Ever since Hulk Hogan’s ill-fated attempt to get into the movie business, professional wrestlers have, one by one, tried to make the move to Hollywood. John Cena followed in those footsteps in the mid-2000s, and he’s since transformed into one of the biggest action heroes working, including his current gig as the titular superhero in HBO’s “Peacemaker.” For two decades, he’s made a name for himself as a slick-witted, gung-ho hero type and might be the best actor to ever make the move from the wrestling ring to Tinseltown. Cena got his start in a very different franchise with a film called “The Marine,” though at the time he probably had no idea that he was helping to launch a long-running series.
These days, of course, Cena is known for participating in franchises like the DC Universe and “The Fast and the Furious,” where he plays Jakob Toretto. Believe it or not, though, “The Marine” also kickstarted an entire movie franchise. In the first film, Cena played — you guessed it — a U.S. Marine who returns home after a tour in Iraq only to find trouble on his doorstep. Produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), “The Marine” co-starred Robert Patrick (who later reunited with Cena in “Peacemaker”) and proved that its star was more than just a man of muscle while providing one of his best on-screen moments. It didn’t, however, become his first big franchise, because when a sequel came around, Cena was nowhere to be seen.
Since 2005, “The Marine” has had five sequels, and none of them featured a returning John Cena. You might never have known they existed, but WWE fans probably remember them well for their over-the-top action — and for starring other WWE wrestlers.
The Marine sequels are a wild ride
In “The Marine,” John Cena plays serviceman John Triton, who returns from Iraq to find that a gang of thugs has kidnapped his wife (Kelly Carlson). A film that Cena wasn’t even supposed to star in, “The Marine” has five sequels that essentially follow the same formula, each one following a former Marine back on home soil fighting against a gang of villains. Produced by WWE, the series seems to be little more than a vehicle to help other wrestlers make an attempt at a Hollywood career.
“The Marine 2” swapped Cena for fellow WWE star Ted DiBiase Jr., who plays U.S. Marine Joe Linwood, who similarly comes back from active duty to find his wife has been taken captive by a gang of criminals. “The Marine 3: Homefront” does it again, this time with Mike “The Miz” Mizanin as Jake Carter, who comes back home from war only to find his sister has been abducted by a gang of criminals. Mizanin returns as Carter for “The Marine 4: Moving Target,” which makes the shocking decision not to involve a kidnapped loved one. This time, Carter must protect a sexy whistleblower who has information on some dirty government dealings, and one of the villains happens to be played by another wrestler: Summer Rae.
Mizanin would return twice more, in “The Marine 5: Battleground” and “The Marine 6: Close Quarters,” the latter of which also features WWE greats Shawn Michaels and Becky Lynch. None of the six “Marine” films are very good, but if you just want to see some wrestlers hamming it up with machine guns, it’s the best movie franchise you could ask for.
