Even before James Gunn was appointed the new co-head of DC Studios, the idea of the filmmaker tackling Creature Commandos just felt perfect. From his indie dark comedy Super to his journey into the mainstream with Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn has always excelled at telling sympathetic stories of misfits dealing with issues that they previously had little to no experience with. So having Gunn adapt a comic book team-up of misunderstood monsters that the U.S. government recruits to do their dirty work felt like a natural fit. After all, the premise isn’t too far off from Gunn’s first forays into the DC Universe with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.
Creature Commandos serves as the somewhat first installment in Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, which is certainly a bit strange, considering this is an animated Max series starring lesser-known characters and squarely aimed at older audiences. However, within the first 10 minutes of the new series, you understand why Gunn starts things off where he does.
What Is ‘Creature Commandos’ About?
Creature Commandos begins around two years after the events of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. After the U.S. government shuts down Task Force X, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) looks for other ways to get her dirty work done. That’s when she calls in Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), the father of the same Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) who was killed by Peacemaker (John Cena) during that fateful Corto Maltese mission.
No longer able to recruit humans and metahumans for missions, Waller instead creates Task Force M (the M, of course, is for Monsters) and recruits Flag to be their leader. This new team consists of the jaded Bride (Indira Varma), who is still stalked by her wannabe lover Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour), the kind-hearted amphibious genius Nina Mazursky (Zo? Chao), the Nazi-killing android G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), the feral Weasel (Gunn), and the radioactive scientist Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk).
The team is flown off to Pokolistan, where they are tasked with protecting Princess Ilana Rostovic (Maria Bakalova) from the vengeful sorceress Circe (Anya Chalotra). Of course, along the way, the members of Task Force M begin reflecting on their tragic pasts on their quest not only to save the world but to be accepted. If you just read that synopsis and were reminded of The Suicide Squad, you’d be on the right track, as Creature Commandos is essentially a sequel to the 2021 film, and that’s far from a bad thing.
James Gunn Reveals What's Still Canon in the DCU and Discusses ‘Creature Commandos,’ the Next Batman, ‘Superman,’ and More [Exclusive]
Gunn and 'Creature Commandos' showrunner Dean Lorey explain what fans should be expecting going forward after the animated series kicks off Chapter 1.
James Gunn Embraces His Strengths With ‘Creature Commandos’
It shouldn’t be too surprising that Creature Commandos plays to all of Gunn’s greatest strengths as a storyteller. While this may be his first animated production, the series still has all the trademarks that Gunn has proven to be insanely successful with. He’s no stranger to assembling a roster of weirdos who, in the hands of any other creative, could have come off as too alienating or bizarre. Yet Gunn finds ways to make this team of monsters feel sympathetic, relatable, and yes, human. We begin the series expecting the characters to act a certain way, only for our expectations to be upended just a few episodes later.
In fact, Gunn dives so deep into the personal lives and insecurities of the titular team that it sometimes comes at the cost of the series’ story. Circe is a pretty big deal in DC Comics, and, while we are bound to see more of her in the future, her inclusion here feels like an afterthought and is primarily used as either a walking MacGuffin or as the butt of jokes. It’s great that Gunn puts so much focus on his team of anti-heroes, but an additional episode or two could have further fleshed out some of the other characters, including the supposed big bad.
Still, there’s just so much joy, love, and passion on display in Creature Commandos that makes it hard to resist its charm. Gunn even makes a pretty bold decision to give us a backstory to the character of Weasel, who, after serving as a joke in The Suicide Squad, earns one of this series' standout storylines. Much like Gunn’s other works, Creature Commandos allows us to not only laugh at some of these characters but also laugh with them, and yes, cry with them.
James Gunn Successfully Recontextualizes the ‘Creature Commandos’
Much like he did in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, Gunn recontextualizes the source material to tell a story that truly fits his best sensibilities. This animated series is able to make us quickly fall in love with this group of weirdos but also warns us not to get too attached. That said, while Creature Commandos does deliver backstories for each team member, this is still largely The Bride and Rick Flag Sr’s story.
Varma was the perfect choice to voice The Bride, bringing a mountain of snark, wit, and a shocking amount of maturity to the role. While she may not be as childlike as G.I. Robot or as kind-hearted as Nina Mazursky, we have a far better understanding of her, while still possessing some major questions. Regardless of whether The Bride appears in any live-action DCU productions (Swamp Thing, maybe?), she’s the perfect example of why Gunn is one of the best when it comes to adapting superheroes for the screen.
Meanwhile, Grillo’s Rick Flag feels both similar to and different from his son. While some of his backstory is revealed as his character opens up about losing his son, he’s the only major character who doesn't actually earn any flashbacks, but it doesn’t feel like he needed to. We know exactly the kind of character that he is from the very moment he walks onto the scene. He’s without a doubt the straight man within this group of oddballs, but still has a strong personality on his own.
Creature Commandos’ animation style perfectly suits the show's tone. It’s not as cartoonish as Harley Quinn, but it also doesn’t feel as self-serious as many of the direct-to-video DC animated movies. It exists somewhere in the middle, bearing more similarities to the style on display in Prime Video's Invincible — and yes, that includes a liberal amount of cartoon blood.
Those who love Gunn’s past work for both Marvel and DC will feel right at home with Creature Commandos. The new series has all the laughs, emotion, and memorable characters that have already established Gunn as one of the biggest and most reliable names in the genre. If this series is any indication, the future of the DC Universe is in very good hands.
The first two episodes of Creature Commandos premiere December 5 on Max.
Creature Commandos
James Gunn plays to his strengths with Creature Commandos, which is sure to please fans of his past work.
- Release Date
- December 5, 2024
- Network
- Max
Cast
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The Bride (voice) -
Sean GunnGI Robot / Weasel (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Each character is given their time in the spotlight and their own satisfying backstories.
- Once again, Gunn perfectly meshes together the comedy and melodrama within a superhero story.
- The animation style suits the tone of the series, never feeling too cartoonish or too flat.
- Much like many other modern superhero stories, Creature Commandos has a bit of a villain problem.
Creature Commandos
Cast
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Sean Gunn
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In "Creature Commandos," Amanda Waller assembles a covert team of monstrous operatives, including a werewolf, vampire, and gorgon, to undertake high-risk missions deemed too perilous for human agents.
- Release Date
- December 5, 2024
- Franchise(s)
- DC
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- James Gunn
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