Notice! This article contains spoilers for Creatre Commandos episode 4.
Creature Commands
may be the first entry into the UDC
but he's not holding anything back as he makes a bold decision that previously received a lot of backlash from the DC fanbase. Creature Commands marks the official start of the DCU after the reboot was announced in 2022. The series highlights a team of largely underdog characters who are given the opportunity to prove themselves, not unlike The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxywhich writer-director James Gunn also wrote and directed.
However, while both projects certainly showcased the unique style of humor that James Gunn has become known for, they didn't really rock the boat. I haveG remained within the strict parameters of the MCU, and although The Suicide Squad it was much edgier and darker, it avoided messing with most aspects of the DCEU proper. But now that James Gunn is directing the entire DCU, he's decided to jump in with both feet and make it clear that the DCU won't hide anythingincluding killing the Justice League in episode 4 of this animated series.
Suicide Squad: Killing off the Justice League caused outrage
The Justice League is sacred to DC fans
However, the decision to kill off the Justice League was introduced in early 2024 in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueand that game was met with considerable backlash. For some, the problems stemmed from the fact that a group of low-level villains managed to get together and defeat the world's greatest heroes. For others, it was the immense disrespect that games seemed to give these iconic figures. But, by far, one of the most heard complaints was the way Batman, from the Arkham video games, was killed with a single bullet to the head.
Batman's armor is famously bulletproof and although the game was designed and named with the clear point of view that it was about killing the Justice League DC fans were still outraged by how the game delivered this plot. And especially the fact that this wasn't a random version of Batman, but was intended to be the same version that players of the previous Arkham games became familiar with after playing several games with him as the protagonist. And somehow, Creature Commands decided to enter this treacherous territory, despite the history of this plot.
Creature Commandos kill the Justice League before they even appear in the DCU
The DCU gave its biggest heroes a rough introduction
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It is certain that Creature Commands The version of killing the Justice League is less developed. The scene where the Justice League appears dead is a very brief glimpse at the beginning of episode 4, when Circe shows Amanda Waller a possible future. Waller sees the world in disarray, Princess Ilana becoming a tyrant, and Gorilla Grod joining forces to help her eliminate the heroes and take her place as the new ruler of the world. However, it raises questions about how an ordinary princess from a small nation, and Gorilla Grod, could face and defeat the entire Justice League.
And where Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League took the opportunity to kill a unique version of the heroes and Arkham's version of Batman, Creature Commands It's part of the DCU. Not even Elseworlds, just the main DCU event. So this is a way to establish how weak these heroes will be, that they could be easily overtaken, and if that's the case, how these should be the heroes that inspire the public to flock to theaters in droves over the next decade as the DCU expands.
Why weakening the Justice League is so irresistible
Heroes have had a long time at the top
The fact is, these heroes have been icons, saving the world and taking down bad guys for as long as they've existed. Superman was first introduced in 1938, and Batman debuted in 1939, just a year later. People have written hundreds, if not thousands, of stories in which they are the hero. Then, exploring stories where they don't winor even where they are considered bad guys, it is actually a nice break from convention and offers something new and interesting.
Creature Commands is not necessarily trying to do so, and it is very likely that this view will be debunked or changed by the end of Creature Commands Season 1, but it's interesting that the DCU leaned into this idea so quickly. However, where they will go next and what the Justice League will be able to overcome remains something that remains far away for James Gunn's DCU. Creature Commands I just had to tease the idea from the beginning and test the waters with the fan base.
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