- First project in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new-look DC Cinematic Universe
- Arrives on Max in early December
- UK and Australian release dates and streaming platforms yet to be determined
- Will comprise seven episodes
- Main trailer released in mid-October
- Main voice cast revealed
- Plot synopsis unveiled and other story aspects teased
- Will set up story threads for future DCU movies and shows
Creature Commandos is ready to get James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) off to a monstrously good start. The forthcoming R-rated animated show will officially kick off DCU Chapter One, titled 'Gods and Monsters', in early December, and DC Studios' creative chiefs hope it'll help their new-look franchise to enjoy the best possible start.
Before Creature Commandos, arrives, I suspect you'll want to know more about the adult animated series, which is only confirmed to launch on Max in the US so far. Below, I've rounded up the latest news and rumors on DC's latest TV Original, including when it'll be released, who's part of its cast, its story brief, official trailer, and more.
Potential spoilers follow for Creature Commandos, so proceed with caution if you're trying to avoid them.
Creature Commandos release date
Announced in September, Creature Commandos' release date is set for on Thursday, December 5. It'll receive a one-episode premiere on launch day, with new installments airing weekly until its finale on January 16. With its first few episodes launching before the festive season, Creature Commandos will go up against two big Disney Plus series for viewers' attention, too.
Unfortunately for UK and Australian audiences, the project's Max launch date has only been confirmed so far, so I can't say when or where it'll be available to stream in these countries. However, I suspect it'll air on Sky/Now TV in the UK and Binge in Australia, with these platforms being home to other HBO and Max-developed series overseas. I'll update this section once more news is forthcoming.
Creature Commandos trailer
Creature Commandos' final trailer was released in mid-October. Its latest round of footage showcased more of the show's R-rated vibes, as well as the lashings of comedy and melodrama that'll punctuate its story (more on this later).
Missed it first teaser, which debuted in August? You can watch it below and, like the series' official trailer, it gave a tantalizing glimpse into the dynamics at play between its roster of superpowered misfits and the series' hyper-stylized animated look.
Creature Commandos cast: confirmed and rumored
Potential Creature Commandos spoilers follow.
Here's the confirmed cast for Creature Commandos so far:
- Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
- David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein
- Indira Varma as The Bride
- Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus
- Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot and Weasel
- Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky
- Anya Chalotra as Circe
- Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic
- Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
- Steve Agee as John Economos
The anthropomorphic Weasel's brief appearance in 2021's The Suicide Squad movie aside, none of the aforementioned characters have appeared in previous DC live-action or animated projects. So, who are they?
Rick Flag Sr. is the father of Rick Flag Jr. – the latter appearing in The Suicide Squad. Essentially, Flag Sr. is hired by Amanda Waller to keep the eccentric group of monsters and superpowered individuals in check. Like his son, Flag Sr. doesn't possess superhuman abilities, but his tactical know-how and leadership qualities make him the ideal candidate to be this group's commander-in-chief. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Gunn said Flag Sr. "isn't just a good guy, not at all" and that viewers can expect to see "a complex human being" when the show airs. Joining Flag Sr. and Waller on the human front is John Economos, who some people will recognize from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1.
Unsurprisingly, Frankenstein and The Bride are DC's take on the iconic horror couple. Considering Frankenstein is DC's answer to Bruce Banner/The Hulk – the mild-mannered but incredibly clever scientist who transforms into a green, monstrous entity when his anger gets the better of him – we expect Frankenstein to be a similarly super-strong and immortal being, too.
As for The Bride, she's also immortal and possesses other superhuman abilities, including super-strength. One key difference from her comic book counterpart, though, is that this iteration will have two arms rather than four. Responding to a fan on Threads (thanks to Reddit for the screenshot), Gunn also implied The Bride is "the lead character, in a lot of ways", so it sounds like she'll get plenty of screen time.
Doctor Phosphorus is a villain/anti-hero who can manipulate radiation and temperature levels, and burn his foes using his radioactive body. Meanwhile, Mazursky is an amphibious scientist who's more at home in the lab than out in the field. Indeed, outside of some basic hand-to-hand combat training, she's not action-oriented, but she makes up for it with her empathetic nature and ability to appeal other characters' humanity and compassion.
Elsewhere, G.I. Robot is a military android created to hunt down German soldiers during World War II. His mechanical exterior means he's bulletproof, but he also possesses superhuman strength and has guns implanted in his arms, which he can use to gun down his foes.
Rounding out the confirmed cast is Princess Ilana, an original character created for the series that the titular group, also known as Task Force M, is reportedly sent to protect. For reasons not announced prior to release, Ilana will be in the crosshairs of Circe, a master sorceress (and, originally, a Wonder Woman foe) who's basically DC's female answer to Marvel's Doctor Strange.
There are other characters who'll play supporting roles in Creature Commandos. As confirmed by Gunn on Instagram, Benjamin Byron Davis (Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2) will voice Rupert Thorne. The official trailer suggested we'll get brief glimpses at other monstrous beings, too, including Congorilla and Nosferata. Lastly, as IGN picked up on, Batman villain Clayface makes an unexpected appearance in the final trailer and, as a result, will feature in the show.
