James Gunn’s Chapter 1, fittingly titled Gods & Monsters, wastes zero time living up to its name. Across animation and live‑action, the DCU has already introduced a variety of creatures. From brand‑new oddities to adorable animal companions, this universe is crawling with all manner of beasts.
Far from being window dressing, these beings help define the DCU’s tone. Gunn’s world is a mix of heroics and horror, sincerity and strangeness. A kaiju can stomp through Metropolis in the same universe where a gill‑woman wrestles with identity and a loyal super‑dog steals the show.
This is only the beginning. Chapter 1 still has many stories to tell, with films like The Authority and Swamp Thing yet to be introduced. Each carries the potential to unleash even stranger beings. With James Gunn steering the creative vision, fans can expect the DCU to keep surprising audiences by adding more creatures, big and small, that expand the scope and character of this universe.
Creatures From Superman
Mister Handsome
Mister Handsome is a grotesque, malformed creature born from Lex Luthor’s childhood experiments in a petri dish, a twisted attempt at crafting the perfect human.
Confined to a hovering platform due to his frail, unnatural form, this pitiful being serves as Luthor’s minion in Superman. His unsettling appearance in this intriguing photo on Lex's desk and tragic origin, marked by pain and rejection, make him a haunting figure.
Kaiju
The Kaiju, one of the many villains in Superman, is a colossal, otherworldly beast of immense destructive power, a towering force of nature unleashed on Metropolis. Unlike Starro from The Suicide Squad, this Kaiju is a unique entity, with a design that evokes classic Japanese monster films while rooted in DC’s cosmic mythology.
Its earth-shaking presence challenges Superman in a battle of brute strength, serving as a spectacle of raw power. This creature diversifies the DCU by introducing a skyscraper-sized threat.
Krypto
Krypto the Superdog, Superman’s loyal companion from Krypton, featured in Superman with powers mirroring his master’s, flight, super strength, and heat vision. This canine hero, with his stubborn devotion and playful demeanor, brings a wholesome charm to the DCU, drawn from his Silver Age comic roots.
Krypto’s ability to tackle threats with both ferocity and loyalty makes him a standout. He offers a lighter counterpoint to the universe’s darker monsters.
Cybernetics-Enhanced Monkeys
In Superman, Lex Luthor’s Cybernetics-Enhanced Monkeys are primates augmented with cutting-edge implants, programmed to manipulate public perception through online propaganda.
These cunning creatures combine animal instinct with technological precision, serving as Lex’s tools to undermine Superman’s reputation. Their eerie intelligence and coordination evoke a modern fear of tech-driven manipulation, making them a unique threat.
Interdimensional Imp
The Interdimensional Imp in the DCU is a minor, yet significant, background creature that establishes the existence of the Fifth Dimension and its reality-bending inhabitants.
In Superman, this particular imp is seen floating in the background during an urban fight scene, appearing as a massive, purple, eyeball-like entity with tendrils.
While it poses a danger to the city, Superman, having likely dealt with such incursions before, nonchalantly leaves it to the Justice Gang to handle.
Creatures From Peacemaker
The Butterflies
The Butterflies from Peacemaker are parasitic, alien creatures from a dying planet who come to Earth with the intention of saving it from itself. Driven by the same ecological self-destruction that doomed their home world, they believe humanity is on a similar path and that the only way to prevent it is by seizing control.
Their method involves entering a host's body and taking over their mind, effectively killing the original consciousness and wearing them like a skin suit.
Eagly
Eagly, Peacemaker’s fiercely loyal bald eagle, first featured in Peacemaker Season 1 as a combat-trained companion with a knack for surveillance and attack. This patriotic bird, which blends humor with ferocity, steals scenes with his bond with Peacemaker and surprising battlefield prowess.
As a character, Eagly serves as a key source of emotional support and comic relief for Peacemaker, often acting as the sole figure in his life to offer unconditional affection.
The emotional bond between them is famously demonstrated by Eagly's affectionate hugs, a gesture that provides Peacemaker with a rare moment of genuine connection.
Kyphotic Alien
The Kyphotic Alien, introduced in Peacemaker Season 2, is a hunched, enigmatic visitor from another dimension, emerging through portals with unclear intentions. Its grotesque, stooped form and alien physiology hint at deeper multiversal mysteries. This creature’s unsettling design and interdimensional origins add a bit of cosmic horror to the DCU.
In the series, Christopher Smith encounters the creature in the Quantum Unfolding Chamber (QUC), a facility that can access other dimensions.
The Kyphotic Alien briefly crosses into the chamber from its own interdimensional portal to dispose of a smaller, rat-like creature in an incinerator. It completely ignores Peacemaker's friendly morning, prompting the hero to insult it frustratedly.
The Cow
The Cow from Peacemaker is a gigantic, slug-like alien creature that serves as the Butterflies' primary food source. It is disgusting, pale, whale-sized, and has insect-like features, including six large eyes and small, clawed legs.
