James Gunn says Peacemaker was always bisexual: "It's just who the guy is"

Warning: Spoilers for the first season of Peacemaker ahead!

While Christopher Smith's sexuality was never explicitly discussed in the comics, director James Gunn says that his version of Peacemaker was "always" bisexual.

Peacemaker's bisexuality is revealed in a dark, heartbreaking moment in the first season's episode 7, when he shoots and kills his abusive father, Auggie Smith, AKA neo-nazi supervillain White Dragon. Moments before pulling the trigger, White Dragon berates him: "I knew you was unclean when you were born. I knew when you slept with the whores of polluted blood, and men."

The revelation made headlines as queer representation in the superhero world is few and far between. Gunn says that he and John Cena came up with the idea, and that it ultimately felt natural.

"It was me and John talking about who he is," Gunn tells Total Film. "Peacemaker is a hypersexual guy and that has led him to be a sexual omnivore in a lot of ways."

Gunn compares Peacemaker to Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), the show's only other openly queer character – and one of three total LGBTQIA+ characters currently in the DCEU. Before Peacemaker, Birds of Prey introduced Renee Montoya, an openly gay former Gotham City detective.

"I think it's interesting because Adebayo is so traditionally liberal in so many ways, but sexually Adebayo is incredibly conservative," Gunn says. "I mean, she's married to one woman. They have a monogamous lifestyle. And Peacemaker sexually is incredibly liberal. He’s a hedonist. That it’s just who the guy is."

Gunn says that the discussion around Peacemaker's sexuality ultimately came about because of Cena's riffs on the character.

"Most of the show, and almost all of Suicide Squad, is scripted," he continues. "But there's always a lot of riffing going on and it helps us get in the mood and throw things down. It was always that that Peacemaker was talking about having sex with both men and women, and he treats them both like sexual conquest in a way."

Peacemaker is now available in the UK and all eight episodes can be streamed on NOW. For more, check out how to watch DC movies in order to get up to speed on the DCEU.