FanSided 250: John Cena’s ranking shows a bright comic book future
By Mark Lynch
John Cena performed very well in the FanSided 250 and it only highlights that his future in comic book movies is looking bright.
You have to love John Cena. He went from having a divisive wrestling gimmick to consistently headlining WWE pay-per-views and being one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. His loss to Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36 has given Cena the out he needed to pursue his acting career – something he had already begun doing (and something that he seems to have tons of potential in).
Earlier this year, his character in DCEU movie The Suicide Squad was announced. He’ll be playing the DC Comics character Peacemaker – someone that will fit right in with Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and the rest of their weird crew.
Moreover, not only will he be in the movie, he’s getting his own Peacemaker spin-off on HBO Max as well.
Over the years, Cena has shown how he can be more than just an action star. His hilarious character in Blockers, the loveable lead Ferdinand, and Baron Draxum in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are very different characters and this just highlights his range. He can do the goofy roles and turn around and be incredible in something like Bumblebee.
It wasn’t surprising that he received a role in The Suicide Squad or that he’s playing a guy that James Gunn described as, “a guy who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he needs to kill along the way.” It seems right up his alley. It’s been his bread and butter since The Marine.
John Cena performed well in the FanSided 250
What we should be paying attention to is why he’s ranked higher than Beyonce, Zion Williams, and uber popular Tiger King on the FanSided 250 list, coming in at No. 86 overall (and No. 16 in Sports Figures). This shows that he has the potential to be the future of comic book projects.
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Some might scoff at a statement like that since Cena isn’t a spring chicken at the age of 43. What people who aren’t wrestling fans may not realize, however, is that 43 isn’t old for a wrestler. Look at performers like The Undertaker (55), Billy Gunn (57), and Tommy Dreamer (49) – some of them look just as good as they did in their prime. A combination of a good diet and better exercise has kept their bodies in better shape over the years. And Cena prides himself on staying healthy and looking good. If he keeps this attitude, we’ll see more of him in the future… especially when 43 is a young age for an actor, too.
There are dozens of characters just waiting for someone like John Cena to play them. Peacemaker is the perfect example of this. He’s a comic book character that isn’t all that well-known, but can become popular with the right actor. If John Walker/U.S. Agent wasn’t already cast in the MCU, he’d be perfect for that role too. There’s also heroes and villains like Frank Simpson (Nuke or the Thunderbolts’ Scourge), Mac Gargan, or Stingray. There’s also a bunch of The Punisher villains Cena could portray. They may not be blockbuster names, but they’re characters that a name like Cena could easily make popular.
John Cena will continue to be a popular name in the film world moving forward, following in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s footsteps. He has a positive outlook on life, he loves his fans, and never hesitates to let people know that he appreciates his position in life. All of these are qualities that make people root for him. This is especially true for comic book fans. Not every actor would appreciate genre pieces like comic book movies, but Cena isn’t one of those people. For that, he will always be a welcomed addition to the comic book genre.
It’ll be interesting to see where he ranks on the FanSided 250 list in 2021 after The Suicide Squad arrives.
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What do you think? Does John Cena have a long movie career ahead of him as a star in comic book projects? Let us know in the comments below!