How the buzz for HBO Max's first DC spinoff 'Peacemaker' compares to Disney+ Marvel shows

• Data shows that HBO Max's "Peacemaker" is similar in audience engagement to Disney+'s "Hawkeye."
• Both shows trailed Disney+'s "WandaVision" in engagement.

HBO Max released its first series spinning off of a DC Comics movie last week: "Peacemaker," with John Cena reprising his role from last year's "The Suicide Squad."

Similar to Disney+ and its Marvel shows, Max is developing other TV spinoffs from big-screen movies like "The Batman," which hits theaters in March.

Analytics company Diesel Labs compared "Peacemaker" to some of Disney+'s Marvel series and found that engagement for the series was closest at launch to the lowest-performing of the live-action Marvel shows, "Hawkeye."

"Hawkeye," which debuted in November, is the most recent Marvel series on Disney+. Diesel Labs — which tracks audience engagement across social and video sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube — said that earlier Marvel series outperformed both of them in engagement, particularly "WandaVision."

The data was produced on Wednesday, ahead of the newest episode of "Peacemaker" on Thursday. The chart below illustrates each show's engagement levels before, during, and after their premieres:

The audience for DC content was a quarter of the size of the audience for Marvel content over the last three years, Diesel Labs found. In that context, the engagement for "Peacemaker" seems impressive (less so for "Hawkeye").

DC content will be essential for Max in the coming years. "The Suicide Squad," which debuted simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, was the eighth most talked-about movie of 2021, according to Diesel Labs, despite it underperforming at the box office. "Zack Snyder's Justice League," a Max original movie, was No. 4.

Max is developing a "Green Lantern" series, a spinoff of "The Batman" focused on the Gotham City police, and a "Justice League Dark" series from J.J. Abrams. A "Batgirl" movie will also premiere on the service this year. And Max inherited DC shows like "Titans" and "Doom Patrol" from the former DC Universe streaming service (it's now dedicated to digital comics and called DC Universe Infinite).

Unlike Disney and Marvel, Max's DC shows and movies aren't all connected to each other and don't exist in the same "universe." "Peacemaker," which is created by "The Suicide Squad" director James Gunn, also has a decidedly R-rated tone that further embodies the differences between Max and the more family-friendly Disney+.

Still, the series has won over critics and has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes critic score. "The Suicide Squad" was also critically beloved, with a 90% score.

Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall called "Peacemaker" an "unapologetic parody of superhero shows that's also a pretty good superhero show in its own right."