HBO Max’s Peacemaker series introduced a lot of new characters to the DCEU. James Gunn’s spin-off sequel to The Suicide Squad introduced a lot of comic book characters to the larger DCEU canon (Kite Man, Judomaster, Vigilante, etc.), but also some original ones that have not appeared in the comic books.
Most of these guys are civilians that don’t actually need a comic book background but they are important for the plot of the series. One such character is Royland Goff and we are going to explain his role in the Peacemaker TV series.
Royland Goff is a fictional character that appeared in the Peacemaker television series. Publically a radical proponent of climate change, this U.S. senator became a target of Amanda Waller’s Task Force X (The Suidice Squad) when it was discovered that he was a vessel for the butterflies. He was killed by Task Force X along with his family.
This article is going to be an informative text about Royland Goff. The thing about Royland Goff is that he is a marginal character due to the fact that he dies very soon into the show. Still, we have managed to collect some information on the guy and his overall role in the story, which is what we are going to talk about in this article.
Who is Royland Goff?
Not much is known about the character of Royland Goff and there is a good reason for that – he is a plot device. Okay, his role in the story wasn’t really insignificant, but even though he had a substantial role, he was still just a very substantial plot device. His role was used to highlight the dangers of the butterflies and how they posed a threat to society, infiltrating even the highest ranks of American politics.
Royland Goff was a U.S. senator. Publically, he was a very vehement proponent of climate change, but there was a dark secret hiding behind that facade. Namely, as it turned out, Goff was actually a butterfly, i.e., he was controlled by the butterflies, who successfully mimicked human behavior through him. This is why he was ultimately targeted by Task Force X.
What is his role in the Peacemaker series?
The senator’s role in the story is quite… specific. Namely, he was an influential politician in the Senate and an advocate for climate change, but it turned out that there was a very sinister story behind him. Namely, senator Royland Goff was one of the best examples of how dangerous the butterflies could be. Namely, the butterflies infiltrate human minds and then mimic human behavior. Senator Goff seemed to be his usual self, but he was, in fact, a butterfly.
This is why Amanda Waller targeted him and, sadly, his whole family, as it turned out that his wife and two children had also been possessed by the butterflies. Senator Goff was nicknamed Papa Bear, his wife Mama Bear, while the children were given the nicknames Billy and Susan Bear. When Peacemaker and his “side-kick” Vigilante are sent to eliminate the Goffs, Vigilante manages to kill the wife and the children, while Senator Goff is saved by his bodyguard – Judomaster.
Judomaster manages to capture both Peacemaker and Vigilante, holding them captive, while Goff is still alive. Still, the two heroes manage to get free from their captivity, face off against their enemies, and ultimately kill senator Goff. The Senator’s butterfly was kept alive, which turned out to be a mistake, as it caused more trouble for the heroes, but that is a completely different topic.
What is Project Butterfly?
Now, to explain the importance of Project Butterfly. We know that Annie Sturphausen was the first Butterfly that Peacemaker eliminates in the course of the series. Still, at that point, the whole Project was still being kept secret and Waller actually refused to reveal to Smith what was behind the whole concept.
Now, as the story progresses, the true meaning behind Project Butterfly is revealed – the Butterflies are actually parasitic creatures, probably of alien origin, which infiltrate the head of a person and then control their mind. Later scenes reveal that the Butterfly network is spread around the world, but this is where the source dries up.
We actually don’t know the ultimate goal of the Butterflies, nor the person behind the whole project. The whole nature of the Butterflies still raises more questions than it gives answers.
We do know that, as it seems, the Butterflies aren’t based on anything we’ve seen in the comic books. There might be something behind the whole concept that resembles the whole project, but there is no direct correlation between anything we’ve seen in the comics and Project Butterfly as it has been presented so far.
As for the Butterflies, they themselves seem to be relatively weak and probably have no special powers outside of a host body, meaning that they’re basically insects. The creature itself, though, can seemingly withstand a fair amount of damage while inside a host, as witnessed by the one found in the head of Senator Goff, but they still can be killed.
When a Butterfly possesses a person, that person seems to get powers similar to those of a metahuman. However, this comes at a high price, as the Butterfly seems to take over their mind completely and presumably causes long-term damage to their bodies as it grows inside them like a parasite.
This is everything we know about Project Butterfly so far but we’re certain that more information about the whole Project will be revealed by the end of the series.
Who played Royland Goff in Peacemaker?
Royland Goff was played by Canadian actor Antonio Cupo. Born in Vancouver on January 10, 1978 into a family of Italian emigrants who arrived in Canada in 1968, Antonio Cupo is the youngest of the three children of Manlio (from Palomonte) and Lucia (born in Barletta); the others are Sabato and Carmelina.
He holds a BA in English Literature from the University of British Columbia. He lives between Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Rome; he works for theater, cinema, and television. He alternates acting with music: he was the lead voice of the Hybrid Cartel musical group, he is a composer and plays various instruments. He plays various sports.
His first starring role was under the direction of Fabio Segatori in the film Hollywood Flies. Among his other works shot in the United States are Lizzie McGuire: From High School to Popstar, directed by Jim Fall, Taken, produced by Steven Spielberg, The L Word, and many others. In Italy he achieved success in 2005, playing the role of Officer Christian Gray / Prince Cristiano Caracciolo di Montesanto, the male protagonist in the second season of Elisa di Rivombrosa.
Subsequently, he starred, among other things, in the film, directed by Renzo Martinelli, Carnera – The Walking Mountain, where he plays the role of boxer Max Baer, in the sit-com My Doctors and in the films Barbarossa, directed by Renzo Martinelli, and Smile, directed by Francesco Gasperoni, both in theaters in 2009. Between 2009 and 2010 he was the protagonist, together with Roberta Lanfranchi, of the musical Cenerentola, directed by Massimo Romeo Piparo. In 2014 he is among the protagonists of the film Anita B.
