‘Peacemaker’ character killer gorilla was voiced by a James Gunn regular

I’m struggling to think of any movie or TV show that wouldn’t be improved by throwing a gorilla into the mix. I mean, James Gunn’s HBO Max show Peacemaker was already great television, but in last Thursday’s episode — ‘Monkey Dory’ — they introduced Charlie the Gorilla and things kicked up a notch.

This furious ape was possessed by a Butterfly and out for blood. It attacked Peacemaker and may have killed him, though soon took a chainsaw to its hairy back thanks to Steve Agee’s John Economos.

Yesterday, Gunn called attention to the gorilla VFX on the show, praising WETA digital and revealing that its voice came courtesy of his “best pal”:

Gunn isn’t kidding about him being in most of his movies. Blackehart’s roles include the Knowhere Dispatcher in Guardians of the Galaxy, Ravager Brahl in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Briscoe in The Suicide Squad, and now Charlie the Gorilla in Peacemaker.

Incidentally, fans think Charlie the Gorilla may be a super deep DC Comics cut. He appears to have originated in 1966’s ‘Spangled War Stories #126’, which features a story about a gorilla who signed up to fight in the marines. Or, as the tagline puts it: “‘You can’t pin a medal on a Gorilla!’ Featuring the only Non-Com who escaped from a zoo to join the Marines — Sgt. Gorilla!”

If this was him, it seems Charlie the Gorilla’s DCEU career was a short one, as being impaled on a chainsaw means he won’t be donning battle fatigues and picking up a rifle.

Here’s hoping more endangered species turn up to smash up the place in the remaining episodes of Peacemaker.