Danielle Brooks is fighting crime on her own terms in Peacemaker Season 2.

Brooks told Shadow and Act that her character, Leota Adebayo, has broken free from her oppressive relationship with her mother, secretive government operative Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis in the first season). Now, she feels confident to strike out on her own with Peacemaker.

“She’s definitely broken off the chains [at] the end of last season with her mom. So she is just, uh, really living for herself now. And with that comes a bit of consequence, you know, and we are gonna watch her struggle with her relationship with her partner,” she said. “But through it all, she is really being a little selfish right now and, and thinking about what she wants for her career and what she wants to bring to the 11th Street Kids. So it’s been a lot of fun to, to be a little rebel in a way and really go for what it is that she believes she’s capable of doing.”

A new Direction for the DCU

Peacemaker is just one part of James Gunn’s new DCU. As we’ve seen with Superman, Gunn’s vision is much brighter, more character-driven, and intent on embracing the diversity of the world around us. Even though Peacemaker is a mature series, it still carries Gunn’s signature fun stamp. Brooks said she thinks Gunn’s direction for the universe is “incredible.”

“Especially for me, like growing up, I really didn’t see that many people of color in the DCU or Marvel, any of the universes. Not that we weren’t there, but we just weren’t as prominent,” she said. “And so now to be able to be that representation for so many Black [and] queer people, I’m just really excited for a new narrative and for people to see these characters, whether they’re superheroes or aspiring superheroes. I say that with a laugh ’cause [Brooks’ character Leota is] not really a superhero. I’m a superhero at heart.”

The human character element of the show

She added that viewers can see that these characters are “human,” saying, “They’re real people. So that’s been really fun for me. …I know they got the right guy to lead the charge in James Gunn.”

Watch the full interviews with Brooks, Gunn and Peacemaker cast members Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, Sol Rodriguez, Jennifer Holland, and Frank Grillo above.

Peacemaker drops new episodes weekly on HBO Max.

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