John Cena Talks About Those Big Peacemaker Cameos In The Season 1 Finale
James Gunn's "Peacemaker" has an incredible cast. After getting a taste in "The Suicide Squad," John Cena's endless charisma and pitch-perfect comedic timing takes center stage in the eight-episode HBO Max series. When you add co-stars like Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Freddie Stroma to the mix, everything gets taken to the next level. Not just the comedy — the action, the emotional connections, and the stakes all go as hard as the incredible soundtrack assembled by Gunn himself.
While things are already turned up to eleven in this show, the filmmaker managed to throw in some wild surprises to keep the viewers on their toes. Throughout the season, he sprinkled in some obscure name drops and a few outrageous jokes about established the heroes of the DCEU. We even get an appearance by "The Wall" Amanda Waller. But things pay off in a big way when the Justice League actually show up in the season finale, and the magnitude of these cameos isn't lost on the man behind the shiny metal helmet.
Started from the bottom
While speaking to Fandom.com, John Cena shared just how much it means to have the main-eventers mix it up with the mid-carders on their way to the top. First, he looks at it from a character point of view. The Justice League cameo in the episode titled "It's Cow or Never" revealed just as much about Peacemaker as the flashbacks to his past or the tender moments he shared with his BFFs. In a way, the legendary team's involvement in this story is the punchline to a bit that was set up over the course of the whole season.
"It was incredible for many reasons. I think the most important thing is what all the participants did for our show. Peacemaker is a jealous superhero. Well, I don't know if he's even a superhero, but he's jealous. He's jealous of the other superheroes because of what they have. And he wants that and he doesn't have it. So he has to bad mouth everybody... Calling The Flash a d-bag, weaving his jokes about Aquaman in there, and talking about Wonder Woman's desire for him. Everything he says is just indicative of how insecure he is. He wants to be where they are."
Now we're here
As a member of Task Force X, Christopher Smith wasn't on the radar of many DC Comics fans until he popped up on the big screen. Though he crossed paths with bigger names like Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, and Starro the Conquerer, it's not like he was on the same level as Batman or Superman, right? Well, now it's a whole different story. Thanks to the cameos from "Justice League" stars Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa as the Flash and Aquaman, "Peacemaker" proved that their titular hero was just as big and bad as the big names. And Cena is very appreciative that his fellow DCEU stars took the time to do that for their show.
"I'm forever grateful [to Momoa and Miller], because they did us a huge solid by doing that. And they were able to put themselves in the limelight and get everybody talking, but they do so in a way where the joke's not on them. And they did it for the good of our show. Whether that was their intention or not, it really, really, really, really helped us, especially after eight episodes of people being excited about the show, to put a stamp on it. It lets everybody know that there's a new player in the DC Universe and that this is what's going on. 'These folks are now on an equal playing field, wow!' That's my takeaway from that. I think that was a very important moment for us. And of course, it gives everybody a whole lot of stuff to talk about and James Gunn is really good about making people talk about stuff! So mission accomplished in that regard."
By getting the rub from these bigger names, I hope that Peacemaker continues to be a major player in the DCEU going forward. We're already going to see him again whenever the second season of his show rolls around on HBO Max, but maybe he can make some cameos in other shows or movies in between. It probably wouldn't make sense for him to show his face in "The Batman" or any of the projects related to Matt Reeves' upcoming Dark Knight film, but maybe he could have a place alongside Shazam or the Flash down the line. What if he catches up with his old foe Kite Man on "Harley Quinn?" I'd certainly be onboard for that. No matter where and when we see him again, one thing is for sure though: Wherever Peacemaker pops up next, it will be a big deal because he's a top guy these days thanks to John Cena, James Gunn, and the whole "Peacemaker" crew.