Who’s ready to get DCU’d? The DC Universe officially kicks into gear with Creature Commandos, creator and writer James Gunn’s 7-episode adult animation romp that channels some Suicide Squad similarities — and now streaming on Max. Because who among us wasn’t clamoring for more Weasel? That anthropomorphic weirdo isn’t the only Suicide holdover here: Viola Davis returns as Amanda Waller, Frank Grillo is the late Rick Flag’s dad, Steve Agee’s John Economos is along for the ride, and in general, the Creature Commandos are the non-people America sends to do its international dirty work, despite themselves. There is bloodshed. Clothes are shed. And David Harbour plays a Frankenstein’s monster who prefers to be called Eric. Break those chains, classically-animated Superman logo! This is the new DCU as James Gunn has imagined it.
Opening Shot: At Belle Reve Correctional Center, Amanda Waller (Davis) and Rick Flag, Sr. (Grillo) are watching a news report. (Cameo alert: it’s the voice of CNN’s Jake Tapper.) “The Sons of Themyscira” have crossed the border into the country of Pokolistan at the behest of their leader, an Amazonian sorceress/terrorist known as Circe (Anya Chalotra).
The Gist: If Waller’s gonna send Flag to Pokolistan to protect American interests there, including its leader, Princess Ilana Rostovic (Maria Bakalova), then he’s gonna need a team. Which is where the inhabitants of the A.R.G.U.S. honcho’s “Non-Human Internment” facility come in. Meet the Bride (Indira Varma) – she used to be a corpse; actually, corpses; it’s a long story, and Commandos will get into it – the irradiated skull known as Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), aqua-climatized scientist Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao), the WWII-vintage G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), and the aforementioned Weasel (also Sean Gunn), who survived the Suicide Squad’s fated mission to destroy Project Starfish.
Though the team arrives in Pokolistan without incident – only one painful shock to their unruly systems administered by Rick Flag, Sr. via his special Waller-issued remote – their mission parameters soon prove to be murky. The Sons of Themyscira, basically an assortment of armed, mouth-breathing “Men’s Rights” dunderheads, are nevertheless keeping tabs on the Commandos for Cerce, their sworn leader. And though Princess Ilana takes an immediate liking to Flag, and the team is welcomed in general, it still feels like something’s rotten in Pokolistan. And that’s before Phosphorus gets in a fire fight with Flag. Take that literally.
Yes, James Gunn is co-chairman and the creative lead on the newly-minted DCU, and Creature Commandos is that interconnected universe’s first official stop. But a cartoon version of Gunn also appears in the series credits, and his personal house style is all over its look, lines, and tone. In short, Commandos is as much a Gunn joint standalone as it is the start of something bigger.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Marquee adult animation is having a moment right now. Max features a faithful new adaptation of Watchmen. Netflix recently put out the bloody, occasionally naughty cartoon fantasy epic Twilight of the Gods, which continues its relationship with Zack Snyder. And the streamer also features a promising new sci-fi/anime series, Tokyo Override.
Our Take: The adult-animation space is a win for the writing of James Gunn, because it allows him to freely indulge in both gross-out laughs (Weasel errantly peeing on his teammates) and a sense of outrageous bloodshed (G.I. Robot, with his articulated arm gun, keeping an oral tally of vintage Nazi KIAs). But Gunn is a guy who loves tenderness, too, and the universality of the human condition, even when his characters aren’t quite human themselves. Creature Commandos only requires ten of its first episode’s 22 minutes to establish all of this as its tone, and it’s immediately endearing.
Of course, so is the terrific Indira Varma, as the Bride, dressing down a pushy Pokolistan palace guard. “I don’t need a schedule, Sir Douche-a-Lot.” As a line, it’s a fun spiritual throwback to Peter Quill telling Rocket he’s cybernetically engineered to be a douchebag. But the Rocket character arc is also relevant to Creature Commandos, since by the third installment of Guardians, it was the space raccoon’s plight as a creature of circumstance that tugged all the heartstrings. “Creature” is right in the title this time around, and Gunn seems ready to lean into making the individuals on this new team layered and dimensional, not just unstable and fantastical. Believe us: whenever Alan Tudyk’s veteran voice acting references how Dr. Phosphorus is smiling behind his glowing rictus, because of the depth, it’s easy to agree whether his unchanging grin is either totally sarcastic or completely genuine. Creature Commandos thrives in the space between those two options.
Sex and Skin: Both!
Parting Shot: “My Bride! I’ve found you!” Remember the enjoyably broad Eastern European accent David Harbour was doing in Black Widow? A version of it has returned for Creature Commandos, where his Eric Frankenstein suddenly has a new lease on life.
Sleeper Star: Zoë Chao is an early standout in Commandos as Nina Mazursky. Even with the gills and her glass bowl breathing apparatus, she’s the most conventional member of the team. But there’s something intriguing floating around inside her quiet temperament.
Most Pilot-y Line: Across her numerous DC-branded appearances (Suicide Squad, Peacemaker; the upcoming spin-off Waller), and as she transforms into a cartoon without missing a beat, Viola Davis continues to keep Amanda Waller dialed in delivering droll, cutting quips. “If Princess Ilana is overthrown by some nutjob in a witch’s hat, all bets are off.”
Our Call: STREAM IT! Creature Commandos features a ton of James Gunn’s trademark wit and sweetness, lots of gleeful destruction, an adult-animation-worthy helping of boobs and butts and stuff, and for comic book heads, a shared visual aesthetic and the deliberate centering of oddball characters straight off the page.
Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.