Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 7, “A Very Funny Monster.”
Max Original Creature Commandos marks the official launch of James Gunn’s new DC Universe; the franchise’s cinematic future starts here! With that in mind, we’ve rounded up every major DCU cameo, Easter egg, and shout-out in Creature Commandos Season 1.
Pokolistan
Creature Commandos Season 1 doesn’t waste anytime with its worldbuilding. Less than a minute into Episode 1’s runtime, we get our first nod to DC Comics canon: Pokolistan. This small European nation – under attack from Circe and her paramilitary goons – factored prominently in the early 2000s Superman comics, in which it’s conquered by legendary baddie General Zod. But that’s not the case in Creature Commandos, which depicts Pokolistan as ruled by Princess Ilana Rostovic. Oh, and the show also portrays Pokolistan as the “birthplace” of Eric Frankenstein and the Bride – another break from comics lore.
Related: Creature Commandos Season 1 Is a Solid Soft Launch for James Gunn’s New DCU [Review]
Amazons and The Sons of Themyscira
Another major DCU reference during Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 1’s opening news broadcast is the name of Circe’s forces. They call themselves “The Sons of Themyscira” – a direct nod to the mystical, women-only island Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons call home. The broadcast later identifies Circe herself as an Amazon, while also confirming that most of the DCU isn’t fully convinced that Themyscira is a real place. Presumably, the island’s full history – including the exact amount of contact its residents have had with the outside world – will get some attention in the upcoming Amazon-centric prequel series Paradise Lost.
GBS News and the Metropolis Police Department
Finally, there are a couple of additional, less obvious DCU Easter eggs in Creature Commandos Season 1’s intro, both tied to the Superman mythos. The first is the channel broadcasting the news about Circe and the Sons of Themyscira’s invasion of Pokolistan, GBS News. Galaxy Broadcasting System (GBS) – and its news station, WGBS-TV – debuted in the comics in 1970, and Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang (to name a few) have worked there. The second Easter egg is the jurisdiction Circe’s mugshot comes from: she got busted in Superman’s hometown, Metropolis! Expect to see plenty more of Metropolis and GBS in next year’s big screen Superman reboot.
Related: All Major Actors & Cast List for James Gunn’s Creature Commandos
The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Are Still Canon
After establishing a bunch of nu-DCU lore, Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 1 shifts focus to cementing James Gunn’s legacy DC Extended Universe productions, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, within the franchise’s revamped canon. In short order, Creature Commandos‘ first installment explicitly calls back to the events of Gunn’s 2021 movie and its 2022 spinoff series. It also brings back Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and Sean Gunn as Weasel, and introduces Rick Flag Sr. – the father of The Suicide Squad‘s Rick Flag Jr. Oh, and these scenes take place in Belle Reve, Waller’s maximum security prison base of operations in the DCEU.
The Atomic Knights (Kinda)
Like the medieval-style armored suits sported by Alexei and the rest of Princess Ilana Rostovic’s bodyguards? Thank Silver Age writer/artist team John Broome and artist Murphy Anderson, whose Atomic Knights are seemingly the inspiration for Creature Commandos Season 1’s geared-up grunts. The overlap is purely superficial, though. While the Atomic Knights’ DC Comics backstory has changed over the years, they’re typically tied to dystopian present day or future settings. They also ride around on oversized mutant Dalmatians, something Alexei and his pals sadly lack.
Related: Creature Commandos: Who Is Rick Flag Sr.’s Ex-Wife?
Sgt. Rock and Easy Company
Creature Commandos Season 1’s first major DCU cameo arrives early in Episode 3. In a flashback to G.I. Robot’s World War II exploits, we learn he served alongside Sgt. Rock and Easy Company. Created by writer/artist team Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, Rock is arguably DC Comics’ most popular non-superhero wartime character. What’s more, DC Studios is currently developing a live-action Sgt. Rock movie as part of its DCU Chapter One slate. Daniel Craig is supposedly the frontrunner for the lead role, although Rock’s voiced here by Maury Sterling.
Doctor Will Magnus
The other noteworthy “guest appearance” in Creature Commandos Season 1’s third entry is the DCU debut of Doctor Will Magnus. Another of writer Robert Kanigher’s co-creations (this time in collaboration with artist Ross Andru), Magnus is the scientific genius behind the robot superhero team the Metal Men. Magnus’ cameo in Creature Commandos nods to this, indicating that the good doctor applied what he learned from G.I. Robot to his build the next generation of artificial beings. Whether this is Gunn’s way of setting up a Metal Men movie or TV show is unclear, though (there’s no such project listed in the DCU Chapter One line-up at present).
Related: Creature Commandos: Who Is Princess Ilana Rostovic?
Shaggy Man, Crimson Centipede, and Other Z-List Villains
Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 3 doesn’t just serve up big ticket cameos. It also spotlights a bunch of obscure villains culled from DC Comics’ wider stable, during the scene where G.I. Robot trudges to his jail cell. Z-list baddies featured include Shaggy Man, the Fisherman, Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, and the Crimson Centipede (none of whom we made up, honest). These deep-cut evildoers are now officially part of the cinematic DCU’s canon, however, it seems unlikely that they’ll factor prominently in future franchise outings!
Weasel’s Lawyer, Elizabeth Bates
The fourth installment of Creature Commandos Season 1 introduces us to Weasel’s lawyer, Elizabeth Bates. Bates is an updated version of an obscure Quality Comics character from the 1940s, criminal defense attorney Betty Bates, Lady-at-Law. Her brief exchange with Waller’s sidekick John Economos – himself a walking callback, given his role in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker – also counts as a DCU reference. When Bates asks how Economos injured his leg, he alludes to the alien invasion of Earth he helped foil in Peacemaker Season 1’s finale (which James Gunn says is still mostly canon). Incidentally, Bates is also voiced by Marvel Cinematic Universe alum Linda Cardellini – a neat bit of casting, but not a DCU Easter egg per se.
Related: Who Does Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz Voice in Creature Commandos Season 1?
Jarhanpur
Erik Frankenstein’s misguided jealousy towards Rick Flag Sr. is a key subplot in Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 4, It’s also the source of an easy-to-miss DCU Easter egg. When Frankenstein hits up one of his mercenaries for intel on Rick, he mentions that Task Force M’s field leader once served in Jarhanpur. In the comics, Jarhanpur is an ancient, isolated realm under the control of supervillain sorcerer Rama Khan.
The Justice League and Other Superheroes
Midway through Episode 4, Creature Commandos Season 1 finally cuts loose with the DCU cameos. The apocalyptic vision Circe shows Amanda Waller features several Justice League members, including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman (with the Man of Steel’s outfit modeled on that worn by the DCU’s new Superman, David Corenswet). It’s hard to make out the other superheroes depicted in this hellish scenario, but we’re confident listing the following:
- Supergirl
- Robin
- Hawkgirl
- Peacemaker
- Vigilante
- Starfire
It’s possible that Mister Terrific, Booster Gold, Martian Manhunter, and at least one Green Lantern are present, too. This sequence also sneaks in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of Clark Kent’s workplace, the Daily Planet, in ruins, as well.
Related: James Gunn Is Already Having to Defend the Power-Scaling in the DCU
Gorilla Grodd
It’s not just defeated do-gooders who cameo in Amanda Waller’s vision, though. The A.R.G.U.S director also gets a good look at Princess Ilana Rostovic’s future partner-in-crime, Gorilla Grodd. Grodd isn’t named on screen or listed in Season 1, Episode 4’s credits, however, his character design (notably, his helmet) leaves little doubt of his identity. In Creature Commandos DC source material, Grodd is a long-time foe of the Flash, with a formidable range of superpowers at his disposal.
Doctor Aisla MacPherson
When Amanda Waller needs to verify Circe’s vision in Season 1, Episode 4, she brings in Doctor Aisla MacPherson. MacPherson’s a leading expert on Themyscira and Amazonian culture; she’s also a reworked version of an existing DC character. In the comics, Professor Isla MacPherson (note the different spelling of her first name) is a teacher at Gotham Academy. Her area of expertise is history, not the inhabitants of Paradise Island, however.
Congorilla, Nosferata and Other Belle Reve Inmates
Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 4’s final batch of DCU cameos crop up during the lunchtime scene at Belle Reve. Here, Nina Mazursky is bulled by two established DC supervillains: vampire Nosferata and another ape antagonist, Congorilla. The Belle Reve cafeteria also squeezes in rapid-fire appearances by the likes of Chemo (a walking chemical bomb), Egg Fu (a sentient egg-like being), and Khalis (a mummy).
Related: Creature Commandos Season 1: Who Is Clayface (& Who Plays Him in the DCU)?
Clayface
The fifth installment of Creature Commandos Season 1 is relatively cameo and Easter egg-lite. But what Episode 5 lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality, bringing us the DCU debut of Batman baddie Clayface. It turns out the shapeshifting mud monster has been impersonating Aisla MacPherson, explaining the doctor’s bizarre behavior earlier in the episode. Which iteration of Clayface appears in Creature Commandos remains unclear, but our guess is he’s a combination of the Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen versions (as is commonly the case in DC adaptations).
Gotham City, Rupert Thorne, and Batman (Again)
With Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 6, the Max series shifts its attention to Doctor Phosphorus’ origin story. The one-time nuclear scientist’s tragic transformation went down in Gotham City – the gloomy concrete jungle Batman calls home, and now a canonical part of the DCU. The Dark Knight also briefly appears (further cementing his own DCU creds), as does one of his less flamboyant enemies from the comics, crime boss Rupert Thorne. And if all that’s not enough, Episode 6 includes a throwaway line by John Economos hinting that one of the more charmingly goofy aspects of comics canon, fifth dimensional imp Bat-Mite, is active in the DCU, too!
Related: Is Creature Commandos Getting a Season 2?
Bialya
Doctor Phosphorus’ Creature Commandos backstory in Season 1, Episode 6 is good for more than just adding aspects of the Bat-mythos to the DCU. It also adds Bialya to the cinematic shared universe’s map, as this is where Phosphorus’ late wife hails from. If the name Bialya sounds familiar, that’s because the fictional Middle Eastern nation plays a key role in the legacy DC Extended Universe flick Wonder Woman 1984. Meanwhile, comics readers will know Bialya as the place where the original Blue Beetle discovered his otherworldly scarab. Bialya is also notable for falling under supervillain Queen Bee’s control, and later, being more or less flattened by Black Adam.
Star City
Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 7’s B-plot covers the heart-breaking pre-show history of Nina Mazursky. It’s all so gut-wrenching you might even miss the many references to the flashback narrative’s setting: Star City. That said, no amount of tears will be enough to distract Green Arrow fans, given Star City is the Emerald Archer’s hometown in the comics! Indeed, its prominent inclusion here is enough to get Oliver Queen devotees hyped for Ollie’s DCU debut – although no Green Arrow-headlined productions are currently part of the Chapter One slate.
King Shark Joins the New Task Force M Roster
The final scene of Creature Commandos Season 1 (not including Episode 7’s stinger) introduces the new Task Force M roster headed up by the Bride. It features several existing members (Doctor Phosphorus, Weasel, and the rebuilt G.I. Robot) as well as newbies Nosferata and Khalis. More importantly, it brings back Task Force X’s shark/human hybrid King Shark, last seen in The Suicide Squad. There, he’s voiced by Sylvester Stallone; here, Diedrich Bader does the honors.
All seven episodes of Creature Commandos Season 1 are currently streaming on Max.
The above article was updated on 1/9/25by the original author to include additional Easter eggs and references.
Published: Jan 9, 2025 07:39 am