While many are looking to James Gunn’s Superman next summer as the big kick-off for his and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, the franchise is actually getting started with Creature Commandos. The animated series on Max is another brainchild of Gunn’s, with its very announcement reminding fans of both Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. Somehow, Creature Commandos lives up to both of those comparisons, channeling the quintessential heart and dark humor that have become calling cards of Gunn’s found-family stories, and delivering the best possible start to the budding DCU.
Creature Commandos is based on the team of monsters from DC Comics that was created in the 1980s by J. M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick. Originally a World War II team, they were brought into the modern times by Tim Truman and Scot Eaton back in 2000. In this new animated series, the team is essentially acting as a replacement for the Suicide Squad, following the government’s shut down of Task Force X.
Videos by ComicBook.com
That’s right, the events of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1 are canon for Gunn’s DCU, and directly influence the start of Creature Commandos (though you definitely don’t have to watch those in order to enjoy this series). The show begins with Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) calling on the father of the late Rick Flag, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), to lead a new team of prisoners on a dangerous assignment. Since the rule put in place by the government states that Belle Reeve can’t use “human” prisoners for missions anymore, Waller decides to throw together a team of monsters to make things happen.
The team includes the Bride of Frankenstein (Indira Varma), Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao), Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), and the returning Weasel (also Sean Gunn). Flag leads the ragtag crew to try and protect a foreign princess (Maria Bakalova), as she has become the target of the dangerous villain Circe (Anya Chalotra). In addition to that very complicated situation, which also involves an army of American incels and a potential apocalypse scenario, the Bride is being chased down by the obsessive Frankenstein (David Harbour).
Creature Commandos manages to not only tell this tale over the course of its seven half-hour episodes (the show is seriously a breeze), but it also takes a deep dive into the origins of every single one of its lead characters. In true James Gunn fashion, each of them is layered, pretty funny, and completely devastating. Prepare for G.I. Robot to become your favorite DC character. Get ready to want to be best friends with Nina Mizursky. Expect to be totally shocked by how incredible a character Weasel actually is.
In all seriousness, the Weasel backstory you didn’t think you needed will rip your heart into pieces and leave you asking for more. It’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 levels of wonderful, gut-wrenching pain.
[RELATED: DC Unveils First Creature Commandos Shirts and Toys]
That’s the thing about James Gunn’s work that stands out from so much else in the comic book space right now. He has always had a knack for making you laugh and cry in equal measure, while never sacrificing the story to do so. He makes it clear in this show that, with his vision for the DCU, story will always come first.
And that story that Gunn & Company spin here is very much an adult one, if that wasn’t already clear from the trailers. The violence is extra bloody and the language doesn’t hold back. Creature Commandos never shies away from its darkness, knowing full well that an adult approach is just the correct way to utilize the characters and this journey that they’re on. Nothing is off-limits, which is great news. Whether it’s a secret love affair between the Princess and a member of the team, or the complete massacre of a room full of Nazis, this series isn’t going to pull any punches.
Like both Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos uses its group of outcasts to find the tiny pockets of hope littered throughout a dark and scary world. Yes, these monsters can also be terrifying, but they’re often the most human characters in the story. They each come with their own baggage (which feels totally understandable when you experience their backstories), yet each of them finds reasons to persist in the face of something more sinister than themselves. There’s that classic found-family element that really gets you rooting for this team of weirdos, even if you may not have liked them all quite as much if they were on their own. Once you start to learn about them as individuals, though, even that will change a bit.
It’s hard to think of a group of characters better suited for laying the groundwork of a new franchise. Without the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, or any of the truly iconic characters from DC lore, the sandbox feels vast and empty. There are limitless possibilities, which is something that Gunn and the team and DC take full advantage of.
This is especially true when it comes to the villains of the show. I don’t want to get into the Circe of it all, because there are a ton of twists and turns to that narrative that are best left unspoiled. Frankenstein, however, sets an almost unreasonably high bar for antagonists in this budding universe. This guy is a true monster in every sense of the word. He’s obsessed with a woman in a way that “toxic” doesn’t even begin to describe. He has incredible strength and ingenuity. He’s beyond narcissistic. Yet, somehow, he’s one of the most enjoyable characters in a show filled with enjoyable characters.
A big reason for that is David Harbour’s electric performance. Really, that’s true of this entire cast. The vocal work throughout Creature Commandos is impeccable, and it makes me giddy thinking about the whole “same actors in animation and live-action” rule that this new DCU has already said it’s going to live by. Indira Varma embodies the Bride in such a commanding way, leaving you dying to know just what she’ll be able to do with the live-action version of the character.
By the end of its seven-episode run, you’ll fall in love with every single member of this team, and perhaps almost every character on the show. Creature Commandos gives you just enough time to get to know each of them, and hooks you into their story, without ever overstaying its welcome. In other words, it’s exactly what you need to launch a massive franchise like the DCU.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Creature Commandos premiers on Max Thursday, December 5th.
