Light spoilers follow for Creature Commandos.
It's been eight years since DC Comics' mainline universe was rebooted for the fifth time. Back then, the comic giant's latest relaunch, titled 'DC Rebirth', was viewed as an apology to fans for the creative missteps that DC made with its unpopular 'New 52' literary line-up.
Now, DC's cinematic franchise has similarly undergone a hard reset. By the time it ended in late 2023, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), Warner Bros' first attempt at replicating the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with iconic DC superheroes, had run out of track. Indeed, whether it was the tonal whiplash from movie to movie, bad characterization, studio interference, controversies surrounding certain DCEU actors, or a combination of two or more of these issues, it was a dead franchise walking. 'DC Rebirth', then, would be an equally apt title for James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) if it hadn't been used before.
Rather than usher in this new era with a tentpole movie starring a legendary hero like Superman or Batman, though, Gunn and Safran's franchise reset is curiously led by Creature Commandos, an adult animated series that shines the spotlight on numerous B-tier supervillains and anti-heroes. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my time with this freakishly fun first foray into DC Studios' reanimated shared universe, even if it's a show not without its abnormalities.
Monster mash
Set after the events of DCEU projects The Suicide Squad and season 1 of Peacemaker – I'll discuss the confusing crossover between both cinematic universes later – Creature Commandos opens on Rick Flag Sr (Frank Grillo), a decorated military officer visiting Belle Reve, a prison facility that houses supervillains and anti-heroes. There, Flag meets ARGUS commander Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who tasks him with leading the titular group of ragtag monsters, also known as Task Force M, on a death-defying mission.
The assignment? Protect Princess Ilana (Maria Bakalova), the de facto leader of fictional Eastern European nation Pokolistan, from a supremely powerful sorceress known as Circe (Anya Chalotra). The reason? The US government is trying to strike a deal with Pokolistan for their – surprise surprise – untapped oil reserves.
The tonal chasm between Creature Commandos and the Guardians movies couldn't be starker
By its very nature, Creature Commandos sounds a lot like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movie trilogy. Gunn wrote and directed those MCU films, and penned all seven scripts for this series, so comparisons between the two, especially from a social outcast ensemble perspective, are inevitable.
But the tonal chasm between the pair couldn't be starker. Sure, Gunn's trademark humor and penchant for telling heart-wrenching, character-driven stories permeate Creature Commandos' overarching plot. But, as Sean Gunn, James' brother and frequent collaborator who voices the anthropomorphic Weasel and Nazi-hunting G.I. Robot, told me, the DCU's first TV show feels "very different" to the Guardians movies.
He isn't wrong. Unlike Gunn's live-action Guardians films, Creature Commandos is unashamedly gruesome in a way that only animated projects can be. Whether it's heads gratuitously exploding in a hail of gunfire, Doctor Phosphorus' (Alan Tudyk) thermokinetic powers melting his foes in graphic detail, or limbs being ripped from people's bodies, the anime-flavored series isn't afraid to dial up the hyperviolence. In that sense, its brutal action sequences, of which there were enough to satisfy me and juxtapose the show's melodrama, are more comparable to The Suicide Squad than Guardians of the Galaxy.
Are we human, or are we monsters?
Creature Commandos doesn't solely rely on its ultraviolent tendencies to illicit an emotional response. Gunn's writing is as admired for its gut punches as much as its darkly comedic sensibilities, so I fully expected it to be a tear-jerking watch.
Nevertheless, I was surprised by the number of emotionally devastating moments that populate it. In addition to following Creature Commandos' central plot, individual chapters, from episode 2 onwards, flesh out a specific monster's story – via a series of flashbacks – that provide important insights into each creature's trauma-laced past and do a largely good job of humanizing Task Force M's superpowered individuals. Some of these trips down memory lane, such as Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao) and Weasel's, are absolutely soul-crushing to bear witness to. Others, though, are either disappointing in their storytelling execution – the end of Eric Frankenstein's (David Harbour) is particularly vexing – or, like Doctor Phosphorus' origin story, narratively thin and hurried.
I was surprised by the number of emotionally devastating moments that populate Creature Commandos
Doctor Phosphorus' retrospective is among the examples whereby this DCU Chapter One project's genre harmony is at its weakest. At its core, Creature Commandos is a tragicomedy, so a delicate balance needs to be struck between moments of levity and those of a distressing nature. However, it's a blend that Creature Commandos doesn't always get right, with the emotional impact of some of its most agonizing scenes lessened by the immediate delivery of a witty one-liner or an ill-timed mood change.
