Editor's Note: The following contains minor spoilers for 'Creature Commandos' Episode 3 "Cheers to the Tin Man."Creature Commandosis proving to be both an incredibly entertaining show and a solid foundation for DC Studios' new slate of projects. The James Gunn-penned series not only introduces viewers to a new set of characters in Task Force M, but it also features connections to other parts of the DC Universe. Creature Commandos builds on the events of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, while its antagonist Circe (Anya Chalotra) is best known as one of Wonder Woman's fiercest foes. That continues with this week's episode, "Cheers to the Tin Man," which focuses on the origins of G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn). In addition to introducing Will Magnus, the creator of the Metal Men, "Cheers to the Tin Man" also flashes back to G.I. Robot's days in World War II, where he fought alongside Sergeant Frank Rock(Maury Sterling), better known to DC fans as Sgt. Rock.
Sgt. Rock's Creature Commandos appearance is timely, especially since a film centering on him is in the works. Not only is the Sgt. Rock film set to reunite Luca Guadagnino and Justin Kuritzkes following their critically-acclaimed work on Queer and Challengers, but Daniel Craigis set to don Rock's fatigues. But who is Sgt. Rock, and how could his appearance lead to other war-based DC characters potentially appearing? The answers lie below.
Who Is Sgt. Rock in DC Comics?
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Sgt. Rock first appeared in Our Army at War #83 by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, becoming well known as the leader of the "Easy Company," a team of military operatives who fought in nearly every major conflict during World War II. Easy Company's membership consisted of the muscular "Bulldozer," best known for carrying a machine gun; "Wildman," a history professor who turns berserk when entering battle; "Little Sure Shot," an Apache who earned his name due to his sniper skills; "Four Eyes" who is named for both his signature spectacles and sharpshooting abilities, and other soldiers throughout the years. Even though Rock's adventures were fairly well-grounded due to the WWII element, he and Easy Company often encountered other superheroes in the DC Universe due to time travel or parallel worlds colliding. A major example comes during Justice Society of America #3 by Geoff Johnsand Mikel Janin, where Rock and Easy Company join forces with the Justice Society to battle the time-traveling tyrant Per Degaton.
Sgt. Rock’s Appearance in ‘Creature Commandos’ Could Lead to Other World War II-Era DC Characters Showing Up
Image via Warner Bros
If Daniel Craig's Sgt. Rock movie goes through, it could potentially lead to a reappearance from G.I. Robot — especially since James Gunn has said that he wants characters cast in live-action to reprise their roles for animation and video games. But it could also mean that other World War II-era DC characters make an appearance. There's the Blackhawks, an ace squadron of pilots that could have had a Steven Spielberg-helmed film once upon a time. The Unknown Soldier, another ace World War II figure who often disguised himself to carry out espionage missions, crossed paths with Sgt. Rock. There's even the Losers, a group of soldiers cursed with bad luck who received an update in 2010 (and that update received a movie of its own).
James Gunn’s initial DCU outing gives plenty of room to explore other genres and stories in this new universe.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Almost Played Sgt. Rock in Live-Action
Sgt. Rock had appeared in other DC animated series prior to Creature Commandos, including the DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock short film. DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock actually features Rock (voiced by Karl Urban) leading the Creature Commandos, as they stop his arch nemesis Iron Major (William Salyers) from triggering a doomsday weapon. Rock and Easy Company would also show up in Justice League's Season 1 finale "The Savage Time," when John Stewart (Phil LaMarr) joins forces with them to stop Vandal Savage from conquering the United States, and the opening ofBatman: The Brave and the Bold's "The Plague of the Prototypes!" Legends of Tomorrow's Season 1 finale even features a brief appearance from Rock, before he dies at the hands of Vandal Savage.
Though Luca Guadagnino is now slated to bring Sgt. Rock to life, it's not the first time Warner Bros. considered making a Sgt. Rock movie. The first attempt went through a number of drafts, and one of the versions that came close to being filmed would have starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Rock, with John McTiernan directing and Shane Black penning the script. (Not only would this mark a Predatorreunion, but Black's character is actually reading a Sgt. Rock comic in the movie!) But things took a turn for the worse when John Cleese was approached for the role. In the book, The Last Action Heroes, McTiernan explained how Cleese's passing on the project led to it falling apart:
"If he’d seen Die Hard, I think he probably would have signed up. But he judged us on our reputation...It would have been delightful – John Cleese would have had so much fun making fun of Arnold and vice versa. That was the whole essence of the movie."
Warner Bros would later try to launch another attempt with Bruce Willisstarring as Rock and Guy Ritchie directing, but it never came to pass due to Ritchie's work on Sherlock Holmes. Francis Lawrence was also tapped to helm a Sgt. Rock film, but nothing ever came of it. Hopefully, Craig & Guadagnino pull Sgt. Rock out of the trenches and onto the big screen.
Creature Commandos is available to stream 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.
Custom Image by Nimesh Niyomal
Image via DC Comics 
Image via Warner Bros 
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