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Holy squirrel cage, Batman has officially landed into the new DCU, entirely unexpectedly! In true Norm Breyfogle fashion, DC's Dark Knight appeared as a silhouette lit by lightning in episode 6 of Max's animated series Creature Commandos.

The episode dove deep into the backstory of team member Doctor Phosphorus, revealing how he transformed (against his will) from a scientist and family man into the grinning skeletal villain we all know and love. In case you're not also a member of the Doctor Phosphorus Community, Phosphorus is traditionally a small-time Batman villain in DC's comic book canon; as such, it makes perfect sense that the Creature Commandos show would include Batman in its exploration of Doctor Phosphorus's life, even if the hero had yet to debut in the new on-screen DC Universe. Turns out, the Dark Knight is the whole reason why Doctor Phosphorus ended up in Amanda Waller's care to begin with! 

In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes TV, James Gunn discussed everything that went into Batman's debut in the new DCU. While the co-head of DC Studios remained mum about which version of Batman this was (a question I would imagine stems from the fact that Dick Grayson, not Bruce Wayne, was Batman in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's now iconic run on Batman and Robin - a comic book that is apparently inspiring the new DCU take on the character), Gunn did shed light on the forces that impacted Batman's silhouetted introduction.

"I think it's a great way to show that Batman does exist, he already exists in this universe," Gunn said, before drawing a parallel between how the upcoming Superman movie will not be an origin story for the Man of Steel. "Batman is a part of this universe, he's an important part of this universe, and he has an impact on it, including defeating pretty dangerous, scary people like Phosphorus."  

As the first project in the DCU's "Chapter 1 - Gods and Monsters" era, Creature Commandos has been laying the groundwork for this next batch of projects. Since part of the new DCU's ethos is that all characters will remain consistent across video games, animation, and live-action, Creature Commandos has given us not only our first look at Batman, but also the Justice League (in a particularly grisly future vision projected into Amanda Waller's mind by Amazon sorceress Circe), and my personal favorite crew, Sgt. Rock's Easy Company. 

At this time, we do know that a live-action Batman project is in the works at DC Studios with a planned Brave and the Bold movie. We do not know, however, who will be playing Batman, nor his son, Damian Wayne. This is why it was wise for Batman's first appearance in the DCU to rely almost entirely on the iconic shape of his costume against the night sky. While the details of his future in the DCU are being hashed out, it's still important to establish his relationship with Gotham villains like Doctor Phosphorus. 

Creature Commandos is streaming on Max. 

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU.