As the first official chapter of the DCU, Creature Commandos is expected to leave breadcrumbs behind for fans to follow. Plus, since James Gunn created the TV show, the animated series is unsurprisingly filled with Easter eggs and references to DC’s comic book history.
The first episode of Creature Commandos introduces Amanda Waller’s (voiced by Viola Davis) new black ops team and gives them a mission. Episode 2, in its turn, takes us to the distant past to reveal how The Bride (voiced by Indira Varma) came to life. Both episodes have nods to the larger DC universe, which some fans might’ve missed in their first watching.
DC Studios’ logo and Superman #1
Before the episode even begins, Gunn hides a nugget of DC’s history in the new DC Studios’ logo for animated projects. The emblem shows an image of Superman breaking chains with his pecs, which just happens to be the exact pin-up image on the back of Superman #1, first released in 1939, one year after the Man of Steel debuted in Action Comics #1.
The image of Superman breaking chains would become so crucial to the character that DC even registered it as a trademark in 1941. Since then, multiple comic books have paid homage to the image. Now, the first version of the image has an animated counterpart that underlines how serious DC Studios is about their comic book origins.
Galaxy Broadcasting System
To introduce audiences to the series, Creature Commandos’ first episodes open with a news broadcast describing the dire situation of Pokolistan, where the story takes place. The channel reporting the news has a logo with the acronym GBS. Those letters come straight from the comic books, where the Galaxy Broadcasting System is one of the leading networks in the United States. The Galaxy Communications company is based in Metropolis and usually works with the Daily Planet to oppose Lex Luthor’s attempts to control the media.
Circe has fought Superman
When Circe (voiced by Anya Chalotra) appears in the GBS reporting, the network uses a mugshot of the villain taken by the Metropolis Police Department. While Circe is a recurring enemy of Wonder Woman, she has been arrested in Metropolis at least once. That means Wonder Woman and Superman have likely fought side-by-side against the sorcerer in the DCU.
Amanda Waller and Peacemaker
When introducing the Creature Commandos to Rick Flag Sr. (voiced by Frank Grillo), Waller reveals that Congress is breathing down her neck since A.R.G.U.S. black ops have been exposed to the media. Waller has been forbidden from using human inmates in her squads, so using monsters is her way of exploiting a loophole.
The mention of A.R.G.U.S. mediatic exposure directly connects Creature Commandos to the first season of Peacemaker. In Peacemaker, Waller’s daughter Leota (Danielle Brooks) goes to the press against her mother to protect her teammates. So, in a couple of lines, Creature Commandos cements Peacemaker as part of the DCU canon while explaining the consequences of Leota’s brave actions.
Operation Starfish, Corto Maltese, and The Suicide Squad
During her talk with Rick Flag, Waller also mentions Operation Starfish in Corto Maltese. That’s the codename of the Task Force X mission in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, where the team has battled Starro. Since Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad are strongly tied together, it makes sense for both stories to become DCU canon simultaneously. Still, it’s nice to see Creature Commandos clearing fans’ doubts by mentioning the movie in addition to the TV show.
After mentioning Corto Maltese, Waller apologizes to Rick Flag for bringing up a painful memory. That’s because Rick Flag’s son, Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), dies in The Suicide Squad. In the movie, the former leader of Task Force X is murdered in cold blood by Peacemaker (John Cena). Since Rick Flag Sr. is part of season 2 of Peacemaker, he’ll probably try to get revenge for his son’s death.
Where is Pokolistan located?
The Creature Commando’s mission is to travel to Pokolistan and guard its princess against the wrath of Circe. If you can’t find Pokolistan on the map, that’s because the country is a fictional place that first appeared in DC Comics. In the comics, Pokolistan is a nation that split from the Czech Republic and was ruled by a devious villain named General Zod II.
In Creature Commandos, Pokolistan is governed by Princess Ilana Rostovic (voiced by Maria Bakalova). Since the fictional country doesn’t have a vast DC Comics history, Gunn took the liberty of changing it quite a bit, as the Pokolistanis speak Bulgarian instead of Czech. That matches the origins of actress Bakalova, who’s Bulgarian herself.
The Sons of Themyscira
To ensure she’ll be able to kill Princess Illana, Circe has enlisted the help of the Sons of Themyscira. These terrorists are sexist, disgruntled men who think women shouldn’t have safe spaces, so Circe has promised to help them invade Wonder Woman’s Paradise Island if they help her in Pokolistan.
The name of the group, Sons of Themyscira, is a nod to an infamous storyline of the New 52 era of DC Comics, which reveals the Amazons raped sailors and drowned babies born male. Pitying the children’s fate, the Greek God Hephaestus began to rescue these babies, giving them a haven, purpose, and the title of Sons of Themyscira. This storyline has been retconned, as rapist Amazons are something no one ever wanted. That freed the name for Gunn to use in Creature Commandos.
Alexi’s out-of-date references
The captain of Pokolistan’s royal guard is Alexi (voiced by Julian Kostov), a big fan of American culture. However, United States productions take time to travel to the underdeveloped nation, as Alexi’s pop culture references are vastly outdated. Alexi tells the Commandos the people of Pokolistan also do “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” a classic hip-hop song released in 1985.
He also mentions the prank TV show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, aired between 2002 and 2004. He also mimics the iconic “Whazzup!” line from Scary Movie, a 2000 parody of Scream. Finally, in episode 2, Alexi also asks, “Where is the beef?” just like the classic Wendy’s 1980s slogan.
How do Creature Commandos fit in the DCU’s timeline?
Creature Commandos gives us a few clues on when the series takes place. For starters, Rick Flag Jr. tells Illana that his son died about two years before his Pokolistan mission. The Suicide Squad is set in 2021, which would make Creature Commandos happen in around 2023.
However, GI Robot (voiced by Sean Gunn) says he’s been waiting for a friend to kill Nazis with him for over 74 years. Since World War II ended in 1945, that would mean Creature Commandos happened in 2019. Maybe GI Robot killed Nazis with his friends even after the war was over, which would explain this discrepancy. Or maybe Gunn will retcon the year The Suicide Squad happened.
Welcome to the DCU, Zac Efron
By the end of the first episode, an old lady (voiced by Bakalova) who has been surveilling the Frankenstein mansion calls Eric (voiced by David Harbour) to tell him the Bride is there. The lady’s phone has a thirsty image of shirtless Zac Efron. Funny enough, while the whole world is animated, Efron’s picture is a photograph. Efron has long sat atop many fan-casting lists for superhero movies, including those within the DCU.
Gogol Bordello is DCU canon
While the first two episodes of Creature Commandos use multiple songs as part of its soundtrack, four Gogol Bordello tunes are in the mix. That’s relevant because Gogol Bordello is a Ukrainian band known for its political activism against Russian oppression.
Gunn not only chose to feature multiple Gogol Bordello songs in Creature Commandos, but during the Bride’s flashback, the animated version of the band even pops into the DCU. That seems to be a clear statement about how Gunn feels about the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The Gogol Bordello songs featured in the episodes are “My Gypsy Auto Pilot”, “Mala Vida”, “Start Wearing Purple”, and “American Wedding”.
Published: Dec 5, 2024 04:45 am