Journey of 'Douchey Captain America' is relatable: John Cena

The US pro wrestler reprises his role in the HBO Max series' second season, set after the events of the Superman film

- Alison de Souza

LOS ANGELES — The satirical superhero series Peacemaker follows an abrasive, violence-prone vigilante who strives to achieve peace at any cost — and no matter how many people he kills along the way.

John Cena, the American actor and WWE professional wrestler who portrays him, described the character as a "douchey Captain America" when he first played him in the superhero movie The Suicide Squad (2021).

But Chris Smith, as he is also known, has been on an antihero's journey since surviving a near-fatal shooting at the end of that film.

In 2022, he got his own spin-off series, Peacemaker, and joined a covert mission to stop an alien species from taking over people's bodies, slowly reconnecting with his humanity in the process.

And in Season 2 — now available on HBO Max and set after the events of the 2025 Superman film — he softens further.

Speaking in July at San Diego Comic-Con, an annual fan convention in California, Cena says this chapter will introduce a parallel universe in which Peacemaker is seen as a hero and everything is going well for him.

But it begins with the character "going through a little bit of a rough patch in life".