DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn and the Peacemaker production team reportedly discovered Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to revive the HBO Max brand while filming promotional content for Season 2 - their genuine reactions speak volumes.

Industry watchers were stunned when Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed earlier today that its streaming platform would revert to the original HBO Max branding this summer. This unexpected reversal left even DC's top executives bewildered, as evidenced by their on-camera responses.

The soon-to-be-renamed Max platform's official X account captured spontaneous reactions from Gunn and John Cena, who were filming a Season 2 promotional segment for Peacemaker's August 21 premiere. The footage reveals Gunn's authentic surprise when the teleprompter script unexpectedly referenced HBO Max instead of Max.

Gunn visibly pauses mid-sentence, questioning the sudden name change before realizing it's intentional. "Wait - we're calling it HBO Max again?" he asks incredulously, as fellow DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran and other crew members join the spontaneous discussion.

That's good actually. pic.twitter.com/b3WNWOsyT2

— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025

Cena's segment offers a different perspective - rather than reacting to the news, the Peacemaker star is seen informing the production team about the rebranding decision. "This actually works," Gunn later remarks, "but nobody told me about this change."

The streaming service first launched as HBO Max in 2020 before rebranding as Max in 2023 following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. After just two years under the simplified name, the company has now decided to return to its original branding, though no specific relaunch date has been confirmed.

POV: finding out about the rebrand from @JohnCena pic.twitter.com/eyQxhTcJrs

— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025

While the authenticity of these reactions remains debatable - they could potentially represent clever marketing for the platform - the genuine-seeming confusion among DC's leadership provides entertaining behind-the-scenes content. As fans await both the HBO Max relaunch and Peacemaker Season 2, speculation continues about Warner Bros. Discovery's evolving streaming strategy.