Chris Conrad was originally cast as Peacemaker's Vigilante, but despite shooting most of Season 1, he was replaced by Freddie Stroma due to reported creative differences with James Gunn.
The actor has quickly emerged as a fan favourite in the HBO Max series, especially as he's not a conventional "hero." In last week's episode, for example, we learned that his basement is full of cash and drugs he's seized during his crime-fighting activities.
Much has been said about the possibility that Adrian Chase may be on the neurodivergent spectrum, but neither Gunn nor Stroma is willing to commit to that possibility.
"I've had a lot of people asking me if he's on the spectrum, if he's a sociopath, if he's a psychopath," Stroma told Entertainment Weekly. "I just know James and I have talked about this, I am not qualified to make that label, that decision. So I feel like I'm going to stay out of it and let other people decide and maybe just keep that conversation going."
"Or I'd say ask James. I'm going to shift it onto him," the actor added with a laugh. "He's the one who writes the character, so it's his character."
The site did reach out to Gunn, who told them, "I'll be very honest with you here — yes, I know what I think of Adrian as being. But I'm not sure he's necessarily a great person to represent that stuff because he is, in some ways, morally not admirable."
"Peacemaker has plenty of flaws, but he's also a moral individual who's growing and getting better," Gunn pointed out. "And Adrian, we all love him, he's lovable, we want to hug him, we want him to be our friend, but what he does in life is not great."
"So I don't necessarily want to give him a public diagnosis and say, 'These people are like this,' because...I don't know if he is good representation, frankly. And so that's why I refrain from ever saying what I think his diagnosis — and it would be diagnoses — are," the DC Studios co-CEO concluded.
When we last saw Vigilante, he'd made friends with his Earth-X doppelganger and brutally stabbed Auggie Smith to death as a horrified Peacemaker looked on. However, Gunn has already confirmed that Chris isn't likely to hold that against his friend.
Peacemaker season 2 follows Chris Smith, the vigilante superhero, as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evildoer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost. He discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.
Season 2 stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodríguez, David Denman, Brey Noelle, and Tim Meadows.
Seven episodes of Peacemaker season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max.