I was working in the lab one night when my eyes beheld an eerie sight. The Creature Commandos began to rise, and suddenly, to my surprise, a new look at the upcoming DC Universe animation attacked my eyes. Ahead of the show’s presence at San Diego Comic-Con, DC is giving fans a new and frighteningly fantastic look at Creature Commandos, the first television series in the rebooted DC Universe from DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn.
In addition to David Harbour as Frankenstein, the cast of Creature Commandos includes Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Indira Varma as The Bride, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Steve Agee as John Economos, Sean Gunn as Weasel, and James Gunn as the mechanical soldier G.I. Robot.
Plot details for Creature Commandos remain a mystery. Still, we know the series events occur after Peacemaker, which is moving into a second season as part of the upcoming DC Universe slate. Viola Davis is also featured in Creature Commandos as the formidable Amanda Waller. Waller keeps her distance while pulling the Creature Commandos’ strings after the disastrous results of her failed Task Force X project. Instead of risking human lives, Waller instructs the group of monsters to continue pushing her agenda from the shadows.
The first chapter of the DCU is titled Gods and Monsters. On the slate, co-head of DC Studios Peter Safran noted in 2023, “As we craft the plan for DC Studios, we are thrilled to share with fans the first 10 stories they can expect from the unified DC Universe featuring some of our most well-known characters as well as the next generation of marquee characters.” He added: “Chapter 1 tells cohesive stories that highlight love, compassion, and the innate goodness of the human spirit, all designed to minimize audience confusion and maximize audience engagement across platforms.” Creature Commandos shambles onto Max in December.
Are you excited about Creature Commandos? Do you think DC plans to share a preview of the show at San Diego Comic-Con? If you want a taste of Creature Commando action, I recommend reading Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (2011-2013) by Jeff Lemire. The comic series doesn’t feature the same team as Gunn’s upcoming animation, but it has a similar concept and vibe.