Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Peacemaker.
Peacemaker writer/director James Gunn reveals which scene in the DCEU season 1 finale made John Cena break out in tears off camera. Peacemaker’s season 1 finale, which Gunn didn’t release to critics (to hide those Justice League cameos), was released on HBO Max Thursday. In “It’s Cow or Never,” Peacemaker and the team assault the barn where the butterflies are keeping their “cow”/food source and attempt to kill it before the aliens can teleport it to safety. Not only does ARGUS succeed in its mission but Peacemaker rejects Goth’s seemingly altruistic offer, choosing his friends over the extraterrestrials and their authoritative “peace.” Peacemaker episode 8 succeeds in being a satisfying finale packed with humor and heart.
In the latter half of the Peacemaker finale, Harcourt is shot several times before almost being infiltrated by a butterfly. Thankfully, she’s saved by Danielle Brooks’ Leota Adebayo. Just as Aquaman's Jason Momoa and The Flash's Ezra Miller show up, Peacemaker carries Harcourt off the battlefield and takes her to the hospital. For a moment, it isn’t clear that Harcourt made it out alive. After spending weeks in the hospital, however, she wakes up and learns that Peacemaker has been by her side every day.
During a Twitter watch party for Peacemaker’s finale, Gunn revealed that filming one of the episode's most emotional scenes made Cena cry, even though audiences couldn't see him. The scene in question is the one in which Peacemaker visit Holland’s Emilia Harcourt in the hospital. Gunn says Cena "broke out in tears" when he took actress Jennifer Holland's hand. Check out the tweet below:
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When Harcourt takes Christopher Smith’s hand, it seemingly puts the cherry atop the sundae that is their character arc throughout Peacemaker season 1. The pair didn't start off on good terms, giving this particular scene plenty of emotional pay-off. As Gunn points out, Peacemaker is present for "probably the most vulnerable moment in Harcourt's life." Presumably, Peacemaker and Harcourt's eventual connection is what made Cena crumble behind the camera, along with plenty of viewers.
If Gunn and, in turn, Peacemaker, have proven anything, it’s that the former WWE superstar can truly act. Like The Suicide Squad and Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy before it, Peacemaker is a soulful and hilarious take on the action/superhero genre. Clearly, Cena and company believed in the material enough to produce genuine emotions both on and off camera. Cena’s “douchey Captain America” is the DCEU's best-reviewed project since its conception in 2013. Ahead of its finale, it was confirmed Peacemaker has been renewed for a season 2, so this scene with Harcourt is by no means the last time that Cena may find himself overcome with emotions off-camera.
Source: James Gunn/Twitter
