Throughout the second season of Peacemaker, John Cena portrays Chris Smith, also known as Peacemaker, who is frequently seen grappling with a plethora of struggles. These include grief, isolation, PTSD, a broken heart, and the looming threat posed by A.R.G.U.S.’s vengeful new leader, Rick Flag Sr. (played by Frank Grillo). Cena maintains a controlled display of emotion, embodying Chris’s deep-seated pain as he searches for fleeting moments of happiness. His journey could be eased if only Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) would reciprocate his affections or if he could find his calling with the Justice Gang. The tension comes to a head in the season’s second-to-last episode when Chris, in an effort to protect a friend from harm, lets loose his bottled-up emotions in a raw, powerful outburst that, unexpectedly, may bring viewers to tears, all thanks to Cena’s heartfelt performance.

This emotionally exposed version of Chris is a far cry from the brash antagonist we first met in James Gunn’s 2021 movie, The Suicide Squad. Even amidst a cadre of unhinged villains, Peacemaker stood out with his penchant for violence, crass jokes, and betrayal. Cena’s extensive background in wrestling perfectly suited this macho role. Although his character wasn’t as fleshed out as those played by Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian, or Daniela Melchior, Cena added a layer of charm to a character who could easily have been detestable. Fortunately, James Gunn hinted at a deeper backstory for Peacemaker in a 2021 Variety interview, a narrative thread that would be further developed in the HBO Max series that followed.

The inaugural season, released in 2022, delved into Chris’s troubled past, including his upbringing by a white-supremacist father, Auggie (Robert Patrick), and the trauma of accidentally killing his own brother during childhood, spurred on by their father. The series masterfully blended dark superhero elements with unabashed, boisterous humor, an area where Cena has previously thrived in films like Trainwreck, Playing With Fire, and Blockers. Between seasons of Peacemaker, Cena honed his comedic talent in the 2024 hit Ricky Stanicky and made a memorable cameo in an episode of The Bear. However, the ongoing season shifts focus more towards Chris’s internal battles and his self-destructive tendencies as a form of atonement. This change in tone provides Gunn and Cena an opportunity to explore the character’s depths of despair, showcasing Cena’s dramatic abilities in ways not previously seen.

In season two, Chris attempts to escape his grim reality by living in an alternate universe where his father, Auggie, and Keith Smith (David Denman) are still alive, though this world is ruled by Nazis—a fact Chris initially overlooks due to his happiness at being reunited with his family and connecting with this reality’s version of Emilia. It isn’t until the 11th Street Kids—comprising the original Harcourt, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), and John Economos (Steve Agee)—arrive to save him that he confronts the harsh truth.

In the pivotal seventh episode, “Like A Keith In The Night,” when the group tries to return to their own world, the Smiths accuse Chris of murdering his look-alike. Keith, driven by vengeance, attacks, leading to a brutal showdown that compels Chris to face his past, including the painful death of his brother. This culminates in a soul-stirring scream from Chris, followed by a tearful admission of his perennial role as the harbinger of doom across all worlds. As Peacemaker reaches his zenith of despair, Cena delivers a career-defining performance that not only captivates but also moves the audience to tears, marking a significant milestone in his acting career.