The third episode of the second season of Peacemaker has seen our protagonist say goodbye to his sad and pitiful life on his own Earth, fully intent on impersonating the version of himself that he killed and assimilating into that life. That life, of course, comes with a lot of glory, but it also takes a lot of guts. During his talk with that universe’s version of Emilia Harcourt, the park and nearby post office are ambushed by a group of revolutionaries who plot to set off a series of bombs in open retaliation against the United States Government. That group? The Sons of Liberty.
Who Are The Sons of Liberty?
First created back in March of 1991, Jerry Ordway introduced the antagonists in Superman Vol 2 #53. The group was conceptualized as a paramilitary organization that believed the United States of America had lost its way and had distanced itself from the Constitution too far and sought to restore “American Values.” The group was founded by U.S. Air Force Major Charles Holcraft, alongside other members like Jay Harriman and Ronald Kramer.
The group would eventually recruit Benjamin Lockwood to its cause, an ex-CIA operative who grew disgusted with the organization and the federal government as a whole. With the Sons, Lockwood would become Agent Liberty and be equipped with weapons and equipment to help further their agenda and helpbring down the government.
Group founder Charles Holcraft would eventually be captured by Superman after his dealings with the government of Qurac were uncovered by the United States, leading to the group deciding that Holcraft would have to die so that he would be unable to testify before the Senate and expose more private information pertaining to the group and its members. The group kidnapped Lana Lang, the fiancée of Senator Peter Ross and told him to kill Holcraft or lose Lana; however, Ross was unable to complete the job, and Agent Liberty himself killed him.
A Redemption Arc
Benjamin Lockwood, aka Agent Liberty himself, would eventually become disillusioned with the group following their attempt to kill Senator Peter Ross. Lockwood refused and eventually learned that the Sons had previously killed Ross’ predecessor, which would lead to Liberty fully turning on the group and killing Harriman and Kramer himself. Lockwood would take all the information he could find on the group and turn it over to Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent, who would expose the group and all its dirty little secrets to the public, ending it.
Even with the group gone, Lockwood would remain as Agent Liberty until finding out that one of the founding members of the Sons was actually the man who trained and mentored him at the CIA. This revelation would lead to Agent Liberty shedding the alter-ego, burning the costume, and forever swearing off the title. However, like all comic characters, that would not last forever, and Lockwood would again become Agent Liberty here and there.
The Sons Of Liberty Arrive in The DCU in ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2
In the DCU, the team seemingly follows the same motivations as its comic counterparts but lacks any real characters that stick out. The biggest absence, of course, is Benjamin Lockwood’s Agent Liberty. Instead, all we get is a ragtag group of rebels who met unfortunately gruesome ends at the hands of our very own Peacemaker, Christopher Smith.
The first three episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max, and you can check out our review here! More coverage of the series is set to follow throughout the coming weeks so make sure to stay tuned to Popped for all things peace related!
