Creature Commandos
Entry updated 24 February 2025. Tagged: TV.
US animated tv series (2024-current). Warner Bros Animation, DC Studios. Based on the DC Comics Comic created by J M DeMatteis and Pat Broderick; this version developed and written by James Gunn. Directed by Sam Liu and Matt Peters. Voice cast include Maria Bakalova, Stephanie Beatriz, Anya Chalotra, Zoë Chao, Viola Davis, Frank Grillo, Sean Gunn, David Harbour, Peter Serafinowicz, Alan Tudyk and Indira Varma. Seven 21-28 minute episodes. Colour.
A news report informs us that a right-wing militia, loyal to "Amazonian Sorceress Terrorist" Circe (Chalotra), has invaded the Central European state of Pokolistan; she claims to be the rightful heir to the "perhaps mythical, perhaps real, all female island nation of Themyscira" (see Feminism). The militia – arrogant, "woke" hating young men who call themselves The Sons of Themyscira – believe that once Pokolistan's Princess Rostovic (Bakalova) is killed Circe will lead them to conquer Themyscira. As the US is negotiating with Pokolistan to mine its substantial oil deposits (see Politics; Power Sources), General Rick Flag Sr (Grillo) is told to lead Task Force M ("for Monster") and defeat the invasion. The members of the Task Force, also known as Creature Commandos, come from the Belle Reve Non-Human Internment Division. They comprise: The Bride (Varma), as in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935); Dr Phosphorus (Tudyk), who has irradiated skin that can burn through objects (see Superpowers); G.I. Robot (Gunn), a military Robot from World War Two; the aquatic Nina Mazursky (Chao), who has to wear a water-filled helmet on land; and Weasel (Gunn), a humanoid weasel. Pokolistan happens to be where Victor Frankenstein (Serafinowicz) built a wife for his creation (named Eric); she rejected Eric (Harbour) and fell for Victor, so the jealous Eric killed him and has stalked The Bride ever since. We get the other monsters' largely tragic backstories during the rest of the season. Eric appears regularly: closer to Mary Shelley's character than the versions that derive from Frankenstein (1931), he is also a murderous romantic who argues away The Bride's clear detestation.
The militia are bloodily disposed of, Circe is captured and Flag becomes romantically involved with Rostovic. Which is unfortunate, as Circe insists her clairvoyant (see Precognition) powers have revealed that, unless stopped, the Princess and her military will conquer the world (see Imperialism). An expert on Themyscira, Professor Aisla MacPherson (Beatriz), convinces Flag's boss, Amanda Waller (Davis) (see Suicide Squad), that Circe speaks the truth; Flag's protests counting for little ("bumping uglies with someone doesn't mean you're infallibly able to know a person's character"): The Bride is made Task Force M's new leader and sent to assassinate the Princess. Flag goes to Professor MacPherson's house to discover she has been murdered and impersonated by the Shapeshifter Clayface, who all but kills him; but he manages to inform Waller that Circe had employed Clayface to validate her story about Rostovic.
Back in Pokolistan, the Task Force breaks into the Princess's castle and, whilst monitoring its surveillance footage, sees Rostovic with a monster (obscured for the viewer). Nina dies before they learn Waller has called off the attack; but after being told, The Bride goes ahead and kills Rostovic anyway – the monster seen with the Princess had been Clayface, so The Bride realized Rostovic was his employer, not Circe, and MacPherson's murder took place after she delivered her opinion, not before. However, the main reason The Bride shoots her is because she killed Nina.
The first show in a new iteration of the DC Universe developed by Gunn, Creature Commandos has its flaws: Nina is an odd choice for the team and exists to tug at our heartstrings and die; the tone (probably deliberately) is a little old-fashioned; and the soundtrack songs are mostly weak. Nonetheless, overall this is an enjoyably and gorily violent combination of adventure and black comedy (see Horror in SF; Humour). The most memorable characters are The Bride, strong-willed, intelligent and tough, and G.I. Robot, who though sentient (see AI) is programmed to be fixated on killing Nazis: thus, when asked to enjoy the view, his response is: "I do not enjoy landscapes devoid of dead Nazis." A second season has been commissioned. [SP]
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