The DC Extended Universe is constantly changing and growing, and there are some very exciting projects coming down the pipeline. One of the most highly anticipated upcoming blockbusters is James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which will be a soft reboot to David Ayer's 2016 movie. A handful of original stars are returning, alongside a big ensemble cast of newcomers in mysterious roles. Chief among them is John Cena, and Gunn seems to be enjoying teasing Cena's identity in The Suicide Squad.
James Gunn assembled a huge cast of killer new actors for The Suicide Squad, including Idris Elba, Storm Reid, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, and Pete Davidson. These actors are all playing mysterious characters, as is John Cena. The DC fandom is eager to know which characters will be occupying the upcoming villain-centric blockbuster, especially Cena. One fan recently suggested a gaggle of possible characters, to which the filmmaker responded with:
Well played, Gunn. Because while John Cena could seemingly play a variety of characters within the DC Extended Universe, the public will have to wait and see who James Gunn cast him as for The Suicide Squad. But according to the Guardians of the Galaxy director, the answer isn't going to disappoint.
James Gunn shared this latest tease for The Suicide Squad over on his personal Twitter account. The filmmaker often uses social media to communicate with the fans, who are eager to see his upcoming installments in both the DC Extended Universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe. One such fan offered six suggestions for characters John Cena could play in Gunn's upcoming DC debut, although the director failed to reveal whether or not they were correct.
John Cena has a hulking physical presence, which makes him perfect for plenty of superpowered characters in DC lore. One of the most recognizable characters is Batman villain Bane. He shares a history of wrestling with the character, so there's an obvious connection there. It would be epic to see Cena use the villain's signature back-breaking move in The Suicide Squad, although we were recently treated to Tom Hardy's iconic version of the character in The Dark Knight Rises.
Another character featured is Solomon Grundy. The iconic villain is a murder victim who was brought back to life as a powerful zombie creature. Grundy would be an epic and unexpected choice to include in The Suicide Squad, although the character has joined Task Force X on the page before. This another great character for John Cena to portray, and would mark Grundy's first appearance in a live-action movie, after appearing in the first season of Stargirl.
Deathstroke is also surprisingly included in this list, despite the DCEU already having its own live-action version of that character in Joe Manganiello. While he hasn't had much screen time in the shared universe, Manganiello debuted as Slade Wilson in the post-credits scene of Justice League. The scene was meant to set up a sequel, which was canned following the movie's disappointing box office performance. But the True Blood actor is still eager to play Deathstroke sometime in the future.
Overall, there's no telling what James Gunn has in store for DC fans with The Suicide Squad. But the movie's large cast seemingly hints that many of them will not make it out of their first mission alive. Gunn has a deep love and knowledge for the source material, and it'll be interesting to see how his vision translates to the DCEU.
The Suicide Squad is currently set to arrive in theaters on August 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
