John Cena reveals a major rule that James Gunn broke with Peacemaker

Peacemaker Season 2 premiered on HBO Max with its very first episode, and while fans and viewers are enjoying the revamped DCU and the John Cena-starrer series' place in it, the actor looks back on his career and how getting cast as Christopher Smith was a long journey for him.

John Cena reveals how James Gunn, the co-CEO of the DC Studios, broke one very big role in his cinematic universe to ensure that Cena was a part of the franchise with his anti-hero at the center stage.

Keep reading to find out what this rule was and why Cena's performance convinced Gunn to break it.

James Gunn changed his course on Peacemaker and DC Studios for John Cena

When The Suicide Squad premiered in 2021, it was a shock for most fans to witness the WWE star John Cena cast as the controversial hero, Peacemaker. It was even more shocking when John Cena's Christopher Smith was shot in the neck by Bloodsport. Everyone thought Cena's first appearance in the DC Universe would also be his last.

This assumption came from James Gunn's steadfast rule of never bringing back any character who had died, by any means. However, when the post-credit scenes rolled around for the movie, it was revealed that John Cena's Peacemaker was still alive and had survived what would otherwise be a fatal injury.

This twist was out of character for James Gunn, but his decision to keep Christopher Smith alive led to the first season of the hero's feature series, and four years after his original appearance, the anti-hero has stuck around through the revamp of the studio, making way for the second season.

John Cena, in a recent conversation, revealed that he was the "desperate last pick" for Christopher Smith's role in Peacemaker. According to Cena, being the desperate last pick is not a position he was new to, as he had a similar position when he started out in WWE. However, being in this position also gave him the chance to start at the bottom and, through his hard work, dedication, and talent, work to the top. He would inch slowly, but he would make it.

"I was not James Gunn’s first pick and I like that. I like being the desperate last pick. I don’t like being anybody’s favorite. I was never first pick in the WWE. I had a great run and there was a point where if Cena wins we riot, but gosh I took ten years to inch towards, and I was never out of the chute being like, ‘Ah, you’re the guy.’ I always had to earn it."

Cena wasn't Gunn's first choice as the character, and not even his second. But even after John was cast as Christopher in The Suicide Squad, he was killed off in the movie. He revealed that Gunn had so much fun working with Cena that he decided to break his rule and bring Cena back in the post-credit scene.

"James didn’t have me in mind at first. And then he killed me in The Suicide Squad. And we had so much fun making that movie, he broke his rule of never bring back someone you killed. So, for someone to expect very little out of me and choose me last, and for me to make such an impression on such a brilliant creative mind that he breaks a cardinal rule that he has, and for us to go on to do good work together and develop a great friendship, man, that’s one hell of a day at the office."

At the end of the day, we should all be glad that Cena managed to convince Gunn to change course, leading to the Peacemaker series, because there sure isn't anybody like Chris.

New episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 premiere on HBO Max every Thursday!

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