Commentary: The ‘Peacemaker’ Intro Perfectly Sets Things Up
by Frank Martin
Intros are very important to a series. Nowadays, people can simply skip them, but that doesn’t mean creators have stopped putting an emphasis on their importance. Intros set the tone for what the audience is about to experience and gets them in the mood for the story. They can convey information on a subtle level about characters and more, such as Dexter’s meticulously visceral morning routine and Game Of Thrones’s map of political confrontation. An intro that has garnered a lot of fan love recently is the opening to Peacemaker, which changed from the first season to the second. But in either case, it’s still perfect for communicating to the audience what’s in store.
The general idea of Peacemaker’s intro: to have all of the actors in full costume, even Peacemaker (John Cena) and Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), working together in a choreographed dance. The dance moves aren’t cool or hip. In fact, they are rather dorky and irreverent. The first season had the actors dancing to a hard rock song, which worked perfectly for that season’s fast-paced, action-packed style. The second season also had the characters dancing, but the song changed to a power ballad. Although not as intense, it still aligned with that season’s overall tone, which was more romantic in nature.
On a storytelling level, there is zero information being conveyed in either intro. They are cool set pieces highlighting weird dance moves alongside music that sets the tone for the season. There is also a larger meta-game at play. Although the actors are in full costume, they aren’t characters. Their character persona has been stripped down, rendering them nothing but bodies in a choreographed dance. Heroes and villains alike work together to pull off an impressive sequence of moves, and this communicates a certain message about the show overall. Peacemaker is a ridiculous series. It has absurd jokes and mind-boggling plot developments. The fact that the intro strips away any semblance of the characters’ relationships means that it’s letting the audience know that ridiculousness is coming. It prepares them for the show’s absurdity in a perfect way.
Peacemaker is now streaming on HBO Max.