Peacemaker's goofy antics continue to make the James Gunn creation a hit on HBO Max. However, the superhero’s over-the-top personality still leaves room for some of John Cena's real skills, and it turns out the mega-ripped star has an ace up his sleeve.
Music is after all a big part of what makes Christopher Smith stand out from other DC superheroes, a point that Gunn has been eager to highlight thanks to the curated playlist of hair metal tracks heard on Peacemaker. Regardless of the character’s unique charisma and a plot that’s like nothing else either Marvel or DC have to offer, the HBO Max series’ sixth episode had a more introspective moment when Peacemaker sat down to play the piano completely unaware that Vigilante could hear him.
That moment really did not require any special television tricks, as has now been confirmed by Gunn. Cena himself is the one playing the piano for the show’s recorded rendition of Motley Crue's “Home Sweet Home,” currently available on Spotify. The musical piece played by Cena was actually arranged by John Murphy, composer for The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn even told a personal story of how he became drawn to Cena's playing.
This isn’t the first time Cena's piano skills have been caught on camera, as there are also videos of him playing Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata” or The Pixies hit “Where is My Mind?” The latter happens to be the song that made Gunn decide to feature this somewhat hidden talent. As for Cena, it’s hard to find any fault in his playing, especially when one considers he might be among the few piano players who can bench press an upright piano.
In Peacemaker episode 6, “Home Sweet Home” is used to capture Cena's character in a rare emotional moment after he’s just talked to Emilia Harcourt and upon realizing maybe he doesn’t want to kill people anymore. So far, Peacemaker has been filled with sadness throughout its first six episodes, as the flashbacks to the protagonist's childhood reveal that the love he had for his brother and the trauma of accidentally killing him are what shaped a large part of the man he is today.
Of course, having a Nazi father like the White Dragon doesn’t help either, which is why the showdown against Auggie Smith is likely to be more meaningful for Peacemaker than the world-dominating threat the Butterflies represent. In any case, Peacemaker is the hottest streaming show right now and its finale should only add more bragging rights to it.
Peacemaker is now available on HBO Max.
Source: James Gunn/Twitter