Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'Creature Commandos'.
It feels like everyone was waiting with bated breath for Creature Commandos. As James Gunn’s first installment in this new DCU, it felt like a lot was riding on the series' success. After all, this is the same Warner Bros. who re-shot and framed Zack Snyder's Justice League, before releasing a well-extended Snyder cut anyway. Chaos and impulsivity have often been the methods of large studios yet, thankfully, Gunn has given us a show that is exactly what DC needed. Due to its violent and R-rated tone mixed with comedy, Creature Commandos gives us plenty of room to explore other genres and stories in this new universe that should allow it to stand on its own two feet, resistant to claims of being MCU derivative.
Greater Maturity and Diversity Will Serve James Gunn's DCU Well in Years To Come
By making Creature Commandos such a mixture of tones, Gunn has allowed himself room to pivot into darker or lighter tones, such as what it appears we will get in a more faithful adaptation of Superman which embraces the Boy Scout qualities as opposed to Zack Snyder’s more grim portrayal of the character. While Henry Cavill was undoubtedly a good casting choice, the gray morals permeating through every character meant, in the end, every arc felt the same. When comparing Gunn's DCU to Marvel, there's a greater possibility for different types of stories.
Ever since the Netflix-era of Marvel TV ended, the MCU has moved in a decidedly more family-friendly direction, with even the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverinebeing slightly removed from the core Marvel universe by making it take place in The Void and focusing on Fox X-Men-era characters. In doing so, the current brand of the MCU remains largely untouched. If, unlike the MCU, the DCU could have an R-rated animated or live-action project dealing with darker mature themes, followed by more comedic, lighter-tone projects, then we won’t just get a cinematic universe like Marvel, but a storytelling universe that all kinds of audiences will enjoy.
The ‘Stranger Things’ actor can currently be heard in the first two episodes of the adult animated series as Eric Frankenstein.
'Creature Commandos' Taps Into a Core Reason Why People Love Comic Books
Image via Warner Bros.
Creature Commandos shows an embracing of the sillier aspects of the comics, with characters like The Bride (Indira Varma) and G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn) both having ridiculous yet tragic premises. Frankly, even the opening animation of the series shows exactly what Gunn is going to do with the DCU. It includes a golden-aged, comic-looking Superman breaking free of chains before smiling wide and puffing out his chest. It feels like it is a comic-accurate characterization breaking free of the chains of cynicism or bland repetitiveness, shining a beacon of storytelling that made these characters so beloved in the first place. The comics are beloved because of the range of stories that can be explored, and that seems to be exactly what Gunn wants to bring to his DCU.
While the MCU did embrace more of this diversity and high concept in later movies, with Gunn's own Guardians of the Galaxy being the first introduction to a wider universe, this only came in the second phase. Finally, in the third phase, with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, we were given an interaction between the grounded and fantastical characters. You could count Thor (Chris Hemsworth), but, as a mythological being that has already been in human history and culture for thousands of years, the god of lightning feels far closer to home than completely separate alien worlds.
With the DCU beginning with the fantastical, it blows the door wide open for anything to come next, rather than a build-up to it like the MCU. Creature Commandos is the best project to kick off Gunn's universe because of its garish mixture of comedy, animation, and maturity. Because of this, whatever comes next will feel connected yet fresh and will mean a greater diversity of storytelling in the superhero genre which audiences have been crying out for in recent years. Obviously, it is no guarantee of success, but Creature Commandos is definitely what the DCU needs as it begins its new journey.
New episodes of Creature Commandos release weekly on Max in the U.S.
In "Creature Commandos," Amanda Waller assembles a covert team of monstrous operatives, including a werewolf, vampire, and gorgon, to undertake high-risk missions deemed too perilous for human agents.
Image via DC Studios
Image via Warner Bros. 
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