Peacemaker episode 5 adds fuel to my game-changing theory about Eagly

In the second episode of Peacemaker season 2, an ARGUS squad goes to the home of Chris Smith (John Cena) to investigate signs of extradimensional activity. They find the mission is far more dangerous than they expected when Chris’ bald eagle sidekick Eagly absolutely dismantles the group, forcing Langston Fleury (Tim Meadows) and his agents to run for their lives.

Fleury and fellow ARGUS agent Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez) accuse John Economos (Steve Agee) of withholding information about Chris’ “superpowered duck” in a scene that mostly makes light of Fleury’s only weakness being bird blindness. But as Economos explains, Eagly is a regular eagle who certainly shouldn’t be capable of landing five people in the hospital.

At least, Chris’ Eagly shouldn’t be, but I don’t think Peacemaker is the only one swapping dimensions this season. Chris may have inadvertently taken in a different version of Eagly, one who continues to demonstrate the depth of his power in episode 5 of Peacemaker season 2.

Image: HBO Max

[Ed. note: Mild spoiler ahead for Peacemaker season 2, episode 5.]

Chris grew up with his dad having an interdimensional nexus in his house and views it as just a mundane perk, treating it as a dog run for Eagly where he can let the bird fly when it’s too cold to go outside. Season 2 opens with Eagly flying out of Chris’ sight and not responding to his call to return home. Chris then finds him pecking at the door to Earth-2 or as he calls it, “The best dimension ever.” When he walks into another version of his home, he’s so shaken by seeing his brother Keith (David Denman) alive that he rushes back to his dimension.

He was so panicked that I’m not sure he took the right bird home. Eagly has always been an exceptional eagle, capable of giving hugs and effectively laughing at Chris’ jokes. He’s clever, which he’s shown by breaking into a car and distracting members of the Aryan Empire. But Eagly was also knocked unconscious by an attack from Chris’ dad and had to get stitches at a veterinary clinic.

As good a sidekick as Eagly was in season 1, the season 2 version is so powerful that ARGUS hires the renowned eagle killer Red St. Wild (Michael Rooker) to hunt him. Red believes his entire life has led to him killing the prime eagle and uses ritual magic to prepare for the confrontation. But when Red actually faces off against Eagly, the bird uses his own magical powers to summon numerous other raptors and tear the hunter apart, bringing a finger back to Chris as a trophy. If Eagly was always this powerful, why didn’t he help Chris more last season?

Photo: Jessica Miglio/HBO Max

We know Earth-2 Chris didn’t have an Eagly since Keith is confused when Chris shows up with a new sidekick. But Eagly seems to urge Chris to go back through the door when he decides to take over his dead doppleganger’s life and he’s happy to soar with his family as they go take down a kaiju.

There’s a lot we don’t know about how Chris first came to have a bald eagle pet – maybe he’s preternaturally good with animals. We also don’t know where Earth-2 Chris went during the long disappearances Keith mentioned, but it’s possible he was also making use of the dimensional doorway. Those two factors could have combined to result in the prime eagle of Earth-2 flying out of his world and then trying to get home, only to wind up following Chris.

If that’s the case, it would explain why Eagly’s become so dangerous, but also raise a whole new question: where is the original Eagly? I sure hope he’s OK, because he’s going to be pretty upset when he finds out Chris has been palling around with another bird.

Peacemaker is streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering every Thursday through Oct. 9.