Recently, it was revealed that James Gunn wrote Peacemaker for Dave Bautista, not former 17-time WWE world champion John Cena.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, Bautista gave his side of the story. It's not that Bautista didn't want the role, which was written for him, he had prior commitments to make Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead.
“I really wanted to do that part,” Bautista said. “He [Gunn] wrote that part for me, and it was meant for me, and it just became a scheduling thing where I just couldn't do it, because I was doing Army of the Dead. And so it was a scheduling issue that we just could not figure out.”
However, Bautista is happy with the finished product. Ultimately, Cena has done a “great” job, resulting in a “blessing in disguise,” as Bautista put it.
“It was a blessing in disguise that I didn't do that, because I have to say, I have to be honest, there's no way that I would have been able to do that role like John,” Bautista conceded. “He's just perfect for it, you know, and I wouldn't have done it justice, and it wouldn't have been as successful.”
Bautista acknowledged that he is “saying that with a bit of envy,” as he really wanted the role, but Cena has brought the character to life in a new way.”It wouldn't have been the same [if I did it],” Bautista confessed. “It wouldn't have been as good. I can honestly say it wouldn't have been as good.”
Cena has played the Peacemaker role since 2021. He was first introduced in Gunn's The Suicide Squad. Gunn then created a spin-off series for the character, which premiered on HBO Max in January 2022.
Despite The Suicide Squad taking place in the DCEU, which was spearheaded by Snyder, Gunn has brought Peacemaker to his DCU.
A second season of Peacemaker premiered on HBO Max on August 21, 2025. New episodes will air every Thursday through October 9, 2025.
For Bautista, things have worked out. After Army of the Dead, he has starred in Dune, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Knock at the Cabin, Dune: Part Two, and The Last Showgirl, among other projects.
Previously, he had a longstanding feud with Cena in WWE. Bautista and Cena feuded throughout the early 2000s and 2010s. Eventually, Bautista would leave WWE to pursue acting. Cena would follow suit years later.
