James Gunn Goes Back to His Weird Corner of the DCU With Creature Commandos Trailer

Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are very recognizable. They are decades-old characters, who are known throughout the world. Most people may be able to tell you who The Flash is, thanks in large part to his successful TV show. The same could maybe be said for Green Arrow. Aquaman has been a joke for a long time, but folks may still know him. Once you get to characters like Martian Manhunter or Red Tornado, people’s eyes may start to glaze over.

Still, in the year of our lord 2024, comic book movies and shows are still plugging along, so creators have to venture deeper into the roster of characters to cover new ground. Few creators are as experienced with this as James Gunn. Gunn took the Guardians of the Galaxy, a group that had been riding renewed appreciation by comic book fans but were mostly unknown outside those circles, and made them household names. He has done the same with Peacemaker.

When Gunn was forced to jump over to the DCU, he began with a rag-tag group of supervillains (which included John Cena’s Peacemaker), rebooting the Suicide Squad. A couple of years later, Gunn would take over as co-head of DC’s film and television projects. Shortly after, he was announced as writer and director of a new Superman movie. He’s tackling one of the company’s most well-known characters, but that won’t keep him from continuing to explore DC’s weird and underexplored.

Gunn has written seven episodes of a new animated series Creature Commandos, which will begin airing on Max this December. The show will feature a team of characters like Rick Flag Sr., Circe, G.I. Robot, Eric Frankenstein, The Bride, and Doctor Phosphorous. If none of those names sound familiar, it’s because they shouldn’t! The team, and its characters, are one of DC’s lesser-known entities. They are even (arguably) niche to comic book fans. In other words, they’re perfect for Gunn’s brand of over-the-top comedic violence.

The writer/director revealed a trailer for the series at New York Comic Con this weekend. During the presentation, he also explained that DC’s new lineup will differ tonally and stylistically. Superman won’t be the same as Creature Commandos and vice versa. It feels like Creature Commandos and Peacemaker are a way for Gunn to stick to his sillier sensibilities, while (presumably) getting to tell a different, perhaps even sweeter and hopeful story with Superman.

I’m fully onboard with the potential for Gunn’s DCU. I have not been shy about my enjoyment of Zack Snyder’s DC films, but that era is over, and I’m excited about this new one. It’s fun that we saw subversive versions of some of DC’s best and brightest, but I’m looking forward to having more straightforward representations as well. Meanwhile, author Scott Snyder (no relation) is bringing some aspects of the Snyderverse to DC comics with their new Absolute line of books. It’s a great time to be a DC fan.