Creature Commandos Season 1 (2024)
Genre: DC Animation
Runtime: 20 - 22 minutes per episode (7 episodes in Season 1)
Rating: TV-MA
Network: Max
What’s the Story?
With Creature Commandos, James Gunn officially begins his era of the DCU. The story follows a secret team of imprisoned monsters sent on missions too dangerous for humans.
The story starts at Belle Reve prison, where Amanda Waller and Rick Flag Sr. watch the news about Circe, a terrorist Amazonian sorceress. Her followers calling themselves the Sons of Themyscira, have violently crossed into Pokolistan, a U.S. ally. To handle the situation, Waller sends "Task Force M," where "M" stands for monsters.
The team includes:
The Bride (From Frankenstein)
Dr. Phosphorus, a radioactive being who can burn through anything
The Weasel, the silent creature previously seen in The Suicide Squad
G.I. Robot, a Nazi-hunting robot with a darkly funny obsession to killing Nazi.
Nina Mazursky, a fish-human hybrid similar to the creature in The Shape of Water.
Rick Flag Sr. leads this team of misfits as they attempt to carry out Waller’s mission.
Creature Commandos serves as a soft reboot to the old DCEU. This soft reboot leaves questions about which past events remain canon, but the show begins to offer answers that viewers will discover as they watch.
James Gunn is well-known for bringing C-grade and lesser-known characters to mainstream audiences and making them relatable, as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker. He is doing it again with this group of creatures, and from the first two episodes, it’s clear he is succeeding once more.
The characters’ backstories are revealed gradually throughout the episodes, which is helpful for newcomers. Although these creatures appear monstrous on the outside, their origins—some rooted in science, others in magic—are explored, showing how they became who they are. This approach allows us to connect with their human aspects, making the characters relatable to some extent. As the story progresses, the team’s personalities and differences are explored, but they ultimately set aside their conflicts to work together. Their interactions and chemistry form the emotional core and heart of the story.
The animation is fast-paced and leans toward adult audiences, featuring gore, mature themes, and exciting action sequences accompanied by a great soundtrack. Gunn’s signature humor is balanced with emotional storytelling.
From just two episodes, it’s clear that Creature Commandos has the potential to be a strong start for the new DCU. With its compact 20-minute episodes, the series delivers complex storytelling and gives lesser-known characters a chance to shine.
My Screen Times Score - 8
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