James Gunn Wants to See Peacemaker Fight Batman—John Cena’s Surprising Response

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In a recent episode of “Peacemaker,” scripted by James Gunn, John Cena’s character took aim at Batman from the DC Universe. During the episode titled “The Choad Less Traveled,” peace-keeping vigilante Christopher Smith almost got into a fight with a neighbor who criticized Peacemaker for not having a rogue’s gallery like Batman. In response, Peacemaker pointed out that his villains were already defeated, to which the neighbor retorted that his attitude made him more of a supervillain than a superhero. The neighbor also ridiculed Batman’s no-kill rule and called him a “candy-ass.

In the second season of “Peacemaker,” set within the latest DC Universe continuity, there are links to both “Creature Commandos” and James Gunn’s planned Superman film. This includes cameos from Justice League members Hawkgirl (played by Isabela Merced) and Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). Intriguingly, James Gunn has hinted that a confrontation between Peacemaker and Batman is now a possibility.

During a recent panel at CCXP Mexico 2025, John Cena shared that James Gunn expressed a desire to see him battle Batman. In response, Gunn stated, “And by the way, you’ll lose.

The WWE Champion expressed that he’s not bothered by the prospect of losing a fight. As a 17-time champion, he’s accustomed to the idea – after all, his title means he’s had to accept defeat 16 times before. Therefore, losing a fight is nothing new to him.

In the continuation of what Gunn referred to as the “Tighty Whities trilogy,” the upcoming season of the HBO Max series, which follows Peacemaker and his team (the 11th Street Kids consisting of Emilia Harcourt, John Economos, Leota Adebayo, and Vigilante), is set a few years after they thwarted the alien threat known as Butterflies in the finale of “Peacemaker.

In Season 2, Christopher Smith strives to earn respect within the metahuman society, much like Superman (David Corenswet) and a confirmed Batman character who’s already active in the DC Universe.

In summary, during a talk at CCXP, Gunn stated that Superman is an exceptional hero who takes risks, while Batman has personal issues but strives for righteousness. However, compared to Batman, Peacemaker from the series possesses even more internal struggles. In this season, it seems that the story delves deeper into Christopher Smith’s character rather than focusing on Peacemaker himself. Gunn does not necessarily view him as a hero.

When Gunn inquired whether Cena considered Peacemaker to be a hero, the actor responded by saying, “Peacemaker is a hero to me. He saved my life. In fact, you revived Peacemaker from the dead. To me, Peacemaker qualifies as a hero, and I can confidently assert that.

Gunn stated, ‘Initially, I intended for Peacemaker to be killed in The Suicide Squad. This was during the shootout between Smith’s character and Bloodsport (played by Idris Elba). However, I enjoyed working with John so much that I decided, ‘It’s just a superficial wound.’

Peacemaker season 2 premieres August 21 on HBO Max.

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2025-06-03 19:10