John Cena shows off comedic chops in extended teaser for Peacemaker series

John Cena’s Peacemaker was among the standout characters in The Suicide Squad‘s star-studded ensemble cast, so we were intrigued by the news that a spinoff series about Peacemaker was in the works. We knew that Peacemaker was being written and directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and that the series will explore the origins of the character and his subsequent missions. And now we have our first look, thanks to HBO Max, which released an extended teaser-trailer for the series during the DC FanDome event.

(A couple of spoilers for The Suicide Squad below.)

Gunn wrote the series last summer during the COVID-19 lockdown, just for fun, but then DC Films approached him about a possible spinoff series for one of the characters in The Suicide Squad. I’m not sure Peacemaker would have been my first choice—Cena’s performance was terrific, but I haven’t quite forgiven the character for the Very Bad Thing he did in that film. On the other hand, Gunn’s instincts are impeccable, and he clearly felt there was more story to tell.

“He’s not an evil person, he’s just a bad guy,” Gunn told Variety in August. “He seems sort of irredeemable in the film. But I think that there’s more to him. We didn’t get a chance to know him [in The Suicide Squad] in the way we get to know some of the other characters. And so that’s what the whole show is about.” HBO Max was sufficiently impressed with Gunn’s take that it ordered Peacemaker straight to series.

The eight-episode series is set after the events of The Suicide Squad, specifically after the post-credits scene, in which we learned that Peacemaker had survived what had appeared to be a fatal shooting. That scene hinted that the US government still had some use for him. The teaser makes that hint explicit, as Peacemaker (aka Christopher Smith) is recruited by Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) for another mission in order to avoid going back to prison.

That mission is even less noble than the one Peacemaker was assigned by Amanda Waller: he’s basically an assassin, but hey, at least he’s only killing bad people. He gets assistance from warden John Economos (Steve Agee) of the Belle Reve penitentiary, NSA agent and former Waller aide Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and new team member Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks). The cast also includes Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) as Peacemaker’s crusty father, who thinks his son is a “nancy-boy”; Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase (aka Vigilante), a district attorney who fights crime and has rapid-healing abilities; and Nhut Le as Judomaster.

The teaser is heavy on the cheesy, off-color bro-humor. Shots include Peacemaker bending over to shoot at a target during practice, while Vigilantes fires at a bottle held at groin level. Then there’s the whole bizarre conversation about “butt babies.” But in Gunn’s capable hands, the irreverent, over-the-top tone is note-perfect—very much in line with the character and with the tone of The Suicide Squad (which I loved). And we already know Cena has a gift for physical comedy, shown to good advantage here. Honestly, we’ll be tuning in to just watch him dance in his apartment in his underwear before bonding with a bald eagle. (“Oh my god. He’s hugging me.”)

Peacemaker debuts on January 13, 2022, on HBO Max.

Listing image by YouTube/HBO Max