‘Commandos’ comes out blazing as DC ‘gunns’ for MCU in comic supremacy

“What are we, some kind of Suicide Squad?” Not quite, but in the age of James Gunn’s new DC Universe, this team of mercs is looking a little more monstrous, thanks to Creature Commandos. Composed of the likes of the Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster herself (Indira Varma, Obi-Wan Kenobi), an irradiated sociopathic skeleton (Alan Tudyk, Resident Alien), and a robot hellbent on killing Nazis (Sean Gunn, Gilmore Girls), Task Force M’s mission marks the beginnings of an infant universe after the disaster of its predecessor. 

Written by Gunn himself, the series is full of everything fans have come to expect from the movie maestro, including his iconic music taste and crude humor. As seen with his cinematic break into the broader cultural zeitgeist with 2014’s ragtag team of comic-book nobodies (a trend with Gunn’s ensemble movies, it seems) in Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn returns once again to apply a rich formula still brimming with vitality.

Being crowned as the new co-CEO and co-chair of DC Studios (alongside producer Peter Safran) in October of 2022, this first slate of TV shows and films was announced in January of the following year with the tagline of “Gods and Monsters,” confirming rumors of a renewed DC universe after the failure of Black Adam. However, this reboot of a media franchise isn’t all it seems, as the delineation between what is and is not canon to the new universe’s lore has been historically cloudy.

 Even in the assembled team itself, the continuity is jumbled as one of its star members, Weasel (Sean Gunn), was featured in 2021’s The Suicide Squad (also directed by James Gunn), one of the last entries in the DCEU. Nearly all entries for the new DCU will conflict with the pre-established canon, as Peacemaker Season 2 will now be set within, despite its first season having a cameo scene with the Zack Snyder version of the Justice League. Jason Mamoa will be playing space bounty hunter Lobo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow after playing Aquaman, along with several other actors in the new DCU reprising roles from the previous incarnation of the comic monolith. 

On the other hand, the theme of legacy is the point of the first slate of the DCU. As Superman—starring David Corenswet (Twisters) as the trunk-wearing boisterous blue boy-scout—was originally titled Superman: Legacy. Along with this, Task Force M—the official government name given to the Creature Commandos by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, The Help)—is the continuation of the Task Force X program, AKA the Suicide Squad. After the events of Peacemaker Season 1, this name and candidate change leads to the catalyst sparking the entire series as a whole.

Led by the grizzled Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo, Captain America: The Winter Soldier), the squad is sent to fictional country of Pokolistan in order to protect Princes Ilana (Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) from long-time Wonder Woman villain, Circe (Anya Chalotra, The Witcher). Accompanied by basement-dwelling degenerates, the infamous sorceress plays a key role in the series, not just as a villain, but also to not-so-subtly veil Gunn’s political stances. Although played mostly for jokes, the bigotry displayed within the series comes off as almost ironic and a little sad, given the world’s current state of affairs. 

As expected, the character work Gunn brings to the table is a dichotomy between comedy and devastation, providing depth to every member of the story without feeling overly indulgent. Each episode chooses a separate component of the main team, with Weasel and Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao, The Afterparty) being the stand-outs in terms of how ostracized these “monsters” are from the outside world, whereas Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour, Stranger Things) and G.I. Robot are jocund in tone. 

After struggling with the confused collapse of the DCEU as well as an overall superhero movie fatigue, DC Studios has their work set out for them in order to not only play catch-up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also to prove themselves as a viable competitor in the film industry. Ultimately delivering a product that is satisfying in its own right, it cannot help but be bogged down by lofty expectations and convoluted canons, leaving fans cautiously optimistic as to what comes next.

Grade: A- 

Marking the beginning of a brand new era in comic-book media, Creature Commandos hits its target bringing Gunn’s signature style of humor, character work, and a promising start to the DCU.

by Evan Parfitt

Published February 3rd, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue IV