SAN DIEGO – John Cena is known to dress up for any occasion. (His 2024 Oscars birthday suit, anyone?) He digs wearing his Peacemaker uniform anywhere and everywhere he can, so of course he’s going to show out, helmet and all, at Comic-Con.
“This is where we’re supposed to do this,” Cena said on Saturday, July 26, during a Season 2 panel for his DC action-comedy series at the pop-culture festival. “I had to borrow this again. This one is not mine. This is a rental.” From the Hall H stage, Cena quipped he was also game for a night out with all the folks in Peacemaker cosplay. “There’s not enough hot sauce in this city to contain us.”
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“Peacemaker” (streaming Aug. 21 on HBO Max) continues to expand James Gunn’s revamped DC universe, and in the filmmaker’s first outing since “Superman” became such a hit, Cena and the crowd gave Gunn a standing ovation. He also debuted the new “Peacemaker” trailer, where Chris Smith (Cena) finds an inter-dimensional portal to a parallel Earth in his house and decides it’s better there since Peacemaker’s a hero rather than an outcast.
Peacemaker “is going through a rough patch in life and thinks the grass might be greener on the other side,” Cena said. “That’s something people can relate to.”
Gunn, who calls “Peacemaker” his “favorite thing in the world,” said he likes when characters on TV shows “just don’t return the same every season. There’s growth and there’s regressions after Peacemaker’s uncovered his demons in Season 1, and “the world is not accepting him the way he is.”
James Gunn on how ‘Peacemaker’ ties in: ‘We’re definitely a part of the DCU now’
The first episode back of “Peacemaker” takes place a month after the events of “Superman” and also features cameos from Justice Gang members Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), plus their billionaire backer Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn). “But there’s a lot more as we go down the line,” James Gunn said. “We’re definitely a part of the DCU now.”
Frank Grillo reprises his “Superman” supporting role as Rick Flag Sr., a major new antagonist in the series who seeks revenge on Peacemaker for killing his son. (See: “The Suicide Squad.”) As the new head of A.R.G.U.S. – a federal agency that deals with metahumans – Flag “is now in a position to finally get his hands on Peacemaker,” Grillo said.
Grillo is big on action roles, not as much with dancing. But he and the rest of the cast are a part of the new season’s epic opening-credits musical number. That was a hit with fans the first time around, and Gunn promises a new song, personalities and moves. Jennifer Holland, who plays Emilia Harcourt, got to do the lift from “Dirty Dancing” and “it was amazing,” she said.
“When I showed up, people thought it’d be funny to plant my face on T-shirts from when I was on a soap opera,” Grillo grumbled. “Dancing was something I very reluctantly did but turned into me being the best dancer on stage.”
Gunn teased that Season 2 is more extreme than the first and is definitely not for kids – there’s a very sexual situation in the first episode that made actor Steve Agee (who plays John Economos) think “it’s insane we’re showing it on cable.” And Cena gave a shout-out to his new Peace cycle that he gets to ride. “It’s a lumbering piece of machinery,” Cena said. “It’s got torpedoes, speakers and a cool paint job.”
One interesting tidbit that Cena revealed: Gunn “hates” the “You can’t see me” jokes, a byproduct of Cena’s long pro wrestling career. “I love them. Nobody is next to James Gunn, it’s just a floating helmet!” Cena said, holding his headwear beside Gunn as the director laughed. “He’s so frustrated.”
Gunn gushed over his “Peacemaker” star. “For one of the most famous people in the world, he has no ego,” the director said of Cena. “He gets very silly when he’s on stage, but the truth is, John Cena turns in an amazing performance this season. I couldn’t believe what he was capable of and how much he’s grown as an actor in two years. It’s really something to see.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Peacemaker’ John Cena wore his DC supersuit for Comic-Con panel
