Of the various weirdos and anti-heroes who stuck out in The Suicide Squad, John Cena’s Peacemaker is the one Warner Bros. hoped would take off with audiences the most. Director James Gunn got a spinoff series for the character before the movie even released, and next weekend’s DC Fandome will give us our first full look at the big, buff anti-hero. But in the meantime, here’s a new video that digs into that toilet head-wearing killer.
Described by Gunn as “toxic masculinity at its most toxic” and “douchey Captain America who would shoot a kid” by Cena, the video won’t tell you anything new. If you watched The Suicide Squad, you know he wears tighty-whities, petulantly argues with Idris Elba’s Bloodspot about who’s the better shot, and likes killing people. At the same time, it’s interesting to see Cena openly discuss how messed up his character is. “He’s socially awkward…something as simple as the uniform hits on the head that this guy’s got validation problems,” Cena says. “This man genuinely thinks he’s a hero and wants his Peacemaker logo on everything.”
Though the video is mostly about how screwed up Peacemaker is, it also takes time to praise Cena’s chops as a comic actor. Gunn calls him the best improv he’s worked with, and David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man) called Cena’s comedy talents his true superpower. As Steve Agee (King Shark) recalls, Cena found the time to teach himself piano while they were filming. He also had to learn how to slice people with a sword while wearing high heels, as one does. Gunn previously said that he felt like Peacemaker “had a lot to learn” after the events of the Suicide Squad film. He wouldn’t be the first not-quite good guy to turn over a new leaf, but given how odd and openly murderous he was in the movie, his handlers may have their work cut out for them.
Peacemaker comes to HBO Max in January 2022.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.