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Director James Gunn, now the head of the DC Universe, gave John Cena one piece of advice when directing him in The Suicide Squad. He wanted him to approach the role from a blank slate.

"He specifically said not to read the comics because I would like to do this my way," Cena recalls at Fan Expo Chicago. 

"Well, what should I do with my character?" Cena recalls asking him.

"Come up with everything else, but don't marry yourself to the comics," Gunn told him.

Cena prepared every single day for the role, asking himself who Peacemaker would be, what he would think and how he would react.

"I came up with a Peacemaker, but it's not the Peacemaker you see," he says. "They built this huge beach in the backlot. It's the 'I would eat a beach full of dicks for freedom if I have to.' It was that scene. You guys know it. That's all I have to say."

But there was a creative difference.

"James wasn't vibing with all my choices," he says. "After two takes, he's waving at the side of the beach and calls 'cut.' There's a long pause, and then right in front of everybody he says, 'Throw all that away. I don't want you to do this. Just be a douchey, bro-y Captain America."

Peacemaker was a relatively obscure DC character when Gunn added him to the roster of The Suicide Squad, pairing him with other lesser known and expendable figures like Polka Dot Man, Ratcatcher 2, and Weasel. That gave Gunn something of a blank canvas to work with since the character wasn't bogged down with the same canon as more established DC characters, setting fan expectations.

Gunn did take some liberties with the role, such as by adding the pet bald eagle Eagley and giving him more of a fun-loving personality than an antihero in the vein of Punisher. Peacemaker killed Vigilante instead of partnering with him and was only a recent addition to the long-running Suicide Squad comics, not a recurring character like Captain Boomerang, Bronze Tiger, Deadshot, or Harley Quinn.

Other have praised the HBO Max show's interpretation of Peacemaker for its fealty to the comics, noting its accurate depictions of the helmet, costume and even racist father who continues to haunt him.

Peacemaker season 2 comes to HBO Max on August 21.

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU.