‘Peacemaker’: John Cena Says DC Cameos Gave His Character ‘a Certain Validity’
Peacemaker Season 1 just came to an end, solidifying its place in the DC Extended Universe with some major cameos during its finale. According to series star John Cena, those appearances — and his character’s response — gave Peacemaker a sense of validation.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 8, “It’s Cow or Never.”]
‘Peacemaker’ Episode 8 features major DC cameos
Peacemaker Episode 8 finally brings in the Justice League, a hilarious development after seven episodes of Christopher Smith (John Cena) insulting all of the DC heroes.
Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) get put in the spotlight, with silhouettes of Wonder Woman and Superman appearing off to the side. But the group doesn’t get a grand, heroic entrance. In fact, Cena’s character and his friends chastise them for being late. Then Christopher tells Momoa’s hero to “go f*** another fish.”
The moment is played for kicks. However, it also reaffirms Christopher’s views of the Justice League. According to Cena, the show’s lead gets “validity” from their appearance.
John Cena says Justice League cameos gave Peacemaker ‘validity’
Peacemaker star John Cena spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the finale’s big DC cameos. And he seems as happy with them as the fans are.
Discussing the moment his character tells off the Justice League, the actor admitted it gave Christopher a sense of validation. For one, the Justice League showing up at all proves Peacemaker and his companions are on their radar. The group also managed to stabilize the Butterfly threat without their help.
“I just remember the evening that we filmed that moment and knowing that it gave a certain validity to Peacemaker,” he told EW. “I felt very proud of that moment.”
Cena also expressed gratitude to everyone who made the cameos happen, from director and writer James Gunn to the actors who agreed to shoot the scene:
“I thought it was a big gamble by James, but he gambles big a lot, and I’m really glad it paid off. I’m really thankful for everyone, knowing they didn’t have to be involved. I haven’t had a chance to meet everybody involved and thank them in person but I’m so very grateful for us to be able to capture that moment, because that [lifted] Peacemaker up quite substantially in the superhero hierarchy.”
Christopher moving up “the superhero hierarchy” raises interesting questions about his future in the DCEU. What will Cena’s dubious hero do next?
Where will the John Cena-led DC series go next?
John Cena’s Peacemaker may have put himself on the Justice League’s radar — and proved himself a hero in his own right — but what’s next for the DC character?
Peacemaker has already been confirmed for season 2. That means fans will definitely see Christopher Smith again. However, with Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) actions exposed and the Butterfly threat seemingly handled, it’s hard to say what he’ll be up to.
The end of the finale suggests Christopher still needs to deal with the fallout of killing his father. Whether he’s still in the business of protecting peace also remains a question. His newfound friends may find a way to drag him into more missions — especially if Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) takes over her mother’s caseload.
During a conversation with Variety, Peacemaker writer and director James Gunn admitted to “still playing with a lot of things” when it comes to season 2. Fans will have to wait to see where the next outing takes his latest slate of characters.
All episodes of DC’s Peacemaker are currently streaming on HBO Max.
