Not only is Judomaster is one of the most skilled combatants in the DC Universe, Nhut Le, the actor who plays him on Peacemaker, is also experienced in martial arts. His training in Judo, Shaolin Wushu and other forms led to him getting stunt work, and now Le is playing a key supporting antagonist in the popular DC TV show that’s close to wrapping its second season on the 2025 TV schedule. But does Le’s real-life martial arts expertise factor into choreographing these Peacemaker fight scenes?
I asked about this during my recent conversation with Nhut Le, which also included him talking about Judomaster and Peacemaker’s rematch in “Need I Say Door” and how the actor really feels about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. In response to my inquiry about if he has any hand in helping Judomaster’s fight scenes look more authentic, Le answered:
So our stunt department is super good, so when I get there, they'll show me the beats of choreography that they've figured out, and it has to be approved by James and whoever else. So when I get it, it's pretty close to complete. There are segments here and there where I can infuse Judomaster's character and my thoughts on what he should be doing, so it’s in those small moments that you get to have some creative liberties. But otherwise, the punches or the kicks or whatever moves it is, it's very well planned to maximize the effect of the fight.
While it’s good to know that Nhut Le finds those opportunities here and there to add some of his own/Judomaster’s personality into the fighting, it also makes sense that it doesn’t go beyond these minor adjustments. Choreographing fights is challenging, and going too “off script” could lead to problems. So it’s better to let this stunt work be handled by the professionals and for Le, John Cena and the other actors to follow their instructions closely. It’s all about combining safety with that cool factor, and the people at the stunt department know what they’re doing.
When we left off with Judomaster in last week’s Peacemaker episode, which put Christopher Smith through hell, he watched John Cena’s character enter the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, then decided to follow after him. Judomaster, a.k.a. Rip Jagger, left a note behind to the other A.R.G.U.S. agents to tell them what he did, but because Adrian Chase and Leota Adebayo grabbed the QUC device before the agents arrived, they have no way to get in touch with him. So now Judomaster finds himself in that other universe without any backup, and if my theory about this other reality having a dark secret is accurate, he’s going to be in a lot of trouble.
Then it’s a good thing he knows how to hold his own in a fight, and maybe we’ll get to see him and Christopher finally team up if they share a common threat. We’ll see as Peacemaker Season 2 winds down Thursdays on HBO Max.
