James Gunn’s new DC Universe kicks off with his violent animated “superhero” series, Creature Commandos. While some fans may consider Gunn’s Superman movie releasing next summer to be the true beginning of the rebooted franchise, Creature Commandos feels like the bridge between the messy remnants of the Snyderverse and what’s to come.
James Gunn has established himself as a household name among superhero fans worldwide. From writing and directing all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies (and its Holiday Special), to revitalizing The Suicide Squad, and creating Peacemaker, Gunn’s work has proven his deep respect for comic book source material. If only more adaptations showed such reverence (*looking at you, Sony’s Kraven the Hunter).
Creature Commandos takes place shortly after The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. The Amazonian sorceress Circe, a frequent Wonder Woman foe, launches an invasion on the nation of Pokolistan with an army of incels (yes, really) called the Sons of Themyscira. With human supervillains no longer viable for Task Force X, Amanda Waller (once again played by Viola Davis) forms a new covert ops team: Task Force M, a group of non-human criminals.
This bizarre lineup includes:
- Doctor Phosphorus (voiced by Alan Tudyk), a C-list Batman villain.
- G.I. Robot (voiced by Sean Gunn, James Gunn’s brother), a Nazi-killing machine.
- Weasel (also voiced by Sean Gunn), a humanoid rodent and survivor of The Suicide Squad.
- Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao), a kind-hearted amphibious scientist.
- The Bride (Indira Varma), a hardened and cynical take on The Bride of Frankenstein.
Leading the team is Rick Flag Sr. (voiced by Frank Grillo), father of the late Rick Flag Jr. from The Suicide Squad. With his confirmed roles in Gunn’s Superman movie and Peacemaker Season 2, Rick Sr. feels like the only member guaranteed to survive.
The series premiere, “The Collywobbles,” delivers a solid—albeit uneven—start. It quickly introduces the main conflict and central characters while letting their personalities rub off on one another, but doesn’t spend much time exploring their backstories. This may be due to the show’s format: Creature Commandos is an animated series with twenty-minute episodes, unlike the longer format of Peacemaker or the runtimes of Guardians and The Suicide Squad.
Rick Flag Sr. gets the most attention here, mourning his son’s death while unexpectedly catching the eye of Pokolistan’s princess, Ilana Rostovic (voiced by Maria Bakalova). Flag’s white beard and muscular build are hard to ignore, bearing an uncanny resemblance to James Gunn himself—while Ilana slightly resembles Gunn’s real-life wife, Jennifer Holland. Whether Flag Sr. is an author insert or this is pure coincidence remains unclear, but it’s an amusing observation.
The episode features Gunn’s signature humor, but not all the jokes land a big laugh. The music, usually one of Gunn’s strong suits, also feels slightly more forced and distracting here than in Guardians of the Galaxy or Peacemaker. Thankfully these flaws are only minor, and are easily forgiven due to the smooth animation, voice acting, and a cool, fast paced fight scene between Rick Flag and Doctor Phosphorus.
WASSUP! IS ALEXI REFERENCING THE ORIGINAL COMMERCIAL OR SCARY MOVIE? YOU DECIDE!
The second episode, “The Tourmaline Necklace,” is where Creature Commandos starts finding its rhythm. The episode shifts focus to the Bride and her tragic origins, flipping the classic Bride of Frankenstein story on its head and turning it into a horrifying love story. Simultaneously, Eric Frankenstein (voiced by David Harbour) plays a bigger role after his brief appearance at the end of the first episode, reimagined as an emotionally stunted undead manchild and relentless stalker of the Bride through the centuries.
The Bride emerges as a standout character, with the episode skillfully balancing her complex backstory and present-day struggles. In just twenty minutes, it packs a strong emotional punch, delivering character development that leaves a lasting impression. Once again, there are some uses of humor and music that don’t feel necessary, the main example is during the montage of the Bride’s many violent encounters with Eric all over the world, but they are still relatively minor compared to the rest of the episode.
The second episode also features a lot more gory violence and sexual content than is usually seen in animation, let alone an animated superhero series. It looks like Amazon’s Invincible series has paved a path for more adult superhero animation, and DC and James Gunn might take full advantage of it. If the premiere’s coarse language and humor wasn’t enough to prove that Creature Commandos isn’t for the kids, then this episode unfortunately will. If the MCU is for the younger comic book fans, then the DCU might be for the older comic book fans.
A LOT OF CRAZY STUFF HAPPENED ON THIS TABLE.
The third episode, “Cheers to the Tin Man,” elevates the series from good to great. As the Commandos face off against Circe’s Sons of Themyscira, the episode puts its focus on G.I. Robot, weaving a poignant tale of a killing machine created for World War II. The bittersweet narrative explores G.I. Robot’s purposeless existence after the war, making his story unexpectedly emotional. This culminates in a scene where G.I. Robot kills dozens of enemies all on his own over The Dresden Dolls’ “Coin-Operated Boy,” perfectly encapsulating the life of a forgotten hero in an evolving world, while showcasing Gunn’s knack for pairing music with story.
On the action front, the episode delivers gleeful violence as G.I. Robot mows down Nazis, Neo-Nazis, and incels in gloriously gory fashion. Fans of DC Comics will also enjoy appearances from characters like Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, as well as Will Magnus (creator of the Metal Men), and several supervillains in the background of Belle Reve, teasing even more connections to DC’s vast universe.
CHEERS TO THE TIN MAN! ALSO, WHY IS LITTLE SURE SHOT’S FACE COVERED?
While the humor in these early episodes isn’t as consistently sharp as Gunn’s previous work, and the musical choices don’t always hit their mark, Creature Commandos is off to a promising start. Episode 1 sets the groundwork, Episode 2 dives deeper into character-driven storytelling, and Episode 3 hits the emotional and action-packed sweet spot.
If the series continues this upward trajectory, Creature Commandos could become another standout addition to James Gunn’s growing resume of superhero projects. Here’s hoping the rest of the Commandos’ stories are just as compelling—and that the DC Universe remains strong for years to come.
