Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Creature Commandos episodes 1 & 2Creature Commandos has released its two-episode premiere, featuring an impressive collection of exciting Easter eggs and references. The first official project in the newly rebooted DC Universe from DC Studios’ James Gunn and Peter Safran, the animated Creature Commandos show is the very first look at the newly rebooted cinematic universe, while also helping confirm which parts of the old DCEU might still be part of the canon. While the premiere does a great job of introducing Task Force M aka The Creature Commandos in those first two episodes, it also features some very exciting references that confirm quite a bit.
As seen in Creature Commandos episodes 1 & 2, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) recruits Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) to serve as the new field commander for Task Force M, a new team of incarcerated operatives that circumvents new mandates from Congress as the roster is solely filled with monsters and those she considers not human. To that end, The Creature Commandos are deployed on their first mission to the European nation of Pokolistan. To that end, here are the biggest Easter eggs and DC references to be found in Creature Commandos episodes 1 & 2.
17 Belle Reve & Argus
Amanda Waller Is Still Running Task Forces in The DCU
Continuing what’s been seen from the DCEU, it looks as though the DCU’s Amanda Waller is still running Argus and her Task Force program out of Belle Reve Penitentiary. Likewise, it seems as though the events of certain past DCEU projects are still canon to the DCU, including James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as well as Peacemaker season 1, based on later references that get made in Creature Commandos premiere episodes.
16 GBS
Galaxy Broadcasting System
At the beginning of Creature Commandos episode 1, Waller and Rick Flag Sr. are watching a new report from GBS. Galaxy Broadcasting Systems is a major news network in the DC Comics Universe, and it was also featured multiple times in the previous DCEU, including its very first movie Man of Steel.
15 The Sons of Themyscira
New Origins For Creature Commandos
A battalion of men known who demand to visit the island of the Amazons (which historically forbids men), The Sons of Themyscira are being led by the witch Circe who has promised to take them to the island if they help her take over Pokolistan and overthrow its princess. In the comics, the Sons were the actual male children of the Amazons who were discarded and taken by Hephaestus to work in his forges.
14 Circe
A Powerful Amazonian Witch
Voiced by The Witcher’s Anya Chalotra, Circe herself is a major DC Comics villain and classic rival of Wonder Woman. Believing herself to be the rightful heir to Themyscira, it’s currently unknown why Circe wants to invade Pokolistan. It’s also worth noting that once more, Amanda Waller is sending a Task Force to deal with a witch, as 2016’s Suicide Squad in the DCEU saw the team taking on The Enchantress.
13 “Your Daughter Outed You”
Rick Flag Sr. References Peacemaker Season 1 And Waller’s Daughter
Rick Flag Sr. questions how Waller can keep a Task Force running when Congress banned them after “her daughter outed her”. This is a reference to the events of Peacemaker season 1 when Amanda’s daughter Adebayo exposed Project Butterfly, Task Force X, and her mother’s involvement during a press conference to clear Peacemaker and Vigilante’s names. As such, this apparently led to Congress ordering Waller to shut down Task Force X and the recruitment of incarcerated humans.
12 Waller Mentions Project Starfish
The Suicide Squad’s Corto Maltese Mission
Showing Rick Flag Sr. her new team of non-human monsters as her loophole to get around Congress, Amanda Waller confirms that The Weasel was one of the only survivors of Project Starfish and the mission to Corto Maltese. This further confirms the canonical status of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Task Force X’s battle with Starro (and Weasel’s brief involvement at the beginning of the movie).
11 Waller References Flag’s Son
Rick Flag Jr.
Amanda Waller also offers her condolences to Rick Flag Sr. about the recent death of his son during the aforementioned Corto Maltese mission. Played by Joel Kinnaman, Rick Flag Jr. was murdered at the end of The Suicide Squad by Peacemaker.
10 James Gunn’s Second Time As A Cartoon
His First Appearance Was In Harley Quinn
In the opening credits sequence of Creature Commandos, James Gunn himself is featured in animated form at the very end, having written the series. However, James Gunn has also appeared in animation as himself before in Max’s animated Harley Quinn comedy series, shown directing a biopic of Thomas Wayne.
9 “The Last Trip Weasel Took”
The Suicide Squad
Weasel is shown freaking out on board the osprey taking them to Pokolistan. As such, Rick Flag Sr. confirms the reason Weasel is so nervous is because of the last trip he took on this particular jet. This is a reference to Weasel nearly drowning after being pushed out of the osprey and into the ocean as seen at the beginning of The Suicide Squad. Although it was believed that he had died, Weasel was revealed to still be alive in The Suicide Squad’s post-credits scenes.
