The Suicide Squad: John Cena Thinks Showdown With The Rock Is “Inevitable” (Exclusive)

As it stands now, The Rock’s Black Adam isn’t going to show up in Peacemaker on HBO Max. According to series lead John Cena, however, a confrontation between the two characters is inevitable. During a recent chat with ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis, the WWE alumnus wouldn’t say his own character would best Black Adam, though he did say he’d love to fight The Rock on-screen at one point or another as the DC Extended Universe moves along.

“You know me. Ready, willing, and able. And answering the phone whenever it rings. I’m good,” Cena says of a potential showdown. “I think that the excitement is starting to build with fans, whether you talk about the conversation of Fast, or you talk about now the DC Universe. I don’t want to say we’re on a crash course and it’s inevitable. I want to, because I’m a fan. But we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. Tell me what he says.”

Cena recently wrapped work on Peacemaker while Johnson finished his role as Black Adam earlier this month. Johnson will star in the film alongside Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Quintessa Swindell, Sarah Shahi, and Pierce Brosnan.

“It’s a big deal for a lot of reasons,” Shahi explained in a recent interview. “I’m getting the chance to work with Dwayne, who happens to be one of the kindest humans ever. And it’s admirable to watch him be the businessman and the actor that he is. He treats everybody on set so well. When he speaks to you, it’s like you’re the only person in the room. Everyone should take a lesson from his book because he’s quite remarkable to witness and to be on set with. He’s the real deal, through and through.”

“So not only is it cool for that, but I’m Middle Eastern; I’m Persian,” Shai continued. “And there’s not a lot of Middle Eastern representation out there, so being in a movie like this really helps make a statement for my culture and where I come from. There are other Middle Eastern actors that I know who are either getting cast in terrorist roles or they’re really being stereotyped by how they look. So I’m hoping that, on some level, Black Adam will help break open that stereotype. And hopefully, Hollywood will become more colorblind in a way, and will open itself up to more Middle Eastern actors and storylines. And on top of that, this is the first thing I’ve been a part of that my kids can actually watch. So that’s nice.”

The Suicide Squad will debut in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, August 6th. Peacemaker is expected to debut on HBO Max in 2022 while Black Adam is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 29, 2022.

Who do you think is the first antihero to kick the bucket in The Suicide Squad? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!