James Gunn's Creature Commandos has started great, marking a new beginning for DC Studios. With a mix of action, humor, and lesser-known references, the series represents Gunn's unique way of telling stories and honors the larger DC Universe. There are small hints and surprises in many places in the premiere.
With the first two episodes released on December 5, 2024, Gunn has shared some of his favorite parts in interviews, giving us a look at how the show was made. For example, The Bride reads a DC romance comic, and there is a focus on Frankenstein's legacy.
Gunn pays attention to details. Below, we'll explain the Easter eggs that have fans excited and how they relate to the bigger DC story.
Rick Flag Sr.'s legacy and Project Starfish returns
One of the biggest returns in Creature Commandos is Rick Flag Sr. His son, Rick Flag Jr., played a huge role in The Suicide Squad. Gunn explained bringing back this character as part of a larger story that would connect Creature Commandos to the broader DC Universe, especially what happened in the 2021 film.
In a Rotten Tomatoes TV interview, Gunn talked about how Flag Sr. is still coping with the loss of his son. This is an important part of the story that links the animated series to the live-action films of the DCU.
Of course, the fact that Project Starfish is the secret operation that kickstarted Task Force X in The Suicide Squad adds more. The inclusion of Weasel as one of the leads of the Creature Commandos team from the movie makes this stronger.
Gunn says that Weasel's survival during the operation is important for forming the team, and it creates a great setting for expanding Gunn's universe.
Frankenstein and the Bride's love story has DC roots
Another small detail that audiences might miss is about The Bride of Frankenstein: a character associated with classic horror and DC Comics. According to Gunn, he drew largely from Mary Shelley's famous Frankenstein book for his inspiration in creating this Creature Commandos character.
In general, Frankenstein is one of the least moral characters in the DC Universe. His version (as seen on Creature Commandos) is characterized by The Bride with her existential conflict and potential fear of being a 'created' human.
The Bride has a past with Frankenstein's first creation, Eric Frankenstein. He loves her, but there is also a sad conflict between them. This part of the story is explained in detail. Gunn shared more about his ideas in the same interview with Rotten Tomatoes TV. He said he was inspired by the original source and not by the Universal or Hammer horror movies.
He uses Frankenstein's story in a modern animated show, and that is a very clever route through which to combine classic literature with DC's bigger stories.
The sons of Themiscyra are connected to Wonder Woman in Creature Commandos
We get our first look at the Sons of Themiscyra in the first episode of Creature Commandos. The group is a batch of soldiers kicked off the all-women island known as Themiscyra, where Wonder Woman and her Amazon people reside.
In the series, the male warriors are referred to as "losers," which is a funny way to modify the common narrative. Wonder Woman fans will appreciate the smart take on what they already know. Including Circe and the Sons of Themiscyra by Gunn relates to the enemies of Wonder Woman and also hints at future stories about the Amazons.
In the interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Gunn explains how the Sons of Themiscyra got inspiration from the stories from comic books. In it, they were exiled soldiers of Themiscyra; which connects to a myth-based hidden island. Adding villain Circe brings the magical edge working well in the universe of Wonder Woman.
More people, according to Gunn, now believe in Themiscyra in the Creature Commandos world, and this familiar island will play a vital role in subsequent stories. Much comic book history is employed with new storylines in the making for DC Universe.
The hidden messages and connections are what make the story of the show rich, as it continues to grow with each new episode.
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Creature Commandos is available to stream on HBO Max with new episodes releasing every Thursday.
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