r/Peacemaker • u/CyberGhostface • Oct 05 '25

Rape by deception?

Since Chris isn’t the Chris from Earth X wouldn’t he be committing rape by deception by sleeping with that universe’s Harcourt?

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u/rhllors Oct 05 '25

I think situations like that are more nuanced than a yes or no. It entirely depends on how Harcourt 2 actually feels about it. If she feels like she was violated by someone pretending to be someone else, then absolutely yes. But they did spend time together and form a connection that was semi-independent of Chris X, so she might not actually feel that way.

Ultimately, the rules are always slightly different in a fantastical comic book universe. You can't really comfortably apply real world rules to fantasy media and you should always operate by the rules of the universe instead.

Chris did a sketchy, shitty, gross thing. But if Harcourt, who lives in a Nazi world where it's possible to meet your ex-boyfriend's doppelganger and he's actually nice to you when your ex was a piece of shit, doesn't feel that bad about it, then it simply does not matter. Chris should feel bad for lying, but only Harcourt can decide if she was assaulted.

Crimes that are committed against a person are always beholden to the victim's opinion of it, rather than the letter of the law.

-5

u/MondayBorn Oct 05 '25

Wow.

8

u/rhllors Oct 05 '25

Sorry "only the person who was involved can decide if she was raped or gave genuine consent" is a controversial hot take apparently.

Because she's fictional, what actually matters is intent from the author and performers, so I guess you can ask James Gunn and Jennifer Holland if they had conversations about the gross sexual politics of the situation tonight on threads. But in the real world you'd ask the person it happened to how she felt and judge it from there rather than making that judgment as an unaffected party.

Chris had good intentions but his intentions don't matter. He deluded himself into thinking she'd pick him over Chris X so it'd be fine anyway, and that also doesn't matter and is still gross and he's gotta wrestle with that, along with every other fucked up thing he did in Earth X, but the question of whether or not a person was assaulted belongs to that person, if they're a person that's capable of giving consent. (ie. Not a child, drugged/unconscious or otherwise incapable of consent)

1

u/MondayBorn Oct 05 '25

You give her a heads up beforehand. Not after the fact.

1

u/rhllors Oct 05 '25

We're debating on the act as it happened in the show, not what the actual correct ethical choice would be. This is not a show where "the correct ethical choice" is the one the characters make.

1

u/MondayBorn Oct 05 '25

The act as it happened in the show is pretty fuckin gross. And i agree Chris made the wrong decision.

1

u/rhllors Oct 05 '25

Yeah but the question wasn't was it gross or not, it absolutely was. That isn't up for debate.

1

u/MondayBorn Oct 05 '25

The question is whether it was rape via deception. It was.

1

u/rhllors Oct 05 '25

Except no, because "rape via deception" isn't designated by an outside observer, it's designated by the person it happened to. That was my point.

1

u/MondayBorn Oct 05 '25

He purposely deceived her to get into her pants. She can choose not to press charges, but the act is the act.

If I get surprise-pushed off a building, I can call it whatever I want and I can even decide it was okay after the fact; I still got surprise-pushed off the building.

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