DC’s Creature Commandos are at the vanguard of the new DCU. James Gunn’s announcement of Gods and Monsters, the first chapter of the all-new DCU, revealed the new franchise steward is bringing an obscure superteam to the screen.
Creature Commandos is the first project of the new-look DCU, an animated series of seven episodes written by Gunn. It picks up a fun throwback team from the early 1980s DC Comics, although the “modern take” will incorporate some new members into the classic line-up.
A fearsome fighting force
The Creature Commandos first formed in Weird War Tales #93, the creation of J. M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick. At that time, the team was assembled, sometimes literally, by the mysterious Project M. Recognizing the psychological power of monsters, that government-backed project created military versions during World War II from a secret lab under the Statue of Liberty. Volunteers were mutated into soldiers who resembled a vampire, a werewolf, and Frankenstein’s Monster, naturally carrying a few flaws from the scientific process. The creatures formed an elite squad under the command of a highly drilled human soldier.
The Commandos series ran for three years before their war ended, although they’ve made subsequent appearances in other titles and DC Crises. In the 21st century, two modern teams have been launched, bolstering their ranks and keeping the monstrous soldiers in continuity.
This squad has never managed to break through to win mainstream appeal, but that’s about to change as they’re drafted by DCU cornerstone Amanda Waller. Expect them to occupy a different space to that other dysfunctional superteam Doom Patrol or Waller’s more famous Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad. The Creature Commandos are her Un-suicide Squad, and it falls to them to launch the DCU. As Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was the book that kicked off science fiction and horror as we know them today, it could be a good sign the DCU is starting with the famous creature and his teammates.
Here’s our ranking of the confirmed characters and the classic members we think will make a sneaky appearance.
11. Weasel
Starting at the bottom of the list, Weasel is ridiculously breaking out from its not-so-breakout role in The Suicide Squad to become one of the DCU’s most regular additions, or so we think. No doubt bringing the same infuriating survival skills and the burblings of Sean Gunn as we saw in 2021, he’s a far cry from the athletic, fully costumed serial killer of the comics.
10. Dr. Medusa
She’s not confirmed to leap into the DCU, but Medusa has been a veteran since the Commandos’ early days, so we expect to meet the team’s nod to Greek mythology at some point. Her World War II origins saw plastic surgeon Dr. Myrra Rhodes transformed by experimental gasses while operating on the Commandos’ leader, Lt. Matthew Shrieve.
Emerging with living snakes for hair, the gorgon soon joined the team. As a member of all incarnations, her mutation has become more striking as the generations have passed.
9. G.I. Robot
There have been six G.I. Robots in DC Comics — two of which have been members of the Creature Commandos. The “2” on the helmet of the DCU’s G.I. Robot suggests this is J.A.K.E 2. Its predecessor, Jungle Automatic Killer – Experimental Number 1, sacrificed itself to save its colleagues in the comics, and the second version had a similarly rough ride.
The team’s robot member incorporates weaponry and can fly for short distances. While J.A.K.E. 2’s fate is unknown after the other Commandos were rocketed into space and captured by Brainiac, one theory suggests G.I. Robot survived into the far future.
8. Wolfpack
When Project M recognized timid Warren Griffith had clinical lycanthropy — hallucinating his transformation into a werewolf — they helpfully made it real. The typical twist from the not-quite-perfect serum was that his transformations were unpredictable and not dictated by the moon’s phases. When transformed, Wolfpack’s abilities boosted his soldier training with an enhanced sense of smell, superhuman strength, claws, and fangs.
In the original run, it took Griffiths a long time to master his transformations, and in the Modern Age, he’s been even more ferocious and unpredictable. Another classic face that so far hasn’t made the DCU.
7. Rick Flag Sr.
We’ve met Rick Flag, the unfortunate head of Waller’s Suicide Squad, but this superteam will be run by his father, Rick Flag Sr. Junior’s impressive legacy looks to reach into the DCU, but the older Flag has an established history in DC Comics. During World War II, he led the original Suicide Squadron and joined Task Force X after the conflict.
