58 years since the character debuted, James Gunn teases Peacemaker season 2 with a behind-the-scenes image: "I can't wait to show you what we're cooking up"

John Cena in Peacemaker — (Image credit: WarnerMedia)

Happy birthday, Peacemaker. 58 years on from the DC vigilante's debut, director James Gunn has teased what's next for John Cena's iteration of the character with a behind-the-scenes post from production on Peacemaker season 2.

"On this day, #Peacemaker aka Christopher Smith made his first comic appearance in Fightin’ 5 #40, in 1966, created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette," Gunn wrote on Twitter. "It’s the role @JohnCena was born to play, and I can’t wait to show you all what we’re cooking up now for @Peacemaker Season 2!"

Accompanying the tweet, which you can see below, is a side-by-side shot of Peacemaker's debut in the pages of DC and a shot of – presumably – John Cena in the trademark helmet.

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On this day, #Peacemaker aka Christopher Smith made his first comic appearance in Fightin’ 5 #40, in 1966, created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette. It’s the role @JohnCena was born to play, and I can’t wait to show you all what we’re cooking up now for @Peacemaker Season 2! pic.twitter.com/LRkiIlHpERSeptember 2, 2024

Peacemaker season 2 is currently filming, with James Gunn set to direct all eight episodes. The upcoming series sees the return of Cena's gun-toting anti-hero alongside Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, and Steve Agee. Frank Grillo is set to portray Rick Flag Sr., the father of Rick Flag – who Peacemaker killed in 2021's The Suicide Squad.

The co-CEO of DC Studios has also been busy with helming the new live-action Superman, which wrapped filming in July.

Superman, set for release on July 11, 2025, stars David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel. The first live-action DCU movie currently shares the July 2025 release window with Fantastic Four and Jurassic World Rebirth – meaning it's going to be a bumper month for blockbusters.

For more on the rebooted DCU, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One. Then dive into our guide on how to watch the DC movies in order.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.