It produces a viscous, glowing Amber Fluid that sustains the Butterflies and their human hosts. Without a constant supply of this food source, the Butterflies could only survive for a few weeks.
Rainbow Creature
The Rainbow Creature, referenced in Peacemaker Season 2, is a vibrant, volcano-born creature capable of unleashing devastating energy beams. The reference occurs when Christopher Smith enters the Quantum Unfolding Chamber and sees headlines referencing his alternate-universe doppelgänger, The Top Trio, and their battles against various villains, including the Rainbow Creature.
This brief mention highlights the broader, weirder history of the DC Universe that James Gunn and his team are incorporating into the new DCU.
Creatures From Creature Commandos
The Bride of Frankenstein
The Bride of Frankenstein leads the Creature Commandos. Gifted with superhuman strength, she’s also defined by a deep longing for belonging, her reanimated body carrying both resilience and sorrow.
Voiced in the animated series by Indira Varma, the Bride channels classic gothic horror while taking on modern wartime missions. Her emotional depth and determination make her a standout leader.
Weasel
Weasel is an unsettling, anthropomorphic creature from James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, who was later confirmed to have survived and returned in the Creature Commandos animated series.
With matted fur, bulging eyes, and a sickly appearance, he behaves with the feral instincts of a wild animal, and his origins are a tragic story of injustice.
Weasel was once a human-like creature who befriended a group of children. After an explosion at their school killed most of them, he was wrongfully blamed for their deaths and incarcerated, despite having tried to save a young girl. This traumatic experience and the injustice of his imprisonment haunt him.
Nina Mazursky
Nina Mazursky is an amphibious creature and a central figure in the Creature Commandos animated series, voiced by Zoë Chao. Her character arc explores themes of identity, trauma, and the pursuit of acceptance in a world that shuns her for her appearance.
Created through experimental science, her hybrid form reflects the DCU’s fascination with bio-engineered beings. Nina's dual role as both monster and thinker adds complexity to the team; however, she had a tragic ending in Creature Commandos.
Doctor Phosphorus
Doctor Phosphorus is a glowing skeletal figure in Creature Commandos who burns with radioactive energy. He was cursed by a chemical accident that left him in eternal agony. His volatile powers and tormented existence make him a dangerous ally in covert operations.
He can manipulate radiation to burn and melt objects and enemies. His unique physiology also grants him superhuman strength, durability, and agility.
A constant, sickly green and yellow glow emanates from Doctor Phosphorus' translucent, skeleton-like body, a constant reminder of his nuclear rebirth.
Eric Frankenstein
Eric Frankenstein, a hulking reanimated giant in Creature Commandos, wields immense strength and a philosophical soul, grappling with his unnatural existence. Stitched together from lost lives, he seeks purpose in a world that shuns him, adding depth to his monstrous form.
He possesses a tragic, selfish, and insecure nature, stemming from his unrequited love for the Bride and his creator's abandonment.
Nosferata
Nosferata, a vampiric bat-woman in Creature Commandos, possesses powers such as flight, enhanced strength, agility, and regeneration. As a member of the team, Nosferata provides a valuable skillset for combat missions.
She channels classic vampire mythology with an animalistic twist. Her predatory grace and dark allure make her a formidable team member.
Khalis
Khalis, an ancient mummy revived as a SHADE agent in Creature Commandos, wields resurrection powers tied to Egyptian mysticism. His bandaged form and supernatural abilities make him a unique asset in supernatural warfare, evoking ancient curses. As a mummified being, Khalis possesses superhuman strength, durability, and stamina.
His undead nature makes him immortal, and he can survive injuries that would be fatal to normal humans.
Khalis also exhibits empathy, allowing him to sense the presence of nearby lifeforms. In combat, he wields a staff and can channel eldritch blasts through it.
King Shark
King Shark, the shark-human hybrid from The Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos, combines razor-sharp teeth and super strength with a surprisingly childlike demeanor. This aquatic brute, capable of both chaos and loyalty, swings between ally and threat, stealing hearts with his goofy charm.
His marine-inspired design draws from DC’s oceanic villains, reimagined with humor.
Congorilla
Congorilla, a golden gorilla with human intelligence in Creature Commandos, has an aggressive yet cunning nature born from a mystical transfer of consciousness. This primate powerhouse navigates missions with primal strength and strategic wit. As a sentient gorilla, Congorilla possesses enhanced strength and durability.
His strength, however, is not enough to save him from the Bride of Frankenstein, who, in a violent outburst, kills him with a food tray.
Clayface
Clayface, set to star in his own DCU film, is a shape-shifting mud monster, once a horror actor mutated into a malleable terror capable of impersonating anyone.
His fluid form and tragic backstory, tied to a failed film career, make him a villain of both menace and pathos. Drawing from DC’s classic rogues, Clayface embodies the horror of lost identity.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
