Back in 2022, James Gunn and Peter Safran were named Co-CEOs of DC Studios. With that change in leadership, they decided to reboot the entire DC Universe, moving on from the universe started by Zack Snyder with Man of Steel. With the most recent release of Creature Commandos, this marks the first property in the new DCU. Though Gunn has stated that Superman: Legacy will technically be the first film that kicks off his new universe.
Creature Commandos, written and created by Gunn, is an adult animated TV series that debuted on Max back in early December. The show revolves around a group of monsters who are sent on a special mission to protect the princess of Pokolistan from assassination that could result in all-out war. It’s very similar to Suicide Squad in that the characters sent on the mission are considered to be expendable since they are monsters who have been locked up in a special prison away from society. That’s the basic plot without getting into too much detail or spoilers for the show.
As you all know, I am a very big fan of animation, and I think James Gunn’s foray into the genre was extremely well-crafted and thought out. Each episode gave us a glimpse into each monster’s backstory. Most of them are tragic, of course. But it really highlighted just how human these creatures really are. The writing is part goofy and part serious, which James Gunn really excels at with his stories.
I’ve seen a few DC animated films over the years and the style basically stays the same. With Creature Commandos, the style is more of a blend of anime and classic superhero cartoons we grew up watching. The biggest difference being that this show is targeted at an older audience given all the extreme violence and coarse language. For me, being the first DC property to be released, it comes out of the gate swinging. I only wish that the first season had more than 7 episodes but I understand the reason it’s cut short. Animation, like everything these days, is incredibly expensive to make.
There are a number of great actors voicing the characters such as Indira Varma as The Bride, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Sean Gunn as both G.I. Robot and Weasel, Zoe Chao as Nina, David Harbour as Frankenstein, and Frank Grillo as Rick Flag. From the rumors I read, if these characters appear in any live-action capacity, the voice actors will reprise them in live action, which, if true, is a really great idea, and something I look forward to. All of the above mentioned actors do a stellar job of bringing these characters to life. Especially Alan Tudyk because, well, it’s Alan Tudyk and he has been voice acting for years. I would love to see his character in live-action. It looked badass in the TV series and it will look badass in live-action.
Based on the strong start with Creature Commandos, I’m excited to see the new Superman movie this summer, especially since the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy was excellent from top to bottom. I will admit, the old DCEU started off strong, but then it sort of went downhill so I’m looking forward to seeing what else James Gunn has to offer this franchise.
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