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&34;I know what I think of Adrian as being, but I'm not sure he's necessarily a great person to represent that stuff,&34; creator James Gunn tells EW. Peacemake

"I know what I think of Adrian as being, but I'm not sure he's necessarily a great person to represent that stuff," creator James Gunn tells EW.

Peacemaker creator and star address why they won't officially label Vigilante as neurodivergent

"I know what I think of Adrian as being, but I'm not sure he's necessarily a great person to represent that stuff," creator James Gunn tells EW.

By Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a staff writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2019 and is a published author. Her work has previously appeared in *TV Guide Magazine*, E! News/E! Online, *The Hollywood Reporter*, Mashable, Bustle, IGN, DCComics.com, Inverse, *The Daily Northwestern*, and more.

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October 8, 2025 5:54 p.m. ET

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Freddie Stroma in 'Peacemaker'. Credit:

*Peacemaker* fans love to diagnose Adrian Chase, a.k.a. Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), as being on the neurodivergent spectrum — among other things. But creator James Gunn and star Stroma have yet to officially confirm any label for their unique adaptation of the DC Comics antihero, and they both tell * *that they never will for a major reason.

"I've had a lot of people asking me if he's on the spectrum, if he's a sociopath, if he's a psychopath," Stroma says. "I just know James and I have talked about this, I am not qualified to make that label, that decision. So I feel like I'm going to stay out of it and let other people decide and maybe just keep that conversation going."

Freddie Stroma in 'Peacemaker'.

Stroma laughs as he quickly adds, "Or I'd say ask James. I'm going to shift it onto him. He's the one who writes the character, so it's his character."

So EW asked the *Peacemaker* showrunner–executive producer-writer-director for his take on the breakout, fan-favorite character.

"I'll be very honest with you here — yes, I know what I think of Adrian as being," Gunn says. "But I'm not sure he's necessarily a great person to represent that stuff because he is, in some ways, morally not admirable."

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Since his debut in season 1 as Peacemaker's (John Cena) wannabe best friend and sidekick, Adrian has brutally killed anyone and everyone who fit his code of being a "bad guy" — including Peacemaker's own alternate universe father (Robert Patrick). He shows no remorse over killing, and often displays — and admits — an inability to feel human emotion, resulting in fans labeling him as either being on the neurodivergent spectrum, or a sociopath. The character is also outspoken about his lack of sexual desire, leading viewers to praise the show for asexual representation.

Gunn doesn't believe that Vigilante is positive representation for any group that he might identify with, however, unlike Peacemaker, who is bisexual on the show.

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"Peacemaker has plenty of flaws, but he's also a moral individual who's growing and getting better," Gunn says. "And Adrian, we all love him, he's lovable, we want to hug him, we want him to be our friend, but what he does in life is not great. So I don't necessarily want to give him a public diagnosis and say, 'These people are like this,' because...I don't know if he is good representation, frankly. And so that's why I refrain from ever saying what I think his diagnosis — and it would be *diagnoses —* are."

The* Peacemaker* season 2 finale debuts Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on HBO Max.**

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