Related
Creature Commandos Episodes 1 & 2 Recap And Ending Explained
Creature Commandos episodes 1 & 2 end with a surprise ending and cliffhanger after introducing Amanda Waller’s Task Force M in the new DCU.
8 Rick Flag Sr. Confirms How Long It’s Been Since The Suicide Squad
Two Years Ago
While talking with Pokolistan’s Princess Ilana Rostovic whom Task Force M has been sent to protect from Circe, Rick Flag reveals that his son was killed two years prior. This confirms the timeline of Creature Commandos in relation to the events of The Suicide Squad.
7 A Hilarious Zac Efron Background
Featured On A Gypsy Woman’s Phone
When The Bride (Indira Varma) and Nina Mizursky (Zoë Chao) sneak out of Rostovic Castle to the remains of the manor where The Bride was created, a nearby gypsy woman is shown calling David Harbour’s Eric Frankenstein, reporting that his “love” has returned home. However, the woman’s phone background is hilariously a real-life, non-animated photo of actor Zac Efron.
6 Creature Commandos Episode 2 Reveals The Bride’s Origins
Created For Eric By Victor Frankenstein
Creature Commandos episode 2 confirms that Victor Frankenstein created the Bride in 1831 at the urging of his original monster, Eric. However, The Bride rejects Eric out of fear and falls in love with Victor instead. This motivates Eric’s dark decision to kill Victor, in his mind removing the only obstacle between him and The Bride loving him. Instead, The Bride’s rejection turns to permanent hatred. This mirrors the original comics in which The Bride similarly rejects Eric, confirming that he was never her type.
5 Peter Serafinowicz Voices Victor Frankenstein
Previously in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy
A longtime collaborator with James Gunn, Peter Serafinowicz voices Victor Frankenstein in Creature Commandos. Back in 2014, Serafinowicz played Nova Corpsmen Garthan Saal who gave his life to save Xandar during Ronan’s attack. It’s also worth noting that Serafinowicz was also the voice of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.
4 Nina’s Origins And Father Are Referenced
How She Became The Mermaid
Visiting the remains of Victor’s manor with The Bride, Nina remarks that her father was also a scientist. This teases Nina’s own origins as “The Mermaid” which will likely be revealed in future episodes. Additionally, Nina’s father Myron Mizursky was the founder of the Creature Commandos in the original comics during WWII. As such, it will be interesting to see if the same is true in the DCU as well.
3 Circe’s Unleashes Her Powers
The First Use of Magic in the DCU
Although The Bride and Nina try their best, they’re unable to beat Circe once the Sons of Themyscira report on their location to the powerful witch. Unleashing her magic, Circe is able to turn bullets into butterflies before sending them back to The Bride. She’s also shown turning The Bride’s arms into inflatable tube men like the ones seen at car dealerships. To that end, Circe’s attack serves as the first time magic is used in the new DCU.
2 The Origin Of Eric Frankenstein’s Fear of Fire
The Literary Monster’s Classic Phobia
After Eric murders Victor in the past, The Bride attacks him and inadvertently sets the manor on fire before fleeing into the night. With The Bride leaving Eric surrounded by flames, this could be the source of the monster’s classic fear of fire in the DC Universe. After all, Frankenstein’s monster came to fear fire in the original novel by Mary Shelley due to its deceptive nature as both a source of warmth but also pain. Perhaps Creature Commandos is looking to flesh out that fear with new parallels to The Bride in the DC Universe.
1 Eric Chasing The Bride Through Time
Featuring Period Accurate Costumes
The end of Creature Commandos episode 2 ends with a major montage featuring Eric’s continual attempts to be with his Bride over the centuries. However, The Bride has zero interest in her fellow monster, especially after he killed their creator, the man whom she’d actually loved. Regardless, The Bride and Eric’s brawls throughout time are quite humorous, featuring multiple period-accurate costumes and hairstyles as they get closer to the present day.
New episodes of Creature Commandos release Thursdays on Max.
This animated series follows a covert team of monstrous inmates recruited for perilous missions deemed unsuitable for humans. United by secrecy and necessity, the Creature Commandos tackle extraordinary threats, serving as the ultimate option when traditional forces fall short.
- Cast
- Indira Varma , Frank Grillo , Zoe Chao , David Harbour , Sean Gunn , Alan Tudyk , Anya Chalotra , Maria Bakalova , Viola Davis , Steve Agee , Benjamin Byron Davis
- Character(s)
- The Bride , Rick Flag Sr. , Nina Mazursky , Frankenstein , GI Robot , Weasel , Dr. Phosphorus , Circe , Princess Ilana , Amanda Waller , Economos , Rupert Thorne
- Release Date
- December 5, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Franchise(s)
- DC