Peacemaker creator James Gunn revealed which of his MCU and DCU villains are the most evil. Now standing tall as DC Studios co-CEO, Gunn has more experience across the two superhero brands than anybody, having worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Superman, and more DCU projects to come. Across these projects, he has introduced iconic villains, such as Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary, Kurt Russell's Ego, Lee Pace's Ronan, and many more.
During a Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 7 watch-along on Threads, James Gunn confirmed that it was indeed the DCU's Auggie Smith (White Dragon) that his Earth-X counterpart (Blue Dragon) had encountered years prior. In turn, the superhero veteran commented more on Peacemaker Season 1's Auggie, proclaiming him as the "biggest piece of shit [he's] ever written."
Unlike his DCU counterpart, Earth-X's Auggie Smith, aka Blue Dragon wasn't such a villain, as Gunn confirmed he was "generally a good human being," carrying no racist or Nazi beliefs despite living on a world full of them.
Shorlty before Vigilante killed him, Auggie told his son Keith that he "saw [his] doppelgänger years ago" in the Quantum Unfolding Chamber and speculated he came from a "world that was like a dark version of [theirs]." Of course, that wasn't the case, as the DCU's Auggie was instead truly terrible cog in a better world, the direct opposite to Earth-X's who sought to be good in an evil reality.
For Gunn to call White Dragon the most evil villain in his Marvel and DC catalogue is no small statement, as his nine superhero projects have been home to some truly messed up villains, from the High Evolutionary to Lex Luthor.
Fans were quick to proclaim the High Evolutionary as one of the most hatable villains ever when he tortured animals in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, while Lex Luthor nearly tore the Earth in half in his quest to kill Superman.
Nonetheless, Gunn concluded that both are "saints in comparison" to the White Dragon, and there's no denying that White Dragon is deserving of being called the "biggest piece of shit" in Gunn's superhero catalogue.
Across Peacemaker, fans have seen Auggie lead the Aryan Empire as a Ku Klux Klan-esque cult, force his young sons to fight leading to Keith's death, physically and verbally abuse his surviving son Chris, kill a defenceless alien creature, and, of course, carry and vocally express his backwards, racist views.
A full list of James Gunn's Marvel and DC villains can be seen below:
- Ronan the Accuser - Guardians of the Galaxy
- Nebula - Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Collector - Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ego - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- The Sovreign - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- The High Evolutionary - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Adam Warlock - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Starro - The Suicide Squad
- Amanda Waller - The Suicide Squad
- White Dragon - Peacemaker Season 1
- The Butterflies - Peacemaker Season 1
- Illana Rostovic - Creature Commandos
- Lex Luthor - Superman
- Ultraman - Superman
- The Engineer - Superman
- Rick Flag Sr. - Peacemaker Season 2
- Red St. Wild - Peacemakaer Season 2
- Captain Triumph - Peacemaker Season 2
Next up for Gunn at DC Studios is Man of Tomorrow, and the DCU boss may have already spoiled the villain for his Superman sequel - the genius android Brainiac.
James Gunn's Evilest Villain Is All Too Real, And That's What Makes Him Perfect
Across his Marvel and DC catalogue, James Gunn has been known to craft heroes fans fall in love with and villains they can instantly hate. Peacemaker has been no exception as viewers quickly grew attached to John Cena's Peacemaker (a previously D-tier anti-hero) and instantly hated Robert Patrick's White Dragon.
Not only do Peacemaker enthusiasts hate Auggie for brutally abusing son and turning him into the killing mess he became, but also his reprehensible, racist views that are all-too-present in the real-world to this day.
Minus the Iron Man-esque White Dragon supersuit, the realism behind Auggie and his view of the world only makes him easier for fans to hate, knowing full well that, unlike the cosmic beings of Guardians of the Galaxy, people like that do exist.
In creating such a hateable villain, Gunn has certainly fulfilled his job as a creative, getting viewers just as emotioanlly invested as the fictional hero in taking down the bad guy. Moreso than any other villain in Gunn's catalogue, Auggie is driven by pure hatred, making his death in Peacemaker Season 1 a blessing for the DCU.
While Auggie may be dead, his torment of Chris lingers with him going into Season 2, and the racist themes remain just as present thanks to the big Earth-X twist.
