John Cena’s transition from the WWE into one of the best comedic actors working today was certainly not what I expected. Yet, when I think about his early time in the WWE, he always knew how to be goofy and fun, and the way he leaned into his rapper persona would give Jared Leto a run for his money. Now that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has normalized this transition, Cena has taken it even further.
Returning to his character from James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad movie, Cena plays Christopher Smith, a.k.a. Peacemaker, a fascist who works for the government and believes in killing whoever it takes to achieve peace for America.
In a very Punisher-like way, it seems like the series is going to explore the limits of that cause. During one sequence, he is ordered to kill a group of people, including children, and hesitates. Despite bragging about killing whoever, it does take an especially dark person to be okay gunning down kids.
Since this is a James Gunn production, no doubt all of this will be a good blend of violence, humor, and pathos, especially when it comes to the tension between Smith and his father. Love daddy issues.
Of the supporting cast, I’m most looking forward to Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo. Gunn has said that she is going to be the “co-lead” of the series, and I’m ready to see her kick ass and maybe kiss John Cena. I ship it.
More than anything, as a DC fan, I’m excited to see that their onscreen universe seems to be hitting some sort of stride with its projects. Gunn was a good resource to grab, and since they are fine with R-rated films and entertainment, they certainly have a great place to put that material. Now if only they could find a way to get the quality budget over to Titans so they can finally put my girl in a wig that will allow her to be free—that would be perfect.
See you in January, Peacemaker. Eat peace, mother—
(image: HBO Max)
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