'Peacemaker' Explained: Who is the White Dragon?
Peacemaker has landed on HBO Max, with the first three episodes now available on the streaming platform.
The DC show follows the escapades of its eponymous supervillain (played by John Cena) as he heads out on a new mission for the government entitled Project Butterfly.
But, despite being the focus of the series, Peacemaker isn't the only famous DC bad guy to appear in the show. It turns out his father, Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), is apparently also a villain.
In the show's second episode Auggie is put in prison after being framed for his son's misdeeds in Episode 1 by Peacemaker's team.
While incarcerated, a group of white inmates kneel before Auggie and raise their hands in Nazi salutes, with one shouting "all hail the White Dragon."
Who is the White Dragon?
The White Dragon is the alter-ego adopted by several supervillains in the DC comics, traditionally those with links to white supremacy, like Auggie.
The name itself is a reference to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), as the white supremacist hate group give the title of "Grand Dragon" to high-ranking members.
William Heller was the first villain to take on the menacing moniker in the comics, and he was a neo-Nazi who fought as part of the Suicide Squad.
He first appeared in the Suicide Squad #4 comic in 1984 and remained a villain until his death in Suicide Squad Vol 3 #8 in 2008.
In the comics, Heller became a racist because of his Nazi-supporting grandfather's influence, and when the patriarch died he used his inheritance to fund several Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups and also founded the Aryan Empire.
Before becoming the White Dragon, Heller would combat criminals of Black, Latino or Asian origin and hand them to the police, while he would take white criminals and bring them into the Aryan Empire.
He later took on the villain name and got a new suit, joining the Fourth Reich before being taken down and eventually joining the Suicide Squad. He was killed in a failed coup against Amanda Waller and Task Force X.
The title of the White Dragon was also taken by Daniel Ducannon, who first appeared in the comics in Hawkworld Vol 2 #27 in 1992.
Like Heller before him, Ducannon is also a white supremacist who is a member of the Fourth Reich and has ties to the KKK.
It is yet to be seen how Auggie's backstory will unfold over the course of Peacemaker, if it does, but his racist, white supremacist views certainly make him a natural successor to the title of the White Dragon in the DC universe.
The first three episodes of Peacemaker are out on HBO Max now, and it will continue to air weekly every Thursday on the streaming platform.
