Creature Commandos Episode 1 is a hilarious, offbeat intro to the DCU’s titular team and their mission: protecting the princess of Pokolistan.
After a decade of the DCEU’s sprawling, hit-or-miss movies and incessant demands (and complaints) about Synderverse, James Gunn’s DCU is here to wash the slate clean.
Funnily enough, Gunn didn’t necessarily plan on launching the franchise with this TV show; after all, it’s a violent animated series centering on a niche, anti-heroic team that isn’t related to its bigger starting point, Superman.
However, that’s why it’s perfect: it’s an aperitif for what’s to come and an excuse for the filmmaker to play in familiar territory, and Episode 1 hits the mark.
Rick Flag meets the Creature Commandos
The series opens in Belle Reve, a prison home to all sorts of weird, wonderful, and dangerous people (and creatures). Rick Flag and Amanda Waller watch a news report from Pokolistan (not a real place, by the way) where Circe, a rogue Amazonian, has recruited a group of right-wing men who call themselves the “Sons of Themyscira” – as Flag says, “what a bunch of clowns.”
She has two plans: destroy Pokolistan and take her (seemingly rightful) place on the Themyscirian throne.
However, Waller is worried. Pokolistan is a friend to the US – aka, it has petroleum deposits they’ve yet to take advantage of, and Princess Ilana Rostovic has been negotiating with the US for the oil.
They need to help her, and with Congress outlawing Task Force X, Waller has found a loophole: she wants to use “beings that aren’t human” from the Non-Human Internment Division.
This includes the Bride, Doctor Phosphorus (Waller jokes that his radiation could give Flag a free vasectomy), G.I. Robot, Weasel (one of the few soldiers who survived “Project Starfish in Corto Maltese”), and Nina Mazursky, the “smartest and most reasonable of the bunch.”
When Flag and Waller walk into their sitting area, they immediately try to attack them, but Waller presses a button on her phone that gives them a debilitating electric shock. “We’ll call it Task Force M… also known as,” she says, cueing the opening credits (where James Gunn makes an appearance!).
Flag and the Commandos fly to Pokolistan
Flag and his new team board a helicopter to Pokolistan. “I know you all aren’t exactly enthusiastic about this mission,” he tells them. He’s met with disinterested shrugs and sarcasm, while Weasel gnaws on the straps holding him down.
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G.I. Robot wonders if he’s nervous he may be discovered as a Nazi (he literally cares about one thing: finding and killing Nazis), while Doctor Phosphorus says he’s a child killer, but we don’t know any other details right now. The Bride quickly realizes they’re in Pokolistan, but she doesn’t explain her concerned reaction.
The Commandos drive to the princess’ castle (Weasel is so nervous that he pees himself), where they’re playfully tormented by her guards (one of them also says, “Wasssup!” without a hint of irony). They sit down for a banquet together, where the Commandos rather embarrassingly gorge on food – but Ilana doesn’t mind.
Outside, Ilana plays fetch with Weasel and Nina tries to admire the view from the castle. G.I. Robot is upset that he’s not killed any Nazis yet, but Nina promises they’ll find some Nazis together. Ilana tells Flag she’s happy to have the company, even if they are all a bit weird.
Flag tells Ilana that Weasel supposedly killed 27 children, but he’s never shown any violent tendencies, so she shouldn’t worry about him. Ilana resents her country, believing it’s stuck in the past – and she thinks America is the key to her nation’s progress.
Flag also tells Ilana about her son (Joel Kinnaman’s character in the DCEU), who died during the events of The Suicide Squad. “I’m sure your son was a fine man, but I’m much more fond of older men,” she says, rubbing her knee against his. She takes him upstairs and undresses in front of him, but Flag refuses to have sex with her.
The Bride chases her past while Rick Flag fights Doctor Phosphorus
That night, everything seems peaceful; Weasel is asleep, G.I. Robot chats away to himself outside the princess’ bedroom, Nina submerges herself in the bathtub, and Rick struggles to nod off. Nina catches the Bride leaving the castle, and after failing to convince her to stay, she accompanies her.
They leave in a taxi, passing by Pokolistan’s impoverished homes and people on the street. Meanwhile, Flag finds Doctor Phosphorus rummaging through his drawer for his phone, and a painful fight ensues (imagine every time someone slaps you in the face, it’s like resting your head on a hot plate).
They crash into the kitchen beneath them, where Flag finds an oven mitt and manages to overpower him. “I’m not here to torture you, we’re supposed to be on the same damn team,” he says, warning that Waller would press the electric shock button more times than he could handle if he tried to escape.
The Bride arrives at her destination: her birthplace and the home of Eric Frankenstein, her estranged husband. An elderly woman phones Frankenstein to tell her that the Bride has returned.
Read our Creature Commandos review, and in the meantime, check out our breakdown of every DCU project in development, what’s happening with The Batman 2, and our list of the best TV shows of 2024.