Peacemaker is an awful person. We learned that in Suicide Squad last year. However, there comes a character, a performer, a writer/director, and an excellent cast of characters that make the audience fall in love with someone they shouldn’t. Peacemaker comes from the mind of James Gunn and the pages of DC comics. It stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, Annie Chang, Lochlyn Munro, and Nhut Le.

It’s an eccentric cast of characters in the first three episodes. The story picks up immediately where Suicide Squad left off. So if you haven’t seen that film, watch it before this show. Peacemaker is in the hospital for the injuries he suffered at the hands of Bloodsport, but he’s all mended up and ready to go. Where are the police? Who knows, but an associate of Amanda Waller, Clemson Murn (Iwuji), is here with a new proposition to hunt down “butterflies”. What are these butterflies? Well, we don’t find out exactly what they are until the third episode, but they give humans extra powers like super strength and a nice proboscis to eat with.

Meanwhile, Peacemaker tries to mend his fractured relationship with his father, Auggie (Patrick). The rest of the cast includes Emilia Harcourt (Holland), Leota (Brooks), Economos “Dye-Beard” (Agee), and Vigilante (Stroma). They form the core group along with Peacemaker that the show follows. In addition, you have Detectives Sophie Song (Chang) and Larry Fitzgibbon (Munro) chasing after Peacemaker. The Judomaster (Le) comes in a bit into the series, but he’s a formidable opponent for the entire group, even taking down Peacemaker, Vigilante, and Harcourt with ease.

John Cena Makes The Entire Show Work

If you didn’t have a performer like John Cena as Peacemaker, this show might fall apart under its weight. He does anything and everything to make the character likable in the show. His personality comes out in the character, and while you’re laughing at him, it works in the grand scheme of the show. Peacemaker is supposed to be a dunce, and everyone knows it. It’s a testament to the intelligent writing of James Gunn that we have a character that we shouldn’t really root for that we do.

If you like the characters that Gunn has crafted in his previous projects, you’ll love the rest of the crew in Peacemaker. Even the villainous characters have plenty of personality, including Judomaster. I don’t think I’ve seen a character ever exude as much confidence while eating a bag of Hot Cheetos in my life. That whole exchange between him and Peacemaker is among the highlights of the first three episodes.

This series was made for a much lesser budget than others out there, but it never feels cheap. The CGI effects for explosions, Eagly, and others look top-notch compared to much bigger budget projects. Through these first three episodes, it all falls on the shoulders of John Cena, and he carries the show with comedic timing and sheer charm.

As A Fan Of ’80s Glam Metal, This Soundtrack Is The Best Thing Ever

Cinderella, Y&T, Michael Starr, and more highlight the soundtrack of Peacemaker. James Gunn is known for the excellent soundtracks for his movies and shows. Guardians of the Galaxy has a soundtrack to rival any, but Peacemaker might top that one for me. It fits with the attitude and tone of the show, and seeing John Cena belt out in his undies was a gift to humanity.

It’s all of these qualities that make Peacemaker must-watch television. However, this one isn’t just for DC fans or James Gunn fans; it’s an excellent show for all. The action is fast-paced but mixed with moments of light-heartedness. It can only get better from here, and after these first three episodes, that’ll be quite an accomplishment.

Peacemaker airs every Thursday on HBO Max.

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