How the ‘Creature Commandos’ Season 1 Finale Sets Up the DCU Future

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  • New Commandos
  • Rick Flag Demoted
  • Global Conflicts on the Rise in the DCU
  • Other Future Set-Ups

Spoiler warning for Creature Commandos Season 1

The animated series titled “Creature Commandos” concluded its inaugural season, setting up numerous intriguing twists for the future within the DC Universe. Over seven episodes, this show explored the backstories of its primary characters and subtly teased upcoming DC characters such as the Metal Men, Batman, and Clayface ahead of his 2026 movie debut. This animated series serves as the initial installment in The DCU’s Chapter 1 – Gods and Monsters, which will carry on with future titles like “Superman,” “Peacemaker” Season 2, “Lanterns,” and “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

In the final episode of “Creature Commandos,” titled “A Very Funny Monster,” we found a poignant and fulfilling end to the show’s inaugural season, while also subtly indicating where the DC Universe might be headed in future stories. Although James Gunn clarified that each project within the DCU stands independently without being explicitly designed as setup for another, there are still hints and clues planted that could blossom into larger narratives. Interestingly, as “Creature Commandos” marks the beginning of this new cinematic universe (excluding the already established “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker” Season 1), the animated series might be subtly hinting at not only a plot twist in “Superman,” but also several other upcoming projects.

New Commandos

Towards the finale of “Creature Commandos”, it’s unveiled that The Bride is chosen to head a fresh squadron of Commandos. The lineup includes veterans such as Doctor Phosphorus and The Weasel, plus a colossal, revamped G.I. Robot. Notably, King Shark, a former member of Task Force X in “The Suicide Squad”, also joins the team. Additionally, we encounter two characters who previously made brief, silent appearances in episode four, “Chasing Squirrels”: the vampire Nosferata and the mummy Khalis.

The animated series “Creature Commandos” is officially coming back for Season 2, promising to carry on with the team’s thrilling escapades. Similar to Season 1, we can expect a deeper exploration into the origins of familiar characters and revelations about events unseen by fans. Additionally, the show may shed light on King Shark’s potential ties to Aquaman, given that Jason Momoa, who played Aquaman in the DCEU, will instead play Lobo in “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.” This means a recasting for the role of King Shark is likely.

Regarding the two new characters, it’s possible that Khalis shares a significant history with Hawkgirl, who is portrayed by Isabela Merced in the upcoming Superman film. Khalis is depicted as a mummy high priest, and in numerous interpretations of Hawkgirl’s origin story, she was initially an Egyptian princess. In the context of Superman, her character is Kendra Saunders, who, in some comic book versions, is revealed to be part of the reincarnation line of the ancient Egyptian princess Chay-Ara. This includes the Golden Age Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders-Hall, in one such version. If Khalis discovers that an old enemy has been reborn yet again, it could lead to Hawkgirl appearing in his flashbacks and potentially influencing the current plot of Creature Commandos.

Rick Flag Demoted

Now that The Bride assumes command of The Creature Commandos, Rick Flag finds himself jobless due to his actions against Amanda Waller. He disobeyed orders and secretly investigated Circe, jeopardizing the team’s mission. This betrayal led to Nina Mazursky’s tragic death. Although Waller initially supported Flag’s decision to expose Clayface’s deceit, The Bride’s revelation about Princess Ilana Rostovic’s deception may have put him in a precarious position with Amanda Waller.

Readers are aware that Frank Grillo will once again play Rick Flag in Superman, but due to filming another project, he couldn’t dye his hair white as usual. Despite this change, Flag continues to collaborate with Waller, albeit without leading the Creature Commandos, who are absent from Superman. Instead, Flag seems to be taking on a significant role as a Peacemaker. The post-credit scene of The Suicide Squad suggests that John Economos and Emilia Harcourt have been tasked with working alongside Peacemaker as punishment for their past transgressions. It remains unclear whether Rick Flag is aware that Peacemaker was responsible for the death of his son, Rick Flag Jr., or if this information has been kept from him by Amanda Waller and may come to light in Season 2.

