Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Peacemaker’s fifth episode. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet caught up on the show.
HBO Max has released the full, unedited version of John Cena’s epic rant from this week’s episode of Peacemaker. We’ve seen the former WWE star in a range of comedic roles before, but his very own DC TV series is proving that Cena has more innate comic talent than people have given him credit for. Case in point, this hilarious standout scene from episode five of the hit HBO Max show, which you can see via the video above, which was almost wholly improvised by Cena.
In episode five, “Monkey Dory,” Cena’s Chris Smith belatedly finds out that John Economos (Steve Agee) framed his dad, Auggie (Robert Patrick) for his own crimes and sent him to prison. Economos claims that he didn’t know who else to frame, causing Peacemaker to argue that he could’ve chosen literally anyone else on the planet, which leads him to reel off a long list of names. In this uncut version of the scene, Smith throws even more celebrities into the mix, both alive and dead, as well as random fictional characters.
Probably the funniest new additions are the namedrops of “Freddie Stroma” and “James Gunn” — i.e. Cena’s co-star who plays Vigilante and Peacemaker‘s creator. Economos’ confused reaction to this meta gag, crying “those last two aren’t even things!,” is perfect. Gunn must’ve thought this bit would have broken the fourth wall too much, though, so he and Stroma didn’t make it into the rant as aired.
Steve Agee has confirmed that the first few names in the rant were scripted, before Gunn encouraged Cena to let loose and name as many assorted people as he could. “I mean, we shot it for like 20 minutes of John just shouting random names – sports figures, celebrities, singers, politicians – and I would start to say something and he’s just like, ‘Let me finish!’” Agee recalled. “He just kept going and it was phenomenal.”
A brief additional clip from the scene is featured as the episode’s post-credits tag, but this video contains the full unbroken rant in all its glory. Don’t miss Peacemaker as it continues Thursdays on HBO Max.
