Creature Commandos star Sean Gunn explains why the first DCU TV show will 'feel very different' to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movies

The Creature Commandos being held at gunpoint in their self-titled Max series

"Wait wait wait – what do you mean we look like some kind of Guardians of the Galaxy?'' (Image credit: Max/DC Studios)

Creature Commandos star Sean Gunn has revealed how it differs from The Guardians of the Galaxy films
Gunn, who played Kraglin in those Marvel movies, plays two characters in the forthcoming DCU TV show
He says Creature Commandos will "feel very different" to the James Gunn-directed MCU flicks

One of Creature Commandos' voice actors doesn't think the forthcoming DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) TV series can be compared to The Guardians of the Galaxy (GoTG) films.

Well, not completely, anyway. Speaking exclusively to TechRadar before Creature Commandos is released on December 5, Sean Gunn suggested there are a couple of key differences between the groups of ragtag misfits who are thrown together by happenstance.

Ever since Creature Commandos was announced as part of DCU Chapter One in January 2023, people have routinely likened one property to the other for myriad reasons. Has James Gunn, Sean's brother and DC Studios' new co-chief, had a role in bringing the duo to life? Yes. Do they feature a cast of superpowered oddballs who are lost and alone? Double yes. And are they tasked with saving the world and/or universe from a potentially cataclysmic event? Triple yes.

Rick Flag Sr leads his supervillain team out of a plane in Creature Commandos — *Creature Commandos* will be the first project to launch as James Gunn's rebooted cinematic franchise (Image credit: Max/DC Studios)

However, for Sean Gunn, who played Kraglin and was Rocket Raccoon's mocap performer in all three GotG movies, that's where the similarities end. Indeed, the former Marvel actor, who voices G.I. Robot and Weasel in this DCU Chapter One show, suggested the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) flicks actually have less in common with Creature Commandos than people think, and that the latter is more akin to 2021's The Suicide Squad film – the first movie James Gunn directed for DC.

"It's interesting because, for all the similarities, it [Creature Commandos] feels very different to me," Gunn told me. "All of the characters in Guardians – they're really good people or individuals, whether they're raccoons or sentient trees. They're good-hearted and they find the strength to be heroic.

"The Creature Commandos are not that. They have their individual stories and some of them are good natured, but some definitely aren't. They're all trying to survive in a world that doesn't accept them and that part of it [the story] is what feels very different. There's not the camaraderie that there is in Guardians – they're just forced together by [Viola Davis'] Amanda Waller and coerced into going on this mission that they might not come back from."

'I don't know what went into his choosing of these characters'

A shot from Creature Commandos' trailer showing six team members in an army plane — "Yeah, I don't know why I'm here, either, Doc" (Image credit: Max/DC Studios)

Just like The Guardians of the Galaxy, the Creature Commandos' line-up has been chopped and changed throughout DC Comics history. Indeed, the eponymous supergroup has featured around 20 different anti-heroes and supervillains since the team's debut in November 1980. In fact, some of the characters who appear in Max's animated adaptation, such as Doctor Phosphorus and Weasel, have never been a part of the group in the literature. That circa-20 figure, then, will only grow once Creature Commandos debuts on one of the world's best streaming services.

How, then, did the series' creators settle on the R-rated show's line-up of humans and superpowered individuals? According to showrunner and executive producer Dean Lorey, the series' predominantly metahuman roster was decided upon by one key member of DC Studios' chief creative team.

"That's probably a question for James Gunn, because he wrote the show" Lorey told me with a chuckle during another exclusive chat. "So, I don't know what went into his particular choosing of those characters.

"But, I know that, for all of us, we really loved being able to pay homage to classic horror movie characters, like Frankenstein's Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein. So, a lot of it was trying to infuse the show with those mythological figures, as well as an Eastern European look and feel, in terms of the art style and palette."

I'll be bringing you more exclusive coverage of the first project to emerge from DCU Chapter One, aka Gods and Monsters, ahead of and after its release. Be sure to check back in with TechRadar, then, for more shortly. In the meantime, you can read other DCU-centric news and hubs in the section below.

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As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.

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