Wrestlers have dominated the big screen over the last decade, particularly in superhero films where their physicality can be put to use. Dave Bautista starred in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson led Black Adam. As their film careers have exploded, there’s one wrestler who dominates the small screen instead.
John Cena first starred as D-list DC antihero Peacemaker (A.K.A. Christopher Smith) in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in 2021. On paper, Chris is one of The Suicide Squad’s most arrogant characters. But while Cena is relegated to comedic relief for the majority of the film, he eventually comes out swinging as a dramatic force when Chris kills Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), a member of his team who was attempting to expose a government coverup.
Rick’s murder at Chris’ hands becomes one of the emotional crutches of the film’s final act, and carries over into a major theme in Peacemaker, allowing Cena to inhabit a role that lets him shed his wrestler persona.
In this spin-off series, the story quickly unfolds into a startling examination of a man haunted by his past and what the future may hold for him. The Chris we see here is a broken man scarred by his brother’s death—which we find out was unintentionally orchestrated by Chris’ white supremacist father, Auggie (Robert Patrick)—and unable to come to terms with the murder of his former teammate.
John Cena. / Jessica Miglio/HBO Max
Peacemaker quickly chips away at any previous notion of Cena’s middling acting potential, forcing the actor to reveal his true talents like a never-ending Jack-in-the-box.
This continues with Season 2, which premiered last week on the heels of a piece from The Hollywood Reporter that ranked 10 wrestlers-turned-actors from best to worst. Cena places third, the lowest amongst his modern peers Bautista and Johnson.
While this article points out box-office draw as a major factor in this ranking, Cena hasn’t led many films in the way his peers have had the chance to. What Cena has done, however, is display one of the most impressive acting career trajectories of the last decade, proving himself in this new season of Peacemaker to be someone who’s not only interested in honing their craft, but someone who relishes in growing as a performer.
Still reeling from killing his abusive father last season, Chris is now a shell of himself. He auditions for a role in the Justice Gang but is chased out by homophobic jibes and laughter, and struggles to find a purpose in a world that doesn’t truly view him as a hero.
John Cena and Danielle Brooks. / Jessica Miglio/HBO Max
Attempting to cope with his internal shame, Chris quickly goes home before snorting a mountain of cocaine. We then watch as he dissociates in his drug-addled breakdown, coming in-and-out of consciousness while an orgy carries on in his house. Behind the vapidness of his drug-induced state, Cena’s physicality carries a great weight to it, as if Chris’s body is literally being warped by his grief.
As he wanders into his father’s quantum unfolding storage area, he happens to wander into a reality where his father is still alive, and one where his brother Keith (David Denman) was never killed. When he first encounters this older version of his brother, Chris stands immobile, gazing at Keith’s face with confusion, but also hope. His eyes beam with an openness we seldom see Chris adopt as a man whose trauma has hardened him beyond repair. He looks at his brother as if he can’t believe he truly exists, desperate to hold onto this moment in case it slips through his hands.
After a lifetime of self-flagellation and abuse from his own father, this new world just might be able to give Chris everything he’s ever wanted. Oblivious to the fact that this Chris is not the same Chris who he grew up with, Keith takes Chris’ silence in stride, before saying goodnight.
John Cena. / HBO Max
For the first time in minutes, Chris speaks, grabbing desperately onto his brother’s arm. “I love you,” he confesses, and after the sentiment is returned and Keith leaves the room, it’s as if a dam breaks. Chris begins to sob, and Cena portrays this with wet, startling gasps, some that he tries to stifle with a hand over his face. The camera lingers on this expression for a few moments, before the camera pans out and Cena’s body bowls over.
With this shattering sequence, it’s clear that while James Gunn may write fantastic material, it’s Cena who truly elevates this story. Peacemaker is a series that often bogs down its emotional moments with jokes, but with this new season, Gunn continues to give Cena room to progress as an actor, and deliver what may be the best performance in a superhero television show.
As the emotional core of this series, Cena has pushed himself in a way that most actors aren’t willing to, letting his nose run as he cries and reveling in the messiness of the character he’s inhabiting. In this starring TV role, Cena has proved himself not only as the best wrestler-turned-actor of our times, but one of the best actors to grace our TV screens.
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