Understandably, the Creature Commandos need a tough leader, and in the DCU, Flag is stepping into the shoes of Matthew Shrieve. The hints are that Flag Sr. will also have roles in other DCU projects.
6. Sgt. Vincent Velcoro
Fangs for the memories, but this is another classic character not confirmed for the series. Velcoro was a soldier found guilty of treason who chose Project M’s experiments over a 30-year sentence. He was transformed into a scientific vampire by secret concoctions derived from vampire bats, or in the New 52 continuity, a variation of the Man-Bat formula.
Velcoro has been a regular over the years, with valuable skills mimicking a vampire, including strength and the ability to transform himself into a bat. He’s not averse to sunlight, running water, or crucifixes, but there’s always a downside. The team’s vampire must consume human blood daily to survive. Intriguingly, he was originally named Velcro, but the name didn’t stick.
5. Lt. Matthew Shrieve
Shrieve was their Commando’s original team leader. He was a fully human, hard-as-nails veteran and savage to his crack team of monsters. Despite his uncompromising nature, the soldier’s been shunted out of the line-up over the years. In the DCU, Gunn decided to stick with the Flags. However, Shrieve is a retconned Golden Age character with links to other superheroes, including Doom Patrol’s Robotman, so his presence may be felt in the new show.
4. Dr. Phospherous
A new addition, this is Dr. Phospherous’s chance to shine. Dr. Alex Sartorius is a member of Batman’s rogues but has never broken through to the top over his 40-year career. A radiation specialist, a nuclear meltdown shifted his cellular base to phosphorous, giving him the ability to light a room, manipulate radiation, and a thirst for revenge.
Obviously, the Creature Commandos don’t mind standing too close to this radioactive addition. The precedent for his joining the Commandos came from the alternative “Flashpoint” reality of the comics. If that’s anything to go by, the squad should keep an eye on this powerful new member.
3. Dr. Nina Mazursky
A third-place finish for the mermaid, Mazursky has become increasingly important to the series over the years. In the original comics, her father ran Project M and was responsible for the Commando’s flawed transformations, including his daughter’s when he attempted to cure her terminal lung condition.
In the Modern Age, a more rounded Nina was the lead scientist who adopted a maternal attachment to her creations, even transforming herself into an amphibian human-fish hybrid to match them. As well as being a talented scientist with unrivaled insight into her teammates, her handy skills include breathing underwater and tolerating water pressure.
2. Frankenstein
Pvt. Elliot “Lucky” Taylor had an ironic nickname in the original run of Creature Commandos. He was stitched back together against his will after stepping on a landmine, giving him the appearance of Frankenstein’s Monster and, thanks to damaged vocal cords, a limited vocabulary.
In the Modern Age and Gunn’s version, the spot is taken by the bona fide Frankenstein’s Monster. After menacing appearances in the 1970s, Grant Morrison made him one of the Seven Soldiers of Victory in 2005. The antihero has subsequently joined S.H.A.D.E. (Super Human Advanced Defense Executive) and the Justice League Dark. With no need to eat or drink and the ability to regenerate himself by replacing damaged body parts, Frankenstein can also access the S.H.A.D.E. database through implants for an on-mission strategy.
1. Bride of Frankenstein
She is a relatively recent member on the page, but rumor has it she’ll take a central role in the new DCU show. As her look suggests, she’s the real Bride of Frankenstein. Like Frank, her roots are relatively faithful to Mary Shelley’s novel. Introduced to the team in the Modern Age, she was a fatally effective official S.H.A.D.E. agent manipulated into joining the Commandos.
Unlike her comic counterpart, her DCU version won’t be enhanced by four arms. Still, the Bride’s specialization in espionage and marksmanship — backed by her zombie gifts for strength, durability, stamina, and self-sustenance — means this is one scorned woman to watch.