DC Studios' First R-Rated Show Gets Story Update

By Jennifer McDonough Updated:
DC Studios Justice League Creature Commandos

Two voice actors from DC’s forthcoming Creature Commandos animated series offered updates on the show’s characters, stories, and violent nature.

Creature Commandos, DC’s mature-themed animated series, was announced during James Gunn and Peter Safran’s initial rundown of the upcoming DC Studios slate in January.

The show revolves around a team of monstrous military operatives led by a human officer (Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr.) and is expected to be quite violent.

The cast, including fan favorites like Alan Tudyk and David Harbour, was recently announced, but there hasn’t been much plot info released so far (although rumored story details have surfaced).

Gunn Teases DC's Creature Commandos Nazi Story

The Bride, GI Robot, and Weasel in Creature Commandos
DC Studios

Speaking to Josh Wilding, Creature Commandos star Sean Gunn (brother of executive producer James Gunn) dropped various bits of story information as well as his dual roles of GI Robot and Weasel. According to Gunn, “The scripts are so good:”

“Yeah I love that project. The scripts are so good. We’ve already been doing a little recording, which is fun… I can tease that we’re going to learn a little more about Weasel, which is going to be interesting. And I just love GI Robot so much.”

The actor also indicated that the show will live up to its TV-MA rating (which is equivalent to an R-Rating) by teasing that the plot's high level of violence dished out on Nazis. Gunn remarked that GI Robot has a “desire to kill as many Nazis as possible:”

“[GI Robot is] driven by one thing and one thing only, which is his hatred of Nazis, and his desire to kill as many Nazis as possible. So for me, as somebody who hates fascism in all its forms, I can relate to somebody who’s wanting to get out there and put smack down on some Nazis.”

Additionally, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s Maria Bakalova, who plays Princess Ilana Rostovic in Creature Commandos, mentioned that she views the series as “challenging,” but that she’s “dying to dive into it” (via ComicBook.com):

“I know enough. I’m looking forward to start the process because it’s a completely different character than I’ve played before, even in feature films, just the type of a character that is written. It’s challenging, I think, but I’m dying to dive into it with James because I know he’s going to lead me to the best direction possible.”

Ilana Rostovic is a character that has not yet appeared in the pages of the comics, with James Gunn confirming that she’s an all-new creation for the Creature Commandos series.

How Will Creature Commandos Tie Into the DC Universe?

James Gunn, who oversees DC Studios’ grand new plans to revamp and revitalize the brand’s on-screen content, stated that he’s cast the characters of Creature Commandos with future live-action appearances firmly in mind. 

This means that characters like Sean Gunn’s GI Robot and Maria Bakalova’s Ilana Rostovic could eventually make the jump into live-action. While not officially confirming GI Robot and Rostovic, this is something that Gunn has already said is in the works.

The original Creature Commandos comic books were actually set during World War II, and judging by Sean Gunn’s comments that GI Robot is obsessed with killing Nazis, it seems possible that the animated series would also be set during this time period.

This would seem to say that the opportunity for crossovers with other DC Studios projects would be limited given that they seem to skew a bit more modern-day, but this being a comic book-inspired universe, anything is possible.

Besides, one of Creature Commandos’ main characters is none other than Weasel, who was also featured in a key role during 2021’s The Suicide Squad. And assuming that this is the exact same character in both appearances, then Creature Commandos already possesses an instant crossover.

And on the topic of the show’s mature age rating high level of violence, these could be aspects that wouldn’t necessarily seem to jive with some other DCU projects, such as the optimistic Superman: Legacy

However, looking at the other shows and movies on the current slate, such as The Authority and Swamp Thing, it’s clear that this refreshed DC Universe will cater to a wide variety of audiences. Some projects may be family-friendly and light, while others could possibly be much grimmer and grittier.

DC Studios’ Creature Commandos is slated to arrive on Max sometime in 2024.

- In This Article: Creature Commandos
Release Date
2024
Platform
Actors
Indira Varma
- About The Author: Jennifer McDonough
Jennifer McDonough has been a writer at The Direct since its 2020 launch. She is responsible for the creation of news articles and features. She also has a particular affinity for action figures and merchandise, which she revels in discussing in the articles she writes, when the situation calls for it.