That's not to say that every tonal shift is jarring. Some, which had me laughing one minute and figuratively ripped out my heart the next, work really well. Even so, there's more than one instance where Creature Commandos' handbrake turns between its comedic and tragic leanings are discombobulating.
It's a problem hampered further by Creature Commandos' plot pacing. Episodes clock in between 21 and 28 minutes, which are ordinarily suitable for animated productions. That said, Creature Commandos' episodic runtimes make it feel sluggish and rushed at various point, while its primary story has the air of being constricted as it battles the Max show's flashback sequences for screen time. A case in point is how quickly Flag Sr and Ilana's arc evolves from strangers to salacious seduction – a scenario that plays out in the premiere's first 15 minutes and feels narratively unearned.
Creature Commandos' episodic runtimes make it feel sluggish and rushed at various point
And what of the elephant in the room I alluded to earlier, i.e. that some plot points from some DCEU projects are quizzically carried over into Gunn and Safran's new look DCU? The short answer, according to Gunn, is any DCEU event referenced in Creature Commandos, such as Waller's throwaway comment on The Suicide Squad's Project Starfish assignment, and other DCU projects is considered canon in DC's rebooted cinematic franchise. Still, I maintain the belief that such references will bewilder anyone who hasn't watched the aforementioned duo, especially if some viewers seek more information on them and then wonder why Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad exist in a completely different franchise.
Friend or foe
Like most Gunn-developed projects, Creature Commandos is at its strongest when it focuses on its eclectic cast of characters and the awkward-yet-amusing interactions between them. Indeed, forced to co-operate by Waller and Flag Sr, the titular group's bickering, physical squabbles, and regular misunderstandings make for entertaining viewing.
Of the show's numerous dynamics, The Bride and Nina's is the most developed
There are moments of genuine warmth between some of Task Force M's oddball personalities, though, as certain relationships evolve. Of the show's numerous dynamics, The Bride (Indira Varma) and Nina's is the most developed. There's a real satisfaction to the progression of this complex female bond, with the pair's distinct personas, worldviews, and experiences dovetailing to pleasing effect and allowing a genuine friendship to form.
The odd-couple partnership between Frankenstein and Flag Sr, which develops in Creature Commandos' latter half, is similarly effective. Although not as endearing as The Bride and Nina's dynamic, their bromance might be the funniest fellowship in the entire show. Much of its success is down to Harbour's impetuous but incredibly dangerous man-child, who fulfils the role of a secondary antagonist as he pursues The Bride in a screwball comedy manner throughout the series. Energized by the Stranger Things star's comedic timing and expert line delivery, Frankenstein's tragic hilarity made me laugh out loud more than once. In my mind, he's easily Creature Commandos' most valuable asset and elevates the entire show.
If I had one criticism of Creature Commandos' character-driven element, I wish it explored other dynamics in the same manner as the aforementioned ones. Some can't be examined more thoroughly due to how its story unfolds but others, such as The Bride and Doctor Phosphorus' fractious bond, are only studied in a limited capacity.
Could this, and other issues I had with Creature Commandos, be rectified in a second season? Perhaps but, at the time of writing, there's nothing to report on another outing for the majority of its kooky-yet-lethal cast. Even if another installment isn't greenlit, there'll be ample opportunity to see some characters in other DCU projects, such as Grillo's Flag Sr, who's already confirmed to appear in Gunn's Superman movie and Peacemaker season 2, which arrive next July and August.
My verdict
Despite my nit-pickings, Creature Commandos is a show I had fun with. Indeed, it's a highly satisfying entry point to the DCU that not only sets the stage for DC Studios' forthcoming projects, but puts the onus on its lineup of new movies and shows to tell just as solid, if not better, stories about the comic titan's most popular and underrated characters.
Could Creature Commandos have been better? Certainly, but it still does a good job of telling a compelling story and establishing version 2.0 of DC's cinematic universe. Maybe I've significantly lowered my expectations after the DCEU's wildly inconsistent nature of its forebear, but Creature Commandos is a monstrously solid start to the DCU. For the time being, that's worth accepting.
Creature Commandos debuts on Max with a two-episode premiere on Thursday, December 5, after which new episodes air weekly. UK and Australian release dates are TBC.
