John Cena stars in the HBO Max series Peacemaker, a “spiritual sequel” to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. In the Peacemaker series, John Cena plays Christopher Smith, a vigilante who goes by the name Peacemaker and will stop at nothing- not even murder- to achieve his goal of total peace. The series picks up with Peacemaker being released from the hospital after having been shot by Bloodsport at the end of The Suicide Squad. Assuming he’s free and no longer being tracked by A.R.G.U.S., he goes home to try to restart his life, only to be pulled back in by an A.R.G.U.S. team working on something called Project Butterfly.
Cena, who got his start as a WWE wrestling superstar, said that, prior to being cast in The Suicide Squad, he auditioned for several other DC and Marvel projects. In an interview with Josh Horowitz for the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Cena revealed that he auditioned for Cable in Deadpool 2, and for Shazam; roles that ultimately went to Josh Brolin and Zachary Levi. Despite the many rejections, Cena continued to audition for superhero roles until he eventually got cast for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, a soft reboot of the 2016 Suicide Squad movie. The HBO Max series is a raunchy, raucous action-comedy, which, in true James Gunn fashion, doesn't shy away from the weirdest parts of DC comics canon.
Even though the idea to have John Cena play various superheroes has been floating around the internet in fan casts for a while, it’s probably a good thing that Cena didn’t get cast in any of those previous DC or Marvel roles. Working with James Gunn and playing a less well-known character like Peacemaker allows Cena to develop the character a lot more than if he had played a fan favorite. While Cena would have probably given great performances as Cable or Shazam, Peacemaker is a character that he can truly make his own. Getting turned down for Cable, which he wasn't exactly right for, also leaves Cena open to the possibility of being cast in a Marvel role that he would be better suited for down the line.
Peacemaker as a character works well with Cena's comedic acting prowess, as well as his action hero physique. His desire to be taken seriously as a superhero also aligns well with Cena's own journey to playing a superhero, which Cena and Gunn can use to add self-deprecating humor to the character. Peacemaker benefits from the James Gunn treatment, as a deadly vigilante who will kill anyone who even remotely stands in the way of his idea of peace, with the over-the-top look and costume of a golden-age comic book character. Also, Cena's background in wrestling provides him with the perfect background for a character like Peacemaker, who, despite his desire to be a good guy, teeters on the line between hero and villain.
Most interestingly, getting rejected for previous Marvel roles leaves Cena open to play other characters in the MCU. While it's not completely unheard-of for Marvel to use an actor in two different roles in the same universe, like Gemma Chan being in Captain Marvel and Eternals, that usually only happens when one character is less important or isn't likely to be seen again. Or, as is the case for Cable actor Josh Brolin, the characters initially appear in two different film universes. However, with the MCU branching out into the multiverse in Phase 4, there's a good chance that a lot more iconic Marvel characters will be coming. Cena could get a chance to play characters he's much better suited for than Cable, such as the Fantastic 4's Ben Grimm, who Cena has expressed interest in playing.
Peacemaker is John Cena's chance to bring himself to a character. The HBO Max series gives Cena a chance to explore Peacemaker beyond the rigid vigilante that appeared in The Suicide Squad. By not being cast in previous superhero roles, the door is still open for Peacemaker to lead Cena to more exciting projects in the future.
