John Cena didn’t think he’d play Peacemaker again after The Suicide Squad, but James Gunn had more story to tell about the DC character.

Actor John Cena didn’t think he’d play the part of Peacemaker again after The Suicide Squad. Cena played Peacemaker/Christopher Smith in the film, which introduced audiences to the character for the first time in live-action form. Peacemaker was created in 1966 for Charleston Comics, before being acquired by DC and appearing under their logo starting in 1988. The character has appeared across multiple titles since then, but remained relatively obscure until James Gunn used him for last year’s The Suicide Squad, with Cena bringing him to life.

During the shutdown of The Suicide Squad due to the pandemic, Gunn took to writing the Peacemaker series, initially as just something “mostly for fun.” However, Gunn was asked by HBO Max if he had any ideas for spinoffs after completing The Suicide Squad, and he chose Peacemaker. Gunn wrote all eight episodes of the show and directed the first five. Peacemaker has been a tremendous success for the streamer thus far, becoming the biggest streaming series in the world, being 69.5 times more in demand than the average series.

While talking to Podly: The Peacemaker Podcast, Cena confessed that he didn’t think he’d ever play Peacemaker again after The Suicide Squad. The actor thought the film would close out his chapter, but Gunn had other plans with “a story to be told around [Peacemaker’s] ethos,” and Cena found himself back in the uniform (and tighty-whities). At the end of The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker is shot in the neck by Bloodsport and appears to be dead, but a post-credits scene reveals him to be in the hospital and very much alive, serving as a prelude to the Peacemaker show.

Cena began his career as a wrestler for the WWE, gaining massive popularity, leading Wrestlemania five times, winning the WWE Championship fifteen times in his career, a record for the titles. He transitioned to acting in 2006 with The Marine, while still maintaining his presence as a wrestler. In 2015, he starred in Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, showing off his comedic talents, which led to a string of roles, including Daddy’s Home, Blockers, and Sisters. This paved the way for much bigger roles for the actor, including F9 and Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, as well as the Peacemaker series. He is also set to appear in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle later this year with Henry Cavill.

With the massive success of Peacemaker on HBO Max, there has been a lot of speculation on whether there would be a second season of the series or if Gunn would pursue a different DC property altogether to continue with. Gunn has already said that he has a second DC spinoff in development, although he has yet to reveal what that will be. However, Gunn has also said that there is a very good chance that Peacemaker gets picked up for a second season, citing the popularity of it with audiences around the world.

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