Global Conflicts on the Rise in the DCU

In a swift fashion, the DC Universe has introduced its unique alternate world to audiences, filled with numerous fictional nations. For instance, the setting for The Suicide Squad was Corto Maltese, a South American country, while most of the action in Creature Commandos unfolded in Pokolistan, a European nation that is also the birthplace of both Eric Frankenstein and The Bride. Additionally, it was shown in the series that Gotham criminal Rupert Throne was trying to sell dangerous information to the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Bialya. The upcoming Superman film seems to hint at a storyline involving the invasion of Boravia, a fictional nation, into a neighboring country, Jarhanpur. Jarhanpur was previously mentioned in Creature Commandos as one of the places where Rick Flag served.

In my humble opinion as a film critic, the cold-blooded assassination of Princess Ilana Rostovic could spark a chain reaction that reshapes the DC Universe as we know it. Her ambitions for global conquest and the ignition of World War III may have been momentarily thwarted by her demise, but the ripple effects are palpable.

Boravia’s impending invasion of Jarhanpur, as seen in Superman, might be spurred on by a failed assassination attempt on another foreign leader, much like how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand ignited World War I. If Circe’s vision is to come true, it seems inevitable that Rostovic’s death was merely the spark that set off this new global conflagration.

As the world teeters on the edge of war and hope appears elusive, one can’t help but wonder if this isn’t a crisis for which only Superman is equipped to handle.

Other Future Set-Ups

Beyond the final episode, the animated series Creature Commandos has left fans intrigued with hints about not just new characters but potential future projects. Already, news has broken about an upcoming Clayface film, and the appearance of Clayface in Creature Commandos leaves us wondering if the Clayface from the show matches the one in the movie. To date, there have been eight different versions of Clayface in DC Comics, and the version seen in Creature Commandos hasn’t been specified yet. Although details about the upcoming Clayface film are scarce, it is rumored to be a horror origin story, which could mean it may connect with this particular character. However, it is uncertain whether Clayface is deceased, so the movie might continue the storyline or introduce something new – only time will tell.

After that, we have Will Magnus, who originated The Metal Men. As early as 2012, during the pre-DCEU era (the last shared DC Universe), plans for a Metal Men movie were already underway, with Barry Sonnenfeld, known for directing Men in Black, set to lead the project. More recently, in 2021, renowned directors John Musker and Ron Clements from Disney animation signed up to direct an animated Metal Men film. Although no official updates have been shared, given that Will Magnus was a part of the animated series Creature Commandos and the design for Gold, one of the Metal Men, was revealed, it seems plausible that the animated movie is still in development within the DCU. Notably, Alan Tudyk, who voiced Will Magnus, has previously collaborated with Musker and Clements as the voice actor for Heihei in Moana.

To put it simply, in the ongoing narrative, we can’t help but notice the presence of Batman. Batman was hinted at in the episode focusing on Doctor Phosphorus, and he also appeared in the apocalyptic vision shown to Amanda Waller by Circe. Although Batman is scheduled for his own movie titled The Brave and the Bold, a release date has yet to be announced. Interestingly, the series Creature Commandos suggests that this version of Batman might be older, given Doctor Phosphorus’ mention that he was transformed 15 years prior to the series’ events.

With Peacemaker referencing the Joker, Riddler, and Mad Hatter, and now Creature Commandos featuring Doctor Phosphorus and Clayface, it seems that the Dark Knight of DCU has already faced many of his most formidable adversaries. This allows the upcoming Brave and the Bold and future Batman stories to venture beyond origin tales and delve into unexplored themes and storylines that previous Batman films could not. In a single series, Creature Commandos has skillfully set the stage for future developments and created a franchise that fans will be eager to delve deeper into.

All episodes of Creature Commandos are streaming on Max.

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2025-01-11 06:04