Creature Commandos is an American adult animated superhero television series based on the eponymous team from DC Comics.

All seven episodes of the first season were written by series creator James Gunn, with Dean Lorey serving as showrunner and Yves "Balak" Bigerel as supervising director.

The series features an ensemble cast including Indira Varma, Sean Gunn, Alan Tudyk, Zoë Chao, David Harbour, and Frank Grillo.

After the events of the first season of Peacemaker (2022), Amanda Waller assembles a black ops team of monsters led by General Rick Flag Sr.[1][2] Additionally, several DC Comics characters make non-speaking cameo appearances in the series, including: superheroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Peacemaker, Vigilante, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Starfire, Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, Supergirl, Robin, Flash, and Judomaster;[24][32][28] Easy Company members Wildman, Four Eyes, and Canary; Belle Reve inmates Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, Crimson Centipede, Shaggy Man, Fisherman,[26] Nosferata, Khalis, Egg Fu, Bug-Eyed Bandit, Chemo, and Rubberduck;[33][31] and the supervillain Gorilla Grodd.

The new company was expected to restructure DC Entertainment and Zaslav began searching for an equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to lead the new subsidiary.

[41] A week after starting their new roles, the pair had begun developing an eight-to-ten-year plan for a new DC Universe (DCU) that would be a "soft reboot" of the DCEU.

[42][43][44] Gunn and Safran said some cast members would return from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker in the DCU, and a "rough memory" of the events of those projects would remain.

[5] Gunn said the series was integral to their vision for the DCU, establishing the fact that characters would be treated consistently across different mediums moving forward.

[10] Much like with The Suicide Squad, Gunn considered different characters that didn't make it to the titular team's rooster in the finished version; he initially considered to use Warren Griffith / Wolfpack and Man-Bat, the latter a favorite of Gunn's, but he felt there would be "too many rabid and fuzzy" characters if he included them alongside Weasel, whose story he was set on telling.

[53] Gunn considered Nosferata and any ape characters like Congorilla as well; both made cameo appearances in the fourth episode and the former joins the team in the season finale.

[8] Gunn and Safran said Viola Davis would reprise her role as Amanda Waller from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker in the DCU,[45] and she was confirmed to be voicing the character in Creature Commandos with the series' announcement.

[56] The cast was announced in April, with Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.;[16] Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, an original character created for the series;[3][57] Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky; Alan Tudyk as Alex Sartorius / Doctor Phosphorus; David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein; Indira Varma as the Bride; Sean Gunn as G.I.

[63] The series adheres to Gunn's mandate for a cohesive approach to the DCU, so characters and locations can move between mediums and be familiar to audiences.

[64][65] Creature Commandos' theme song is a version of "Moliendo Café" by Venezuelan artist Hugo Blanco, performed by Romani band Fanfare Ciocărlia.

[11] A making-of session and presentation for the series with Balak and Morales took place at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

[11][9] Rafael Motamayor of /Film and Kambole Campbell of Animation Magazine both criticized Gunn's video message as boring and too focused on corporate strategy.

[47][9] Gunn made a surprise appearance during a San Diego Comic-Con panel for DC Comics COO Jim Lee in July 2024 and released the first teaser trailer for the series.

[67] Charles Barfield at The Playlist said the style, tone, and structure of the series appeared to be similar to Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad films, again bringing together a "group of disparate characters" to fight some villains.

Club, William Hughes said the series "looks fun as hell" and like "classic Gunn 'superhero' fare: Darkly funny, energetic, and gory".

[69] Gizmodo's Justin Carter said the trailer was "a bunch of monstrous fun",[70] and Eric Francisco of Vulture said it has "a vivid art and animation style with deep, bold colors".

The website's consensus reads: "Bearing writer James Gunn's trademark penchant for kooky humor and lovable characters, Creature Commandos marks an auspicious debut for the DCU.

He concluded the show "combines individually strong elements that are executed to a high standard, creating a very worthy foundation for the DCU".

[77] ComicBook.com's Charlie Ridgely gave Creature Commandos a 5 out of 5 rating, declaring "you'll fall in love with every single member of this team, and perhaps almost every character on the show".

[78] IGN gave it an 8/10, admitting its style was not for everyone, questioning the DCEU–DCU canon overlap, and feeling it was a surprising direction for the DCU, but declared it a "solid job" at bridging old DC TV and films with the new, and praised Gunn's ability to bring heart to the "goofiest, raunchiest" characters.

[82] JoBlo.com's Steve Seigh said that "if there's one thing James Gunn is incredibly good at, it's mixing action, comedy, and drama into a compelling narrative with characters that present depth and complexity".

He said Gunn's work was expected, yet remained a good show for fans, but questioned its position as the first entry of the DCU reboot due to its familiarity.