John Cena backs James Gunn as Peacemaker waits behind bigger DC heroes
John Cena says he understands why Peacemaker is no longer James Gunn's main focus.
Cena addressed Gunn's packed schedule during an interview with host Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, published on 9 October. The conversation covered both Peacemaker and Matchbox The Movie, and was reported by Variety. Cena, who stars as Christopher Smith in Gunn's Peacemaker, said the shift comes down to scale.
Gunn now gets to play with a whole box of toys, Cena said. He has to address the really valuable ones first. It was a plain way to describe a very large job.
Cena then named three of those priorities. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. He cited them as examples of other valuable properties in the DC library that need attention before a Peacemaker return.
That order reflects Gunn's second role. Gunn leads DC Studios jointly with Peter Safran as co-CEOs. The pair restarted the DC Universe, meaning a new slate of linked films and series, with Superman and the animated show Creature Commandos among the first titles.
Peacemaker began on a smaller footing. Cena's Christopher Smith debuted in Gunn's 2021 film The Suicide Squad before moving to television. Gunn then built the spin-off as writer, creator and showrunner, meaning he ran the series day to day.
Season 1 premiered in 2022 on HBO Max, the streaming service that launched the show. Season 2 did not arrive until October 2025, more than three years later. That is a long gap in television, where most scripted series aim to return each year.
The full Horowitz interview is organised around chapters on Gunn, on building the Peacemaker character, and on more Peacemaker Happy Sad Confused. In a separate clip, Cena recalled his first meeting with Gunn about taking the role Happy Sad Confused. He is not using those memories to press for speed now.
What happens next is not locked in. Gunn told Deadline in October 2025 that there were no plans for Peacemaker Season 3. That is not a formal cancellation, only a statement of where the show sits in the queue.
For fans, this means waiting without a date. The story is paused, not promised. Cena sounds comfortable with that, and with Gunn working through the bigger names first.
