James Gunn Says He Wants To See A Peacemaker And Batman Fight, But I Can't Get Past His Nickname For John Cena's DC Superhero Era

James Gunn's Superman may be the superhero project that the writer/director's fans are most rabid about seeing when it hits the 2025 movie schedule, but let's not forget about another muscular DCU do-gooder who'll be back in our lives soon, as Peacemaker Season 2 will be landing on Max in August. And if Gunn has his way, we could apparently one day see John Cena going toe to toe with the DCU's Batman. Though I guess we shouldn't start expecting that to 100% happen just yet, if ever.

Let's be real here: if James Gunn actually puts that kind of thought out into the universe, it's very likely that it's not going to happen, since he tends to keep his best ideas out of the public's earholes. But let's suspend such disbelief to enjoy the fun way John Cena shared the info with fans.

John Cena Responds To James Gunn Wanting Peacemaker To Fight Batman

While speaking at the Peacemaker panel at CCXP in Mexico City over the weekend, John Cena and James Gunn talked about a variety of different topics that tapped into not just the upcoming second season (which will be available to stream with a Max subscription). Later in the conversation, following the reveal of a new sizzle reel featuring lots of cast members, Cena brought up Gunn's alleged Caped Crusader, leading to this fun exchange:

• JOHN CENA: James Gunn just said he wants to see me fight Batman. [Waits for crowd cheers to lessen.] I'm just gonna sit over here and say what he said. He said, 'I want to see Peacemaker fight Batman.' That's what you said. [Points to Gunn.] Say that loud and audible so everybody can hear it.
• JAMES GUNN: ...and lose.

Aha! There's the foil! But wait, even though Christopher Smith might take offense at being taken down a peg by Batman or anyone else from the Bat-family, John Cena himself would not be offended to be put in such a situation, and he hilariously brought up his WWE legacy as an example, saying:

And now I'm sitting here wanting to see John Cena the WWE Superstar facing off against Batman in the squared circle, without Peacemaker being involved at all. I'd love to see the Dark Knight landing the most graceful cape-assisted elbow drop in pro wrestling history. But I suppose I'll be fine if Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner Season 2 appearance involves the Green Lantern getting hit so hard that his haircut stops looking dumb.

James Gunn's Hilarious Nickname For John Cena's DC Projects

But if we accept the presumed reality that Batman and Peacemaker will never engage in fisticuffs in the live-action DCU, then it's perhaps easier to get more invested in the amusing nickname Gunn has given the three Peacekeeper-related projects that happen to show off John Cena in his undies.

I suppose "Underoos Crewz" wouldn't make much sense, especially since the bottoms Cena wears in the projects don't feature any fun characters. (I 100% had Batman underoos as a kid, for all the nightmares that info is worth.)

One has to imagine that Cena has heard this moniker before, but he still reacted with nonplussed amusement, saying:

Not exactly the hottest on-stage act since Vaudeville, but Gunn and Cena are a fun pair to watch in any capacity. Especially when it means we're only a couple of months away from seeing new Peacemaker episodes.

Peacemaker's Season 2 Sizzle Reel

For everybody who wants to see more from the BTS process, while also getting a few new looks at footage, check out the Peacemaker Season 2 sizzle reel that was shared for fans at CCXP. Check it out!

Peacemaker Season 2 | Hype Sizzle - YouTube

Watch On

Peacemaker Season 2 is set to debut on Max on Thursday, August 21, with hopefully plenty of upcoming DCU movies to look forward to in the months and years ahead.