John Cena isn’t worried about when—or even if—he gets to play Peacemaker again. As far as he’s concerned, the decision belongs to James Gunn, and whenever the call comes, he’ll be ready.
Speaking on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Cena was asked whether he’d worn the Peacemaker helmet since fans last saw the character. He said he hasn’t, but made it clear he’d happily suit up again whenever Gunn wants him to.
“No. And when I put that helmet on, I told James, I’m like, ‘Dude, I will put this helmet on as long as you need me to.’ I love working with him. I love the environment he creates. He makes me a better performer, so I love being around him.”
Cena also acknowledged that Gunn’s role at DC Studios has changed dramatically. Instead of focusing on a handful of characters like he did with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, he’s now responsible for building an entire cinematic universe. Because of that, Cena completely understands why bigger DC names are taking priority.
“I also know that he went from, like, he did Guardians, had a steep hill to climb. He got invited to DC. He had one crew to mess around with, The Suicide Squad. And then COVID hit, and he was really bored, so he wrote Peacemaker. Now this dude gets to play with a whole box of toys. And because you get the whole box of toys, you have to address the really valuable ones first. And I understand that. So here’s a situation where I put my heart and soul into a character, and an unknown character becomes a fan favorite. I also know that it’s okay. I gotta step back.”
When Josh Horowitz pointed out that characters like Superman and Batman naturally come first, Cena didn’t disagree. In fact, he admitted he’d probably make the same decision if he were running DC himself.
“Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, dog. There’s so many valuable IPs. I’m not in the leadership spot, but if I was, I’d be making those plays first. So that’s okay.”
Even so, Cena believes a little unfinished business isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He compared it to his retirement from professional wrestling, saying fans wanting to see more of a character is a compliment, not something to be frustrated about.
“There should always feel like unfinished business. I’ve retired from wrestling, but people are like, ‘Man, but you can come back,’ and, like, you know what I’m saying? That’s all that is to me, is a message that, like, ‘Dude, you did good work.'”
Rather than spend time wondering about things he can’t control, Cena said he’d rather focus on doing good work wherever the next opportunity comes from. Whether that’s another season of Peacemaker or an entirely different project, he’s happy to let the future sort itself out.
“You did good work, and I’d like to see you again. Nobody’s saying, ‘Good fucking riddance, Peacemaker.’ There might be some folks, but I’ve heard more of the other sentiment than the sentiment I just expressed. I just, rather than, ‘Oh man, but what if we…’ I have no control over the ‘what if we.’ I did good work. Hopefully, it might get me a good opportunity elsewhere. ‘We’d like you to do Matchbox.’ Okay, let’s go. You know what I mean?”
For now, Cena isn’t putting any pressure on Gunn or DC Studios. If Peacemaker returns, he’ll be ready to put the helmet back on—but until then, he’s perfectly happy letting Gunn tell the stories he thinks need to be told first.
Would you like to see John Cena return as Peacemaker in James Gunn’s DC Universe? Let us know in the comments below.
