John Cena Thought He’d Only Play Peacemaker Once In ‘The Suicide Squad’

They gave peace a chance!

John Cena Idris Elba Peacemaker Bloodsport The Suicide Squad James Gunn

John Cena expected The Suicide Squad to be the only time he’d play Peacemaker.

Ever since it was announced that wrestler John Cena would be joining the DC Extended Universe as part of James Gunn’s eclectic ensemble of The Suicide Squad, fans were particularly intrigued to see what he would bring to the superhero movie genre. In particular, when it was revealed that he would be playing the obscure Peacemaker character, described as a “douchey Captain America,” fans expected nothing short of pure comedy from him.

John Cena’s performance in The Suicide Squad was widely praised, with some hailing it as his best role to date, as a great showcase for not just his comedic chops and action movie star power, but also a surprising look into his dramatic range. Although the film’s third act made it appear as if he got killed off in a showdown against Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, the post-credits scene revealed that Peacemaker survived, leading into his own HBO Max original series.

The fact that he earned his own show caught John Cena by surprise. In fact, he expected James Gunn’s DCEU film to be the only time he’d play Peacemaker. While speaking with HBO Max’s official Podly: The Peacemaker Podcast, the actor reflected on his journey as the character, revealing his initial expectations:

“We saw a little bit of debut of a man who will keep peace at any cost in The Suicide Squad, and I guess James Gunn thought there was a story to be told around that ethos and around that character. I thought The Suicide Squad would be the last time we saw Peacemaker, but here he is in Peacemaker the series.” 

John Cena also revealed that he didn’t read any comics before or during production:

“I did not read any comics before, or during, production. Here is my why: because the very first thing I did when I got the job, I shook James Gunn’s hand and said, ‘Do you want me to get every comic or periodical or anything about Peacemaker and study up? He’s like, ‘No. The reason I’ve chosen Peacemaker is because many different artists have given different interpretations of Peacemaker. This is a great character, so it’s up to us to crack it.'”

Here is the synopsis for the HBO Max original series:

PEACEMAKER explores the continuing story of the character that John Cena reprises in the aftermath of executive producer James Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad – a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it!

The series was created by James Gunn, who wrote all the episodes and directed five of them. The first season of the HBO Max series will consist of eight episodes, with Brad Anderson, Jody Hill, and Rosemary Rodriguez also directing episodes. Clint Mansell and Kevin Kiner also composed the DC show’s score.

The HBO Max series stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick.

Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding the John Cena series and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: YouTube

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic