One of 2021’s most pleasant surprises was The Suicide Squad. In that film, we got to see some of our favorite DC villains turned pseudo-heroes in a new light. While the film performed well, it certainly proved more time with these characters would be well received. That said, we’re getting the Peacemaker spinoff that many fans of James Gunn and John Cena’s complicated character desire. Believe it or not, the show’s debut is drawing closer and closer than you might believe. If you’re looking forward to checking out the Peacemaker series, then here’s what you need to know, from the cast to the HBO Max release date, we’ve got you covered!
What is the Peacemaker HBO Max Release Date?
Image Credit: DC & HBO Max
John Cena is set to start in the Peacemaker HBO Max series starting on January 13. The show will stream on HBO Max, the same place you might have watched The Suicide Squad this summer. The series is an HBO Max Original and set to run for 8 episodes. Like other HBO Max Original series, we expect episodes to release weekly. There’s a chance they might all drop at once, but HBO has yet to confirm the release schedule.
If you’re excited to see more of John Cena as Peacemaker, then you’re definitely in luck. The series stars the WWE icon as well as five other characters in an ensemble cast of sorts. Amanda Waller’s co-workers Jennifer Holland, played by Emilia Harcourt, and John Economos, played by Steve Agee, return. Other main characters include Leota Adebayo, played by Danielle Brooks, Vigilante, played by Freddie Stroma, and Clemson Murn, played by Chukwudi Iwuji.
James Gunn says those six characters all play parts to a whole of what the series plans to feature in terms of an original DC story. It’s exciting to know that we’ll see more of them so soon. What we saw in the DC FanDome trailer certainly piqued our interest enough to stream the series on day one.
What We Learned from the Peacemaker Trailer
Image Credit: DC & HBO Max
The Peacemaker trailer at DC Fandome showed off that beloved James Gunn sense of humor and violence. The director is certainly an expert in this blended style of action and comedy, and the DCEU could use it. Many other DCEU projects failed to resonate with me because they tried to be too gritty. Gunn, instead, allows the titular anti-hero and his ensemble cast to be silly, terrifying, monstrous, and even endearing.
Executive producers Peter Safran and Matt Miller described the show at FanDome “like The Office, but as a superhero show… but with more people getting shot in the face.” Sign us up for that bit of chaos. Other than a few of the main characters, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the series. Expanding on the trailer’s limited footage to Variety, Gunn expressed that “through the story, you learn where Peacemaker came from.” It’s not the typical origin story, however, nor is it a full-blown sequel to the events of The Suicide Squad. Given the history of what this character offered readers of the comics, there’s a lot to explore. I have no doubt the John Cena Peacemaker experience will be every bit as entertaining as we hope.
A Brief Background on the Suicide Squad Veteran
Image Credit: DC & HBO Max
Our first encounter with Peacemaker came during The Suicide Squad, but the character is anything but new. The DC hero Peacemaker is played by John Cena but first arrived in comics with the release of 1966’s Fightin’ 5 #40. If you’re curious about the history of the character, then definitely check out our guide, “Who Is Peacemaker?”
The interesting thing about John Cena as Peacemaker is that he’s not a straightforward hero. In The Suicide Squad, we see the difficulty in the hero’s morals as they play out in convoluted events. For example, Peacemaker’s rock-solid beliefs in peace don’t always eliminate the need for violence. As his HBO Max Peacemaker synopsis reads, he “believes in peace at any cost – no matter how many men, women, and children he has to kill to get it.”
Do his extreme measures mean he’s a hero or a villain? It’s up to the viewer to decide. James Gunn, director of The Suicide Squad and executive producer of the Peacemaker HBO Max series has his opinion. Gunn sees it as a gray area rather than black or white status.
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1412069039245991939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1412069039245991939%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenrant.com%2Fsuicide-squad-2-peacemaker-hero-villain-james-gunn-response%2F
We’ll all get a chance to see more of Peacemaker’s complicated path to peace quite soon! For now, if you need a little time with the character in the comic books, HBO Max and DC recommend a few issues of Paul Kupperberg and Tod Smith’s Peacemaker run from the late 1980s. That includes Peacemaker #1-#4, a few issues that certainly give you an idea of the source material. Overall, the HBO Max series will give us the best idea of what the character means to the DCEU.
The release date for Peacemaker on HBO Max is January 13, 2022!
Image Credit: DC & HBO Max
If you’re excited like we are about the Peacemaker HBO Max series, then you’re in luck! You can check out this upcoming DC series on the HBO Max streaming platform on January 13. While you wait for the debut, let us know what you think of John Cena’s portrayal of Peacemaker. In short, tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to the show or skipping it.
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Featured Image Credit: HBO Max