Gotham’s Cameron Monaghan Breaks Down the World of Kamandi (Exclusive)

The world of Kamandi is perhaps the crowning creation of Jack Kirby’s time at DC. A title that stands alone and remains well-loved by fans and fellow artists to this day, the series centers on the “Last Boy on Earth,” as he navigates a world filled with intelligent animals that rule the planet and abuse whatever humans they can find, none of whom except Kamandi are capable of speech. And the character has rarely made his way to the screen, but did manage to get a DC Showcase animated short recently, which made its way onto the DVD and Blu-ray release of Constantine: The House of Mystery. 

Cameron Monaghan, who voices Kamandi, is also no stranger to DC fans, having been the “will-they-or-won’t-they” Joker on Fox’s Gotham for years. In a trio of clips released exclusively to ComicBook.com, Monaghan talks about his experience stepping into the world of Kamandi, describing it as “a really fun adventure that is also linked in some way to the greater DC Universe as well.”

Longtime fans can likely guess what that link is.

“Kamandi, being the last boy on earth, is a survivor,” Monaghan explained. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders; he was taught by his grandfather compassion before he died, and now he’s kind of gone into the world with an open heart, searching for something greater than what was already there.K being the last boy on earth is a survivor. He’s got a good head on his shoulders; he was taught by his grandfather compassion before he died, and now he’s kind of gone into the world with an open heart, searching for something greater than what was already there.”

“A beacon of hope” is quite a thing to have in a world like Kamandi’s which, yes, was partially innspired by Planet of the Apes. 

In the short, Kamandi and his friends Prince Tuftan of the Tiger Kingdom and humanoid mutant Ben Boxer are kidnapped by a gorilla cult dedicated to finding the reincarnation of their god, The Mighty One. Golgan, the cult’s leader, puts Kamandi’s team through a series of deadly tests to find if any of them know the secret of … The Mighty One.

Of course, nobody captures the big, bombastic, and cosmic quite like Jack Kirby did, and that aesthetic isn’t lost on Monaghan either.

“There’s a lot of really wonderful imagery; it’s a somewhat absurdist reality they live in,” Monaghan said. “I love seeing all of these anthropomorphized animals in this this kind of Mad Max-esque, gladiator sort of area that they are all thrown into. I love the look of the universe and the greater feel of the world.”

In DC Showcase – Constantine: The House of Mystery, occult detective John Constantine is trapped in the House of Mystery, a secret domain where none can escape from. 

You can get the movie now on DVD, Blu-ray, or digital. It is not yet streaming for free, but should be headed to HBO Max soon.