- Creature Commandos episode 6 reveals the DCU's Batman for the first time
- The Dark Knight can be seen near the end of the Max show's latest chapter
- There's still no word on who'll play him in James Gunn's rebooted superhero franchise
Creature Commandos episode 6 has provided a first official look at the DC Cinematic Universe's (DCU) Batman, and it's a justifiable disappointment.
The Max show's penultimate episode, titled 'Priyalat Skelet', gives us our best look yet at the DCU's take on the legendary crimefighter. Well, if you discount Batman's appearance in Creature Commandos episode 4's harrowing Justice League premonition.
Full spoilers immediately follow for Creature Commandos' latest chapter, so turn back now if you haven't seen it yet.
So, when does Batman show up? The Caped Crusader can be seen in the final flashback of Doctor Phosphorus's tragic backstory. After the irradiated supervillain enacts revenge on Rupert Thorne for killing his wife and son, Phosphorus takes control of Thorne's Gotham City-based criminal empire. A montage of Phosphorus reimagining Thorne's enterprise in his own image follows, with the former scientist clearly trying to use his newfound status and wealth to replace what he's lost and bury his trauma.
Unfortunately, Phosphorus's days as a Gotham crime lord are numbered. During a party at one of Phosphorus's night clubs, the lights suddenly go out. Unsure what's going on, Phosphorus looks up at the night club's skylight to see the Dark Knight gazing down at the criminals on display. A flash of lightning – a pleasing nod to the beloved Batman: The Animated Series' intro sequence – lights up the sky behind Batman. We don't get to see what happens next but, considering Phosphorus is one of the five metahumans incarcerated at Belle Reve Penitentiary at the start of Creature Commandos, it's clear he was apprehended by Bruce Wayne's vigilante and sent to jail.
Really, we should've expected Batman to appear at some point in one of the best Max shows. Phosphorus is just one of many members of Batman's iconic rogues gallery, so it makes sense that he'd run into the legendary superhero in this DCU Chapter One project.
What's less surprising is the fact that we still don't know who'll play Bruce Wayne and his brooding alias in the DCU. Batman doesn't speak in the R-rated animated show's sixth episode, so nobody isn't credited as playing him in Creature Commandos' latest instalment. DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran haven't found somebody to play him in Warner Bros' rebooted superhero franchise, either. Indeed, The Brave and the Bold, the first Batman-fronted project in the DCU, is still in very early development, so it'll be some time before a cast announcement is made. In short: Batman's appearance in Creature Commandos isn't as satisfying or stunning as it could've been but, given the circumstances, his silent cameo is nonetheless forgivable.
