch it before season 2 begins streaming on August 21, 2025.

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