CREATURE COMMANDOS. The Beginning of a New DC Universe by James Gunn

After a decade of highs and lows, constant struggles, production nightmares, executive indecision, and fierce defense against critics’ aggression, the DC cinematic universe has come to an end. It died with The Flash, decayed further posthumously with Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, only to be reborn as the new DC Universe! Its first chapter, grandiosely titled Gods and Monsters, has just begun with the release of the animated Creature Commandos, whose first two episodes are now available for streaming on Max.

James Gunn, the eccentric mind who brought Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy to the big screen, helms the series – just as he oversees the entire rebooted DC Universe. His distinctive touch is immediately apparent here. Not only because the opening credits reveal that two main characters are voiced by his brother and that Gunn himself makes an animated cameo, but also because the series references events from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, his earlier DC projects. According to the new universe’s peculiar rule, any event from the old canon that is mentioned becomes part of the new canon. Above all, though, Creature Commandos is unmistakably a product of James Gunn’s signature style – packed with his quirky humor, emotional undertones, and vivid imagination.

The titular team seems like a fresh iteration of the Suicide Squad – but with a twist. This time, it’s led by Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), not Rick Flag Jr., and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assembles not imprisoned supervillains but super-monsters. The roster includes Frankenstein’s Bride (Indira Varma), the sarcastic Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), the gilled Mermaid (Zoe Chao), Nazi-hunting wartime G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), and the infamous Weasel from The Suicide Squad (also Sean Gunn).

Their escapades combine Gunn’s well-documented love for pulp comic characters and campy storytelling with crude, immature humor on one hand, and poignant loneliness emanating from nearly every character on the other. This blend is topped off with a high-energy soundtrack, inventive action sequences, and what one can assume will ultimately culminate in a touching realization that these misfits can form a somewhat dysfunctional family.

If you’ve enjoyed Gunn’s narrative approach in Super, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, or Peacemaker, you’ll likely have a good time here. However, there’s little in the way of fresh, groundbreaking content or techniques that go beyond what Gunn has already explored in those previous works. Likewise, Creature Commandos doesn’t serve as a bold, revolutionary start for the new DC Universe. Instead, it feels more like a spin-off of The Suicide Squad rather than a robust reboot of the franchise. That bold reset will likely come in July next year, with Gunn’s Superman, a film that promises to sever ties with the world built since Man of Steel.

Unless, of course, the remaining five episodes of Creature Commandos manage to pull off a Copernican revolution. Time will tell, as the famous Podlachian bard once said.

New episodes will be released weekly on Max, with the season finale scheduled for January 9th next year.