The Peacemaker series follows a new mission called Project Butterfly, and this time, it’s not the entire Suicide Squad but just Peacemaker leading it with a team of Waller’s officials. Before addressing the elephant (Butterfly) in the room, I should put it out that I think the first three episodes were bangers.
They managed to not only portray Peacemaker as a complex character but also gave every supporting actor a good personality and subtle hints at their potential arc in the series. But the biggest accomplishment of the show is getting everyone to break their heads over the questions:
- What is Project Butterfly?
- Who are these Butterflies?
- Who is behind them all?
I think those questions sum up the frustration of not knowing, but that’s why I’m here as the bearer of the answers that can tell you all about Peacemaker’s Butterflies along with their powers and origins.
Peacemaker’s Butterflies are creatures that possess humans and turn them into metahumans with super strength and an animal-like growl. They are likely transmitters between the human and the entity controlling all these Butterflies. This mastermind behind these Butterflies could be Insect Queen, Mr. Mind, or someone else.
The Butterflies’ Appearance and Powers
The story looks a lot like Project Starfish, where the Starfish controls minds in The Suicide Squad. Here, instead of a Starfish, we see Butterflies.
At the end of Episode 3 when Peacemaker shoots the senator in the head, a Butterfly-like creature emerges out of it. We then cut to the team’s screen inside the van, which shows all the Butterflies or Butterfly-infected humans present all over the world. As it turns out, unlike what Murn said, this isn’t a nation’s problem, but the world’s problem.
With the events of the three episodes, I think these are some of the powers of the Butterflies:
- Superstrength, as we see a Butterfly throw around John Cena’s Peacemaker like he’s nothing.
- Animal-like growl, as we see the same Butterfly shriek, growl, and roar like an animal while going at Peacemaker.
- They also seem to control the minds of the people in whom they create a home for themselves.
- Besides this, the Butterfly might also act as a transmitter between the Butterfly-like creatures in the person’s body and the actual mastermind behind it.
These were some of the powers we saw in the show. Furthermore, it looks like the Butterflies give the human beings long tongues, as seen in episode three when the Senator’s family drinks yellow gooey liquid, which could be honey. It could be the source of their strength.
So now the question remains who is behind it all?
The Butterfly Origins: Who Is Behind the Butterflies?
The Project Butterfly story doesn’t seem to be directly from the comics. It looks like James Gunn has been inspired by DC Comic material to write his series, which might resemble the comics’ content but isn’t the same.
This also means that it isn’t necessary for the supervillain behind the Project Butterfly to be from the comics. However, the chances of that seem a little less. So here are my top two picks for the mastermind/supervillain behind Project Butterfly:
I. Insect Queen
Insect Queen was a character that came in the Superman Comics. She was from another planet that could’ve been ruled only by one. So she turned to Earth and wanted to control all of humanity.
This is one possible villain who can be behind Project Butterfly. While there are no fingers pointing at her besides the fact that there are literal Butterfly-like creatures involved, it’s entirely possible.
II. Mr. Mind
This character appeared for a short stint in Shazam!. Although he was not the main villain, it made up for a good setup, even though it could’ve been unintended. Mr. Mind in the movie tells how he plans to conquer the Seven Realms of Shazam.
A Twitter user also speculated that Mr. Mind could be the main villain of the Peacemaker series.
Conclusion
While we still don’t know who the main villain of Peacemaker is, one thing’s for sure. James Gunn won’t leave us with a simple main villain story. I just hope it is even better than the Project Starfish we saw in The Suicide Squad, and I can’t wait to find out how it all unfolds.
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.
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