‘Peacemaker’: John Cena’s wholesome hug with Eagly looked very different on set

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Peacemaker episode seven.

One of the stand out stars of Peacemaker has been the computer generated imagery-crafted sidekick, Eagly, a somewhat uncreatively named pet bald eagle that belongs to John Cena’s Christopher Smith, AKA the titular antihero Peacemaker.

In a new interview, Cena breaks down just how much different it is to interact with Eagly on set versus what the audience sees as a finished product on screen.

Warning: from here on out, the article will contain spoilers for Peacemaker episode seven.

In episode seven of Peacemaker, Eagly has a close call after a battle ensues between Task Force X and Robert Patrick’s Auggie Smith, AKA the villainous White Dragon and his white supremacist minions. We aren’t sure if the little guy makes it, but after being treated at a veterinary clinic, the eagle wakes up and gives Peacemaker a hug.

In the latest episode of the Peacemaker companion podcast, Podly, Cena explained how very different the scene felt on-set, pre-CGI, versus the finished product.

“Being hugged by a bald eagle, when you see it in CGI, is pretty dope,” he said.

“[I]n my real world, that was a memory foam, bowling pin-shaped, gray object. So when I see that, I have a different experience. But I like seeing me getting hugged by an eagle.”

The penultimate episode of Peacemaker is available on HBO Max now with the season one finale coming to the streaming platform in one week.