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As excited as we are for DC Studios' Creature Commandos, it is a very strange way to kick off James Gunn’s fledgling DC film universe. An animated series featuring some of the most obscure characters in DC history is not how we would have done things, but it turns out Gunn’s passion for these characters predates even his jump from the MCU to DC. Dean Lorey, showrunner on Creature Commandos, explained why the show was chosen for the start of the new DC film universe – because James Gunn was already writing the episodes.

“It was a passion project for him,” he said in an interview with Polygon. “He loved the characters and he just wanted to see it happen. And then somewhere in there he and Peter Safran became the co-heads of DC. So, it was a fairly easy pickup for him."

Gunn’s promotion within DC didn’t change much for Creature Commandos.

“The great thing about James is that didn’t really go through a development process on it because… he was the process. So the scripts remained the same; there was very little rewriting of them once we got them. And I think they’re better for it. They come from a very clear and specific point of view, and I think that only helps projects.”

Fans of James Gunn’s storytelling are clearly the target audience for Creature Commandos. Considering he considers episode four to be the most heart-breaking thing he has ever written (after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, that is saying something), it might be best to go in knowing it is designed to make us ugly cry.

The first two episodes of Creature Commandos land on Max on December 5, 2024.

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