Peacemaker left us hanging, speculating that Murn was just moments away from harming Adebayo. Unbridled worry clouds our minds, but then Harcourt enters with her no-nonsense demeanor and reassures us that the 11th St Kids are still intact.
So yes, Murn is a butterfly — Harcourt suspected it in episode 3 when the bomb blew up in his face but he was unscathed. But apparently, he is a good Butterfly. Economos knows too, which makes Adebayo feels very betrayed.
(Hmm… just think about how Peacemaker is going to react. Whew, this squad takes dysfunctional to a whole other level).
In episode 6, it is confirmed that Murn is a Butterfly who defected the Goff-led Butterflies after finding out their plan of taking over Earth. He thus possesses Murn, who was part of ARGUS and could help stop them.
Despite the confirmation, details about both human-Murn and Butterfly-Murn are few and far between the episode. So I went through it frame-by-frame to gather all the information I could on Murn’s true identity:
Explained: Murn Rebels Against the Butterflies
After we get over our initial shock that both Harcourt and Economos know about Murn’s true identity, it’s time to find out why Murn decided to rebel against his species.
As the tale goes, the Butterflies came to Earth because their planet was dying. However, the Butterfly in Goff, who is the leader, decided that instead of simply being refugees, they should take over Earth. That’s where Murn drew a line and turned against the Butterflies.
Goff’s plan is to possess humans in power and establish dominance. According to me, Goff’s end game would be to have her Butterflies slowly possess all humans on Earth.
Murn does not reveal their planet’s name, but then again, us puny humans may not be able to pronounce Butterfly names as he says.
Later in the episode, when Goff-possessed-Song summons more Butterflies, it is also confirmed that the mysterious object Peacemaker found in Butterfly-Annie’s house was indeed a Butterfly spaceship.
When did the Butterfly possess Murn?
I’m going to start with Murn is a big softie with a moral compass. So far, we’ve been told that Butterflies have difficulty expressing emotions. But the conflict that Murn has over the Butterflies taking over Earth points to him being the black sheep of his species.
Despite human-Murn being a ruthless killer, Murn feels pain and guilt of taking over his body in order to stave off the Butterflies. This information leads us to an important clue — The Butterfly either took over Murn after he was recruited into ARGUS, or possessed Murn and used his track record to cut himself a deal and get hired by ARGUS.
I can read your mind: You’re thinking, can we trust Murn? Like Harcourt, I too think that logically Murn has helped the squad more than jeopardizing them. In fact, he’s been key in cleaning up their messes. So, if Murn turns out to be the bad guy, I’m going to feel personally wronged.
On the other hand, some fans speculate that Goff-led Butterflies may not be that bad after all:
After seeing their own planet die, the Butterflies probably detest humans for letting Earth rot with all their callous decisions. They may believe that they’re better equipped to save Earth. The Butterfly leader took over Goff, a climate change politician, no less.
Even if this ultimately does not play into Peacemaker’s plotline, it sure does make for some engaging discourse on ethics.
Does Amanda Waller know that Murn is a Butterfly?
Amanda Waller is someone who considers herself three-four steps ahead of the game, and making Adebayo plant a fake Peacemaker diary is a testimony to that.
So while I’m hoping she doesn’t know Murn is a Butterfly, there is a high chance that she is aware of it.
I also think that Waller would’ve planned to incarcerate both Peacemaker and Murn by the end of Project Butterfly, if not the whole team, save for Adebayo. After all, Harcourt and Economos did screw her over in The Suicide Squad.
I think the bigger question at this point is, will Adebayo snitch Murn out to mommy-dearest? Or will she, for once, stand up for her squad?
About Peacemaker
Peacemaker is a DC Extended Universe series that will delve into the past of the titular character, who’ll make his cinematic debut in James Gunn’s DCEU film, The Suicide Squad (2021). The character will be portrayed by John Cena, who will reprise his role in the HBO Max series.
Other cast members include Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Chris Conrad, and Chukwudi Iwuji among many others.
James Gunn will also helm the HBO Max series for its second season.
No Comments on Peacemaker Episode 6 Reveals Murn’s True Identity