John Cena Shares the James Gunn Note That Completely Reset His PEACEMAKER Performance
John Cena is gearing up for his final WWE match this weekend, a big moment for fans before he steps fully into the next chapter of his Hollywood career.
With The Suicide Squad and HBO Max’s Peacemaker already cemented as standout entries on his résumé, he’s reflecting on the moment filmmaker James Gunn shifted everything about how he approached Christopher Smith.
When Cena first appeared as the helmeted vigilante in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, while I initially didn’t really care for the Peacemaker, some audiences connected with this unfiltered, wildly committed character. Cena had done strong work before, but his turn as Smith showcased something new.
That momentum carried into Peacemaker, where Season 1 and the recently wrapped Season 2 delivered some of his most entertaining and emotionally layered performances.
But according to Cena, the version of Peacemaker we know almost became something totally different.
In a new conversation with Entertainment Weekly for the outlet’s 2025 Entertainers of the Year spotlight, Cena explained how a single piece of direction from Gunn changed everything.
Before shooting began, he imagined Chris as “a very angular, more drill sergeant, regimented, by-the-book military man.” Gunn had something else in mind.
Cena recalled, "Easiest anecdote is the first day of shooting as Peacemaker. In meeting James for the role, he wanted to do a brief character check to see if I was what he thought people said I was.
“And I passed, but between the time I got the job and my first day on set, I tried to over-prepare to have an idea of what the character is, to make sure my lines are memorized, to get as fluent as I can with the product that I want to produce."
Things didn’t click right away. "We did a few takes, and James just didn't like what I was doing. I try to move through space and be as coachable as I can. I'm not perfect, and sometimes that's difficult."
That’s when Gunn stepped in front of everyone and gave him the adjustment that instantly redefined the character.
"He stopped, came over to all of us. In front of everybody, he said, 'Don't do this. Just be a douchey, bro-y Captain America.' That's an easy note for me to take. The difficult part about a simple note was, I had to abandon all the prep work. I just did it, and I think that's a great description of how much faith and trust I have in James."
And just like that, the Peacemaker fans love was born. "That's where Peacemaker was born. Peacemaker would've been a very angular, more drill sergeant, regimented, by-the-book military man if it wasn't for James Gunn."
The character remains a key part of Gunn’s expanding DCU plans. While Peacemaker Season 3 isn’t currently on the schedule, Cena is expected to return as Chris Smith in Gunn’s upcoming Man of Tomorrow movie, keeping the character firmly in the mix as this new era of DC storytelling unfolds.
For now, Cena steps into the ring one last time this weekend, but it’s clear his future as Peacemaker is far from finished.