Without a doubt,James Gunnis one of the most talented filmmakers working today. One of his greatest strengths, specifically in the superhero genre, is the ability to take relatively unknown characters, team them up, and give us truly lovable families of anti-heroes.The Suicide Squad,Guardians of the Galaxy, andPeacemakerare his most famous examples and even his screenplays for the live-actionScooby-Doofilmsare a showcase of his ability to write a team of characters.
However, whilst he is yet again entertaining us with the interpersonal dynamics of a team of antiheroes, withCreature Commandosbeing abreath of fresh air for DCafter the stale failure of the DCEU, it isstarting to feel like more of the same thing we have seen before, making the outcome predictable. There are other reasons why this style of narrative might not be working as effectively this time around, with the far shorter runtime of theCreature Commandosseason compared to his other projects. Yet, this is certainly not to say James Gunn is a one-trick pony or that the DCU is in the same crisis as the DCEU ever was.
‘Creature Commandos’ Overwhelms Us With Backstory
Despite the fact that the animation and action scenes have been fairly impressive,Creature Commandosis beginning to become formulaic with the repetitive backstories on display in each episode for every character, which started with The Bride (Indira Varma). Learning everyone’s backstory in this way, with the latest beingDr. Phosphorous’ (Alan Tudyk), is simply beginning to feel distracting from the main narrative, as well as not adding much to the character dynamics on the show. Rather than getting to settle in with each character’s origin and seeing it impact the way they interact with others,the show moves on so quickly that it almost feels inconsequential.
This is very different from how character backstories were explored in Gunn’s previous superhero projects. In theGuardians of the Galaxyfilms, we seeRocket’s (Bradley Cooper)or Star Lord’s (Chris Pratt) tragic backstories across multiple films, which paid off in allowing for those characters to have more vulnerability in those films (such as Star Lord having to face his father inVolume 2) and increasing our sympathy for them. Furthermore, inThe Suicide Squad, the origins of characters such as Polka-Dot Man (David Dasmaltchian), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) are shared in bonding scenes between the members of the team and contribute to the central narrative. In contrast,Creature Commandos' origins are presented as cutaways from the episode, literally interrupting the central plotofCirce’s (Anya Chalotra)visions of the dystopian future caused by Princess Ilana (Maria Bakalova) of Pokolistan.
The Fate of ‘Creature Commandos’ Has Been Decided Ahead of Its January Season Finale
The series has kicked off the new DC era.
‘Creature Commandos’ Character Development Lacks Tension When the Outcome Is Predictable
What this ends up meaning is that we struggle to feel any tension in what will happen between the members of the Creature Commandos. When watchingGuardians of the Galaxyfor the first time over a decade ago, it wasn’t guaranteed this would be a happily ever after, yetwe now know the tropes and flow of the narrative. Conflict, such as the fight between Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) and Dr. Phosphorous, whilst superbly animated, lacks the fear of one of them actually suffering any real consequences in the moment. Similarly, with The Bride and Nina (Zoe Chao), it feels vaguely frustrating when The Bride even attempts to act like the two aren’t going to be friends.
The only backstories we haven’t seen yet are Nina’s, Ilana’s, Rick Flag Sr.’s, and Circe’s, although it feels like Nina’s will most likely be the last one shown with only the finale left to air. Additionally, with the team of antiheroes mostly back together, andEric Frankenstein (David Harbour)on the way,there is certainly lots of fascinating potential for great action and interpersonal dynamics being more fleshed out. Looking ahead, this repetitive narrative doesn’t feel like a long-term problem for the DCU, and a move away from the team-up style of narrative inSupermanshould be good for Gunn and the DCU, withGunn tellingColliderthatSupermanis “something different than I have ever done before,” as well as the factthe film will ignore Kal-El’s originletting us spend more time moving forward, rather than looking back.
Creature CommandosSeason 1 finale releases on January 9 on Max in the U.S.
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Creature Commandos
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.
