'Creature Commandos' Just Proved That There's No Low Amanda Waller Won't Stoop To

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Creature Commandos kicked off a new era of DC content under the creative control of James Gunn with a unique story about some of the lesser-known characters in this world. With an unforgettable two-episode premiere, the series was off to an impressive start, but Episode 3, "Cheers to the Tin Man," took the show to new heights. The story revolves around a team made up of non-human prisoners who Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sends on a dangerous mission. This group has drastically different abilities, brought together by the fact that they stand out. Yet each has their own backstory that landed them in the current situation. The Bride (Indira Varma) took the spotlight of the premiere, delivering an emotional and tragic history to the character. However, the latest episode shifted focus to a member of the team who doesn't belong there.

G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn) is patient and good-natured, but he has a singular focus: killing Nazis, a noble goal. Yet his heartbreaking tale of friendship, heroism, and loneliness proves that he shouldn't even be a prisoner. The tragedy of G.I. Robot's story is that he is punished for his programming when the real culprit was the people who allowed him to be in that situation. Behind the tin face of the killing machine is a lonely individual who misses his friends and deserves so much better than the life he was given.

'Creature Commandos' Episode 3 Gives G.I. Robot a Tragic Story

G.I. Robot is one of the calmer members of the Creature Commandos, but as "Cheers to the Tin Man" shows, lethal. As a robot, he was programmed to kill Naizis, which made him a hero in World War II, fighting beside Easy Company. But after the war, he didn't fare well. G.I. Robot was put into custody after a brutal slaughter, but it isn't his fault. It was immediately clear that G.I. Robot did not adjust to life outside the war, accusing everyone he encountered of being a Nazi, but no one took action. G.I. Robot openly explained that he could not defy his programming, but all anyone did was give him more dangerous weapons. The former hero was shuffled around and forgotten, which could only lead to problems. Ending up with a private collector, G.I. Robot seemed happy, expressing that, outside of his programming, he longed to find his former friends.

But his life changed again when a familiar symbol activated his programming. A machine made to kill should never have been released into the hands of a citizen, but rather than investigating how G.I. Robot ended up where he did, the robot is blamed and imprisoned for years, where he once again is forgotten. The thing is, in G.I. Robot's understanding, he did nothing wrong. He did the one thing he was created for, which for so long brought him praise. The story picks up with G.I. Robot imprisoned and lonely, but he gets to know Nina (Zoe Chao), admitting to her that he just wants a friend to kill Nazis with. Yet there is one more tragedy for the character as G.I. Robot is destroyed in the battle with Circe (Anya Chalotra) and the Sons of Themyscira, though before his death, he did get his wish.

GI Robot smiling with someone's arm around him in Creature Commandos

Like the Bride's story in the premiere, G.I. Robot's history poses questions about humanity and free will. The Creature Commandos are, technically, non-human, allowing Waller to bend the rules and use them in this mission. G.I. Robot's classification as a thing held true when he was sold as a trophy, but when put on trial for killing, he was considered human, rather than the people who made him with a drive to kill being held responsible. Unlike the Bride, G.I. Robot did not have the free will to defy his purpose, yet he received the blame. Though G.I. Robot is subject to his programming, he does show the very human characteristics of making friends and developing desires of his own. These create the idea that he would be more than a killing machine if he were given the chance. The carelessness that G.I. Robot was treated with is inexcusable, yet in many ways, it reflects the program that puts him and the rest back into the world. Amanda Waller's plan is just as dangerous as what happened to G.I. Robot, and history is bound to repeat itself.

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.

Release Date December 5, 2024