‘Creature Commandos’ Latest Episode Just Foreshadowed an Even Bigger Threat

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'Creature Commandos' Episode 4.James Gunn is certainly setting the stage for his DCU in Creature Commandos. Not only is he referencing past events from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, now making them officially canon in this universe, but he's slowly building out the universe with small introductions within this animated series. In the latest episode of Creature Commandos, “Chasing Squirrels,” Circe (Anya Chalotra) provides Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) a possible peak into the future. Using her clairvoyant sorcery, Circe gets into the head of Waller and shows her a vision of Princess Ilana Rostovic (Maria Bakalova) and her army teaming with Gorilla Grodd, conquering the world. This vision includes a first look at the DCU’s trinity — Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman — all dead at the hands of this duo. The quiet introduction of this supervillain could be foreshadowing Creature Commandos’ secret big bad, while simultaneously promising the emergence of the popular DC superhero, Barry Allen, aka The Flash.

Who Is DC's Gorilla Grodd?

Gorilla Grodd was first introduced in The Flash #106 in 1959 and was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. He is a hyper-intelligent gorilla with the ability to control minds, hinting he might be the one pulling the strings of Princess Ilana assuming the rule of Pokolistan. Gorilla Grodd is primarily known for being a long-time adversary of The Flash, with a live-action adaptation appearing in the Arrowverse series The Flash, voiced by David Sobolov. Grodd has also been a part of the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series, as well as cameos in a number of DC animated films. He even appears in Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 2: Villains in Paradise, where he is voiced by the incomparable Clancy Brown.

While Gorilla Grodd isn't as popular as other DC villains like Darkseid, Bane, or the Joker, he has proven to be a problem for DC's strongest heroes (and sometimes villains). He's also not afraid to be a part of a team, and what's worse than one powerful supervillain? A group of supervillains. Besides The Flash, Grodd has faced off with the Justice League, Teen Titans, and even Lex Luthor at times. He has also been a member of the Anti-Justice League, the Legion of Doom, the Secret Society of Super-Villains, and more, showing this genius telepathic ape can play a big role in James Gunn's DCU.

Gorilla Grodd's Threat Goes Beyond 'Creature Commandos'

The vision Circe shows Amanda Waller could be similar to the vision Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) showed Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Avengers: Age of Ultron, possibly setting up the first major threat to the first chapter of the DCU: Gods and Monsters. Gorilla Grodd could be a major contender for the first big bad of this universe, and with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) making his introduction in next year's Superman film, their frenemy-type relationship can start to form. Not only did this vision show the dead and beaten bodies of Superman (David Corenswet) and the yet-to-be cast Batman and Wonder Woman, it featured Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific, who will be played by Isabela Merced and Edi Gathegi respectively, who will both make their live-action debuts in Superman next summer. The vision also showed our favorite former Task Force X member Peacemaker (John Cena), his best pal Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), and Judomaster (Nhut Le) among the lifeless bodies, in addition to Supergirl, who will be played by Millie Alcock in the upcoming Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Robin, Starfire, Kid Flash, and Booster Gold, who have all yet to be cast in this new DC universe.

Needless to say, if this dark vision has any validity to it, Gorilla Grodd will` be a formidable foe with a very high body count in his future. While Grodd's introduction leaves fans hopeful we will get a new Scarlet Speedster sooner rather than later, it's also a great villain to enact the formation of the Justice League down the line. This scene is just another example of how James Gunn is subtly expanding this new universe with these small nods in Creature Commandos. It's a smart strategy to effectively build a universe from day one, establishing characters that already exist within this world and making the world feel massive and fantastical, just like the comic books that inspired it. It's yet to be seen if this is the last we'll see of Gorilla Grodd in Creature Commandos, but this tease hints the villain might be a major factor in James Gunn's plans for this universe.

New episodes of Creature Commandos premiere Thursdays on Max in the U.S.

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