There are superhero shows, and then there is Peacemaker, a glorious cocktail of violence, absurdity, and irreverent humor that somehow makes audiences root for the unlikeliest of misfits. From its ensemble of oddities, Vigilante takes the crown, a cheery executioner who treats slaughter like a weekend hobby. The character in Peacemaker completely deviates from the comic books, and yet his gleeful detachment has bewitched viewers who prefer their vigilantes slightly deranged. Which begs the inevitable question: who engineered this dainty storm of cheerful carnage?

Freddie Stroma, the actor who plays Vigilante, thanks James Gunn for engineering Peacemaker’s charming descent into Deadpool-esque delirium.

Now playing Vigilante in Peacemaker, Freddie Stroma acknowledged the on-screen version is a far cry from the comic books. “That was all James Gunn,” he told The Hollywood Reporter, noting that once he compared the script with the comics, he “very, very quickly realised that they’re not the same character at all.” In the source material, Vigilante is written as a level-headed district attorney who fights crime in a straightforward fashion.

Stroma explained that Gunn transformed that conventional figure into “basically James’s creation.” With the director’s imagination steering the script and Stroma’s offbeat timing elevating the role, Vigilante became one of the show’s most distinctive characters, an unpredictable, endearing, and unhinged presence, "tennis balls" included.

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The resemblance between Vigilante and Deadpool is undeniable, and while fans scour Netflix for Peacemaker season 2, many now argue Peacemaker's oddball has eclipsed the original.

The resemblance between Vigilante and Deadpool is as clear as a katana through butter. Both characters treat violence with unnerving cheer, making audiences laugh while bodies pile up. In Peacemaker, Vigilante chats about murder as if he were discussing lunch specials, much like Deadpool’s running gags during fight scenes. His prison brawl against white supremacists mirrors Deadpool’s gleeful chaos, except with a mask that looks like it came from a thrift store sale.

The difference, however, is that Vigilante’s awkward innocence often makes him more unpredictable than Deadpool. Where Deadpool knowingly winks at the audience, Vigilante earnestly debates murder techniques over dinner as if discussing table manners. It is no wonder some viewers claim Vigilante has out-Deadpooled Deadpool. One could almost imagine Ryan Reynolds, in his next film, abandoning the question “Why was Thor crying?” and instead demanding, “How did Vigilante out-Deadpool me?”

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Is Vigilante proving to be the pupil who outdid Deadpool himself? Tell us what you think in the comments down below!