Every DCU Character and Franchise That’s Referenced in Creature Commandos’ Episode 4

With its latest episode, Creature Commandos maintains the series thread of giving humanity to the monsters of Task Force M while showing a big DC universe beyond the frontiers of Pokolistan. Episode 4 adds another massive plot twist, teasing there’s more to the team’s mission than they first thought. Meanwhile, the flashbacks reveal the truth about Weasel’s (voiced by Sean Gunn) alleged crimes in a tearjerker sequence that quickly claimed its place as one of the saddest moments in comic book media. However, in between all of that, there are still multiple references to the characters who populate James Gunn’s ambitious DCU.

John Economos’ Leg

After appearing in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, John Economos (Steve Agee) is back for Creature Commandos. Economos walks around with a crutch and confirms his wound comes from his battle against the Butterflies in Peacemaker. That’s another confirmation that the series’ first season is indeed DCU canon, except for one scene. However, Economos’ crutch creates some timeline issues.

Creature Commandos established that Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) died in the Task Force X operation in Corto Maltese, aka Project Starfish. It also explicitly tells Rick Flag Jr. died about two years before the main events of Creature Commandos. However, Season 1 of Peacemaker, and therefore Economos’ near-deadly encounter with the Butterflies, happens five to six months after the events of Corto Maltese. Economos should be fully healed by the time he appears in Creature Commandos, considering his wounded leg didn’t seem to be in such a bad state by the end of the show. Sure, Gunn can fix it by changing The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker’s timeline placement, but until then, we get this weird plot hole.

[RELATED: James Gunn Reveals DCU’s Most Popular Cartoon Character (Blink and You’ll Miss Him)]

Betty Bates, Defense Attorney

Episode 4 of Creature Commandos introduces Elizabeth “Betty” Bates (voiced by Linda Cardellini) as Weasel’s attorney. Bob Powell created Betty Bates for 1940’s Hit Comics #4, one of the leading Quality Comics publications. For over a decade, Bates would appear in the pages of Hit Comics as a controversial defense lawyer willing to do anything to find justice for her clients. 

Quality Comics closed its doors in 1950, with DC buying most of its characters’ rights in 1956. Betty Bates has not been incorporated into the main DC Comics continuity, but it’s nice to see her honored in Creature Commandos. She was a rare female protagonist in the 1940s, and her stories tackled critical social issues such as harassment and women involved in politics.

Will Grodd Kill the Justice League?

When Circe (voiced by Anya Chalotra) shares her vision of the future with Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), we see the world ravaged by Princess Illana’s (voiced by Maria Bakalova) army. What’s curious, though, is that Illana is not alone as she stands by the side of an armored gorilla. The Flash fans will quickly recognize the ape as Gorilla Grodd, one of the most dangerous supervillains in DC history.

In Circe’s vision, we see how Grodd and Illana manage to defeat Earth’s most powerful defenders, impaling or crucifying them in a field filled with death and destruction. We see DC’s triad — Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman — as well as Peacemaker and Vigilante. Among the deaths are heroes set to make their DCU debut in 2025’s Superman, such as Supergirl, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific. Finally, the other bodies hint at which projects DC Studios might pursue next. While it’s hard to identify every corpse, we get glimpses of heroes who are possibly Starfire, Robin, Aquaman, Captain Atom, and Martian Manhunter.

Themyscira’s Tsunami

Episode 4 of Creature Commandos underlines how Themyscira has only recently been revealed to the world. Economos confirms that Paradise Island is an actual place, while Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) throws some shade at the idea there’s a hidden haven inhabited only by women. In addition, the episode gave us the most significant clues about when the Amazons joined the rest of the world.

To confirm Circe is telling the truth, Waller summons Aisla MacPherson (Stephanie Beatriz), a researcher specializing in Themyscira culture. Aisla reveals Circe had a vision of a tsunami destroying Themyscira ten years before the events of Creature Commandos. To survive, many Amazons fled to the mainland. The giant wave swallowed those who disregarded Circe’s warning. Considering how recent the appearance of Themyscira seems to be in DCU’s history, it’s likely that the tsunami threat forced the Amazons to reach out to humans for the first time.

On a different note, there isn’t a comic book counterpart for Aisla MacPherson. However, DC Comics does have Isla MacPherson, a history teacher in Gotham. These names are too similar for this to be a coincidence, but nothing else connects both characters.

Belle Reve’s Monstrous Inmates

The fourth episode of Creature Commandos takes the audience for a stroll in the canteen of Belle Reve’s non-human facility. There, we can see dozens of monstrous characters. Classic members of the Creature Commandos comic books lurk around, such as Vincent Velcoro, Khali, and a werewolf who’s probably Warren Griffith. Plus, the bullies messing with Nina (voiced by Zoë Chao) are Congorilla and Nosferata. As for everyone else, we identified Egg Fu, the Fisherman, Bug-Eyed Bandit, Chemo, and Rubberduck.

New episodes of Creature Commandos hit MAX every Thursday until January 9, 2025.