Creature Commandos story synopsis and rumors
Potential spoilers follow for Creature Commandos.
Here's the official, albeit brief, story synopsis, courtesy of a Max press release: "Creature Commandos tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option."
Not a lot to go on, but the trailers imply that the group will be tasked with keeping Princess Ilana safe from Circe. I'm not sure why they must protect her at all costs, or what Circe's endgame is, but I don't believe things will be as narratively straightforward as Creature Commandos' footage makes it out to be.
Overarching plot notwithstanding, Gunn has been fairly open about what we can expect from the series. Indeed, the DC Studios' co-head has provided intel via his personal Threads and Instagram accounts, at New York Comic Con, and in an EW interview (see the below quotes), to give us all a taste of what's to come.
"Creature Commandos is kind of like Guardians [of the Galaxy] without the sentimentality," Gunn said of the titular group. "The Guardians are all really good characters at their heart, and that just isn't necessarily the case with the creatures. [2025's] Superman is the true start of everything [in the DCU]... but this is a way for people to just take a little nibble and see what it tastes like. There are a ton of fun references to other DC stuff and a bunch of hints for things that are coming. So, I think it's just an extraordinarily fun way to start."
Speaking to The Wrap, showrunner and executive producer Dean Lorey also revealed it'll be "the first expression of Gunn's DC Universe", before adding "We’re considering that canon, and I think it expresses his perspective, tonally, on where he wants the universe to go. I think they [viewers] will be really encouraged to see how completely it’s going to inform this new version of the DCU."
The DCU isn't throwing out everything associated with the DCEU, though. As Gunn pointed out – via a pre-recorded message – at Annecy Film Festival 2024 (per The Hollywood Reporter (THR)), Task Force M's journey begins "directly after Peacemaker season 1, which leaves Waller with her hands tied operationally, meaning she’s no longer able to get away with putting human lives on the line to carry out her clandestine, morally questionable missions. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker."
Like that aforementioned DCEU duo – the latter is also part of the DCU, but more on the complexities of both cinematic franchises later – Creature Commandos will lean heavily into the hyperviolence and dark humor that are cornerstones of DC Comics. In conversation with CBR.com, Frank Grillo confirmed it'll be "hard R" in its tonality and that fans can expect "funny and filthy" moments to be dotted throughout.
And, don't worry – despite Gunn's assertions that Creature Commandos' story won't be a sentimental affair, it'll still be heart-wrenchingly relatable. Discussing Frankenstein and G.I. Robot in particular, Gunn told EW: "Frankenstein is this incredibly well-spoken intellectual but is still driven by his rage and his anger and his inability to really be a human being, and the inability for the one that he loves not loving him back. That’s what drives him.
"He [G.I. Robot] has got this very sad history from World War II," Gunn added. "The only time I think he felt at home was with the soldiers he served with in DC's alternate history of World War II, where metahumans were involved". The DC Studios' co-helmer also told New York Comic Con 2024 attendees (per Screen Brief) that there's one storyline that might be "the saddest thing I think I've ever written". In short: expect the DCU's opening salvo to tug at the heartstrings as much as Gunn's other big- and small-screen ventures have.
How will Creature Commandos impact the DCU?
I can't say how Creature Commandos' story will affect other DCU productions, but one thing is clear: characters from this series will appear in other Chapter One movies and TV shows.
Discussing how the revised cinematic franchise will be more interconnected than its predecessor was during a DCU Chapter One line-up announcement in January 2023, Gunn said projects would "work within one story" before adding that characters will cross over into other films and shows – be that live-action and/or animated ones – as Chapter One progresses.
We already know that one individual will appear in the next two DCU productions, too. Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. will appear in July 2025's Superman movie before showing up in Peacemaker season 2 later that year. In our view, Flag Sr.'s appearance in Peacemaker 2 will make it harder to discern between events in the DCU and DCEU, but Gunn suggests that won't be the case. Indeed, he's already stated that any DCEU-based event, which is mentioned in this series, will be deemed officially canon in the DCU.
"We don’t want anybody coming to Creature Commandos and going 'Oh, you have to watch The Suicide Squad to understand what happened to Creature Commandos' or 'Oh, you have to watch Peacemaker,'" Gunn said at New York Comic Con (per Deadline). We want people to be able to come into this totally blind and they’re totally excited by it. So, there’s nothing that isn’t explained in the show itself."
As for who else might cameo in greenlit projects, such as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Lanterns, that's 'TBC'. Speaking to Collider, Alan Tudyk revealed he was open to playing Doctor Phosphorus again, but had no idea where he might pop up next. Keep your eyes peeled for more details as and when I have them.
For more DC Comics-based coverage, read our guides on how to watch the DC movies in order and the best Batman movies. Alternatively, see which DC films made it onto our best superhero movies list.
