Meet John Cena’s new squad and get a hug from an eagle(?) in first ‘Peacemaker’ trailer at DC FanDome

We’ve known for a while that John Cena’s Peacemaker would be getting his own solo series spinoff from recent DC superhero-ish film The Suicide Squad via James Gunn. Now we finally have a look at it, and yes, it seems to be as gloriously weird as expected.

The new series serves as a direct sequel to the events of The Suicide Squad, with Cena’s D-list superhero Peacemaker getting sent off on a new mission. Presumably with the same kind of Suicide Squad-ish deal: take the job, or head back to prison. DC FanDome brought both a first look at the series, as well as a release date. Look for Peacemaker to hit HBO Max on Thursday, January 13, 2022.

The trailer serves as a nice reintroduction for Peacemaker in the wake of The Suicide Squad, while also establishing his supporting team of Danielle Brooks as Adebayo, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Harcourt, Steve Agee as Economos, Chukwudi Iwuji as Murn and Robert Patrick as Peacemaker’s estranged father Auggie Smith. We also get to see a bit more of Peacemaker’s life in the footage here, including the strained relationship with his father and his bubbling insecurities about being a hero.

Check out the trailer below:

Of course, this being a James Gunn product, it’s also loaded with style, humor and great music. We get to see more of Peacemaker’s new teammate Vigilante, a lower-tier DC Comics player who was also loosely adapted in The CW’s Arrow a while back as the baddie Adrian Chase. Obviously, this is a much goofier and more James Gunn-y interpretation of that character here. We also get a bit more face time with Peacemaker’s pet eagle, who essentially serves as man’s best friend, all the way down to using that wingspan to give a nice hug when the need arises.

“I was surprised, but man, I was more than ready and more than excited,” said Peacemaker star John Cena in a virtual panel discussing the upcoming spinoff series. Fellow co-star Steve Agee, added: “I’ve never seen [series creator James Gunn] more giddy working on something in my life.”

James Gunn wrote the entire eight-episode season, and directed five episodes including the pilot. No word on a potential second season, but we already know Warner Bros. is keen to stay in business with Gunn. So who knows? After he wraps Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, anything is possible, right?

Peacemaker premieres January 13, 2022 on HBO Max.

Check out the DC FanDome live stream below: