Following his DC debut in August’s The Suicide Squad, John Cena is returning as Christopher Smith AKA Peacemaker in his very own self-titled TV series. James Gunn’s standalone Task Force X sequel ended with a promise that we’ll be seeing more of the ultra-violent vigilante and, as it turns out, we’ve got our first glimpse at his comeback sooner than expected. This Tuesday, HBO Max revealed our first look clip at Peacemaker, which you can see above.
While fans were prepared for a sneak peek to come from this month’s DC FanDome event, HBO Max surprised us today by releasing this minute-long clip as part of an event promoting the streaming platform’s incoming European launch. The clip features Cena in full costume as Peacemaker, complete with toilet-bowl helmet, much to the frustration of Amanda Waller’s aides, Emilia Harcourt and John Economos (Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee, who are also both returning from TSS).
The Suicide Squad‘s post-credits scene revealed that Peacemaker (somehow) survived his earlier altercation with Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, with Harcourt and co. visiting him in hospital and revealing they needed him to “save the f***ing world.” This clip appears to show the group preparing to brief Smith on his next mission, following his recovery, so we still don’t know what the actual plot is going to be about.
What this clip does promise is that Peacemaker will provide the usual snappy, snarky dialogue you would expect from something that James Gunn both wrote and directed. The filmmaker has previously revealed that Smith was supposed to die in the movie, but he implausibly resurrected him as he was fascinated by the anti-hero’s unique moral code: he’s dedicated to achieving peace, and he’ll kill as many people as it takes to get it.
Expect more to come from Peacemaker at DC FanDome on October 16th. Meanwhile, catch the eight-part series when it premieres on HBO Max in January 2022.
