Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena’s Peacemaker — a, hmmm, hero(?) striving to create peace no matter how many men, women and, yes, children he has to kill to achieve that goal — was one of the strongest elements of last year’s “The Suicide Squad,” an entertaining, irreverent and decidedly R-Rated superteam romp set in the DC Extended Universe written and directed by James Gunn.
Cena and Gunn are back for the new HBO Max spinoff series “Peacemaker,” which debuts on the streaming service this week with three episodes.
Based on a viewing of the first seven episodes made available to critics in advance, the eight-episode season offers the same kind of oh-they-did-not-just-say-that laughs and violence-soaked adventure, if on an obviously lower budget than the movie had.
After being reminded of his actions during the events of “The Suicide Squad” — and of what Joel Kinnaman’s Colonel Rick Flag said to him with his final breaths, words that will haunt the protagonist throughout the series — we catch up with Peacemaker at a hospital.
There, a doctor tells him he’s fortunate to need only a clavicle replacement considering what happened to him during the Suicide Squad’s clash with Starro the Conqueror. Peacemaker responds by asking her if she can adjust the contrast on his X-rays to show the definition of his muscles.
“This makes me look like one of those guys who works out only thinking about bulk,” he says, with a hint of sadness. “I put a lot of time into my small muscle groups, and, according to this, it’s just wasted effort.”
In case we needed more of a refresher on his personality, before leaving the hospital, Peacemaker gives an earful to a janitor about some very unsavory things he’s heard on the internet about Aquaman. (As the series moves on, he’ll offer similar rumors about Superman and bash Batman and the Flash, reminding us that, yes, this madness takes place in the same universe as “Justice League” and “Wonder Woman.”)
Still owing the government prison time, Peacemaker is scooped up at his trailer by a black-ops team under the rule of Amanda Waller (a briefly seen Viola Davis), his boss from the previous mission. Directed by all-business Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji of “The Underground Railroad”), the team needs Peacemaker as a contract killer, which, despite his previous attitude, doesn’t thrill him.
He agrees to help but says they need to swing by his father’s place to pick up his pet eagle and best friend, Eagly, the existence of which gives Murn pause.
“Don’t you do your research?” Peacemaker says. “He’s my sidekick.”
His dad (Robert Patrick, “Goliath”), meanwhile, is a thorn in his side. A notorious racist who’s TV is blaring with some talking head going on about how nefarious extraterrestrials walk among us (which, actually, is a hint of what’s to come), he berates his son even while making him high-tech versions of his signature helmet.
As “Peacemaker” rolls on, its namesake will spend most of his time with the members of his team, who also include two holdovers from “The Suicide Squad”: his handler, Emilia Harcourt, a skilled, attractive blonde who is appalled by his constant sexual advances; and John Economous (Steve Agee), a tech-savvy operative whom Peacemaker repeatedly angers by using the nickname “Dye Beard.” Lastly, there is the inexperienced, secret-keeping Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks of “Orange Is the New Black”).
Outside the team but also on his side is Vigilante (Freddie Stroma, “Bridgerton”), a masked hero wanted by authorities for his habit of doling out punishments that do not remotely fit the crime. The socially awkward Vigilante cheerily considers himself Peacemaker’s best friend, although the latter seems noncommittal about that.
Written and directed by Gunn, the first episode, “A Whole New Whirled,” sets the ridiculously fun tone for what’s to come. Gunn wrote each of the roughly 45-minute installments, and he’s in the director’s chair for more than half of them, so it’s not at all surprising that the quality is there.
Sure, “Peacemaker” sputters through its share of dull stretches, many of which take place at the team’s low-rent HQ — and the series itself can seem surprisingly cheap in spots — but for the most part, it’s a fun, weird party.
And whether Peacemaker is reveling in the hair-metal records he acquires early in the series or melting down because weapons he’s asked to kill with do not display his signature symbol, the Dove of Peace, Cena continues to be a blast. He does charmingly rude really well. Plus, while he isn’t likely to win any acting awards here, he is effective enough in the moments where the character has reason to question the way he’s lived his life.
So much of what’s said in “Peacemaker” — and even an episode title are two — isn’t fit for print, so just know what you’re getting yourself into. (If you’ve seen “The Suicide Squad,” it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn Gunn will have Peacemaker back in his tighty whiteys before the first episode has concluded.)
Gunn has since dived back into the franchise that made him famous, with the filming of Marvel Studios’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in progress.
As we wait for the “Peacemaker” finale with the rest of you, though, we’ll hope Gunn eventually follows through on his recent teasing of more “Suicide Squad”-related content to come.
In the meantime, we have this series, wondrously weird warts and all.
In the first episode, Peacemaker is asked, “Are you always going to be this difficult?”
“Yep,” he says matter-of-factly.
We wouldn’t want it any other way.
‘Peacemaker’
What: Eight-episode first season of ”The Suicide Squad” spinoff.
Where: HBO Max.
When: First three episodes debut Jan. 13, which one new episode coming Thursdays through Feb. 17.
Info: HBOMax.com.
