The Real Reason Peacemaker Is The Only Suicide Squad Member Getting A Spin-Off Series

Contains spoilers for "The Suicide Squad"

James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad," the confusingly titled standalone sequel to 2016's "Suicide Squad," has finally been released into theaters (and on HBO Max).

The film brings together a few characters from the 2016 film — Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) — as well as a slew of new characters to make up the titular team of super villains. Some of the new faces include Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man and John Cena as Peacemaker.

After watching the film, fans are likely itching for more "Squad" content, and what better way to get that than with a spin-off? Luckily, there's one in the works, entitled "Peacemaker," which will focus exclusively on Cena's character. Those who saw the film know that Peacemaker is not the most likable of the bunch. He's a bit loyalty challenged, and he comes equipped with plenty of cruel and violent tendencies.

So why is Peacemaker the one getting the spin-off? As you might expect, James Gunn has his reasons.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, writer-director James Gunn discussed the "Peacemaker" spin-off and addressed why he was the character chosen to get an extended story.

Gunn explained, "Well, I think that it's a number of things. In the movie ... Harley gets a really complete story about herself, she gets a complete arc. Bloodsport gets a complete story. Rick Flag gets a complete story. Ratcatcher 2 gets a complete story. They all learn something about themselves — sometimes good things, sometimes bad things — but Peacemaker is a douche and he stays a douche and he's an a**hole in the movie."

Gunn went on to explain that he and Cena had a lot of conversations about who Peacemaker is, including how he is "actually the most disconnected" from the rest of the group and feels like an "outsider." Additionally, Gunn wanted to explore Cena's acting ability within the realm of the character. 

Gunn continued, "We scratched the surface of John's ability to act dramatically in this movie. It's mostly, you know, comedy and silly stuff. And I saw that ability in him, and I wanted to explore that further."

We're looking forward to seeing how Peacemaker's backstory is expanded in his spin-off.