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John Cena got himself into a tub of hot water on Thursday amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
The actor-turned-wrestler, 44, seemingly used the Russian invasion of Ukraine to promote his HBO Max show “Peacemaker” on Twitter and sparked a major backlash.
“If I could somehow summon the powers of a real life #Peacemaker I think this would be a great time to do so,” he shamelessly tweeted about the titular DC superhero role he performs on the series amid the conflict. The character had his screen debut in 2021’s “The Suicide Squad” and can be described as a brazen hero who uses violence to achieve peace at any cost.
Cena’s statement quickly went viral as his fans denounced his “insensitive” words.
Users piled on about the tweet, with one writing, “I’m just saying there is never an appropriate moment to say this, especially now.”
“Great time to hashtag your show for trending purposes ? very insensitive don’t you think?” another asked. “John, this is in poor taste. Also your character is not the good guy,” wrote one fan.
Another suggested that Cena use his own wealth and resources to help the European countries at war.
“I hope you didn’t mean to come off as disrespectful by using this to promote your show,” they wrote
. “You don’t have the powers of peacemaker but you do have the power of money and status. Please donate to help Ukraine or spread the link to donate.”
“A bit tone deaf @JohnCena. Please delete. [This is from] a conversation I’m in: Families have literally been blown to pieces in Ukraine. Meanwhile Cena, ‘I AM A COMIC BOOK ACTOR, IF MY CHARACTER WAS REAL, I WOULD STOP IT FROM HAPPENING,’ ” a fan explained.
Get the latest updates in the Russia-Ukraine conflict with the Post’s live coverage.
“I feel like I shouldn’t have to explain this to you but the power of peacemaker is murdering people,” someone else then pointed out to the “F9” star.
This is not the first time Cena has found himself under fire over international affairs. In May 2021, he was hit with hate for kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party while on a promotional tour for the ninth installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise. He apologized to China at the time for calling Taiwan a country and said the apology in Mandarin.
“Hi China, I’m John Cena. I’m in the middle of ‘Fast and Furious 9’ promotions. I’m doing a lot of interviews. I made a mistake in one of my interviews,” he said.
“I made one mistake. I have to say something very, very, very important now. I love and respect China and Chinese people. I’m very, very sorry about my mistake. I apologize, I apologize, I’m very sorry. You must understand that I really love, really respect China and the Chinese people. My apologies. See you,” he continued.
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