Confirming what I speculated back in December, now James Gunn has confirmed John Cena is back as Peacemaker in the DCU.
Back in December, John Cena appeared on WWE making a point he plays Peacemaker.
Cena appeared on Friday night’s WWE Smackdown and announced his return to the ring on Dec. 30 where he name-dropped Peacemaker in his promo.
As I pointed out, the promos are scripted, so it’s safe to say that John Cena mentioned Peacemaker on purpose.
James Gunn not only confirmed John Cena, but Viola Davis and Xolo Maridueña as well. Of course, we already knew Viola Davis was returning as she is starring in the upcoming Waller live-action series and the Creature Commandos animated series.
John Cena played Peacemaker in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker HBO Max series; Viola Davis appeared in both Suicide Squad movies, and Xolo Maridueña recently appeared in Blue Beetle.
How everything fits remains a mystery, but Gunn has been fielding questions on social media.
A fan remarked on Threads, “You said ‘DC studios movies (and cannon) start with Superman Legacy.’ I and many others are still confused. Are the returning actors playing new versions of the same characters?Is this a J.K Simmons as J Jonah situation?”
Gunn responded, “Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year – a sort of aperitif to the DCU – & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that. It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think its okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”
A fan also commented, “I’m wondering, how does the Blue Beetle movie factor in at this point in time? In the past you had said it was included in the new DCU, but some statements are conflicting. Will it have any relation to future projects (ie: the Booster Gold show… wink?)”
Gunn confirmed the three actors and characters.
“Xolo Maridueña will continue playing Blue Beetle in the DCU, as Viola Davis will Amanda Waller, and John Cena will Peacemaker,” said Gunn.
It has also been said Gal Gadot may be returning as Wonder Woman, so if that is the case, the DCU is seeming less and less of a reboot and more and more like it’s simply replacing certain actors.
As of now, it seems only Henry Cavill as Superman is gone along with Ben Affleck as Batman and any characters attached, such as Lois Lane, etc.
Gunn’s Superman: Legacy has a July 11, 2025 release date starring David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
