We are about to enter an exciting new era in DC Comics storytelling. Following the decades-long run of the period known as the DCEU, Warner Bros. and DC are about to embark on a bit of a reset, with writer-director James Gunn and executive producer Peter Safran leading the charge. We have a new Superman movie arriving in theaters in July 2025, with Twisters co-star David Corenswet stepping into the iconic role alongside Rachel Brosnahan (as Lois Lane) and Nicolas Hoult (as the sinister antagonist Lex Luthor). You might assume that Superman is the kick off of the DCU, but you would be wrong. Get ready for December, and the arrival of the Creature Commandos.
Given the fact that James Gunn burst onto the superhero scene with a team-up ensemble movie (Guardians of the Galaxy, an outlier at the time in the MCU), it shouldn’t be too much of a shock that he’s relying on a familiar formula for his first foray into this new DCU. Only, Creature Commandos will build off of the events of Gunn’s own The Suicide Squad, where Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sent a team of villains into Corto Maltese to put an end to Project Starfish. They succeeded, but not before Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) died. Now, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) is leading the charge, and will be an important component of the DCU moving forward.
Last summer, when Superman was busy filming in Cleveland, Ohio, paparazzi photographers caught Frank Grillo in action on the set, placing David Corenswet’s Superman under arrest. At least, that’s what it looked like to us. So when I had the opportunity to interview Grillo about his work on Creature Commandos, and his participation in the DCU, I had to ask him how he thought Rick Flag Sr. felt about Superman, in general. And Grillo told CinemaBlend:
I think Rick Flag understands and appreciates Superman for what he is. But I think they're, perhaps, on different sides of an ideology. And so there are some, you know, conflicting views, as much as I can say. But I think he's in awe. I think he's a bit in awe of Superman, and I think he respects him immensely. And we'll see what happens.
You won’t get the chance to start watching Creature Commandos until the series makes its debut on Max on December 5. On that date, the first two episodes of the seven-episode season will drop, and you are going to want to watch them as soon as possible.
This will be the first story that is setting a tone for what DC fans can expect out of James Gunn’s world. In the previous DCEU movies, Superman was viewed (rightfully so) as a god, with Batman (Ben Affleck) going to extremes to try and reign in his power and influence. Gunn has said that his take on Superman will be more hopeful, and more optimistic, but Grillo does frame the fact that Rick Flag Sr. will be on the opposing sides of some ideological debates. So we’ll see how that plays out.
As for Creature Commandos, the animated program has a bit of Suicide Squad flavor, with Amanda Waller assembling a team of mismatched monsters – Task Force M, if you will – to complete a mission that can, and will, get potentially messy. We will have plenty more about Creature Commandos as the show approaches, including more from Grillo and his cast members. Stick around.
