James Gunn Teases the DCU Batman: “He Already Exists in This Universe”

Holy cameo, Batman! Thursday’s Creature Commandos episode 6, “Priyatel Skelet,” is an origin story for Dr. Alex Sartorius (Alan Tudyk) — a.k.a. the irradiated skeletal sociopath Dr. Phosphorus — who turned to fellow Batman villain Rupert Thorne (Benjamin Byron Davis) to fund his research on nuclear fusion treatments in an attempt to cure cancer. One origin story that won’t be told in the new DC Universe, however, is Bruce Wayne’s. Like the Man of Steel (David Corenswet), who is already active by the time of James Gunn’s Superman movie, the DCU Dark Knight has already been Batman for some time when he appears in Creature Commandos and the upcoming The Brave and the Bold.

“[Batman] already exists in this universe, just like when we come to the Superman movie and we see Superman already exists and is already known by the people of Metropolis,” Gunn, who wrote all seven episodes of Creature Commandos, told Rotten Tomatoes. “We don’t need to hear the origin story again.”

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The co-chief of DC Studios added that the Batman cameo is “a way to introduce that Batman is part of this universe.” (Batman also appeared alongside other DCU heroes — including the Damian Wayne Robin, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Peacemaker — in a vision of a post-apocalyptic potential future where the world’s finest superheroes have all died in World War III.)

“When they first gave [the episode] to me, we saw a lot more Batman,” Gunn added of the caped crusader’s shadowy cameo appearance. “I would say, ‘I’m not ready to commit to that, I’m not ready to commit to that, I’m not ready to commit to that.’ So I was like, ‘More silhouette!’ It’s a great way to show that Batman does exist.”

Gunn added that Batman is “an important part of this universe, and he has an impact on it, including defeating pretty dangerous, scary people like Phosphorus.”

“I love Batman. I’ve loved him since I was a little kid. He’s one of my favorite characters,” he continued. “We’re going to do great things with him. He’s the most popular superhero in the world, and I can’t wait for people to see more of him, along with Superman.”

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The Batman of the DC Universe is expected to debut — in live-action — in The Brave and the Bold, which has tapped The Flash filmmaker Andy Muschietti as director. In an update on the DC Studios slate, Gunn said that the DCU Batman movie and the live-action series Waller and Booster Gold aren’t yet ready to head into production, unlike next summer’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie and HBO’s Green Lantern series.

“I’m not a crazy person. I’m not sitting there micromanaging everything, and I’m never not happy with anything. I’m not one of those guys. But I have to feel it in my heart, and that’s happened,” Gunn said told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “It’s happened with Supergirl, it’s happened with Lanterns, and it’s happened with some other things. There are other things out there that, we’re moving [on]. Other things aren’t quite there yet. Booster Gold‘s not quite there, Waller isn’t quite there, Brave and the Bold isn’t quite there. They’re not quite where I want them to be yet.”

The first season finale of Creature Commandos premieres Jan. 9 on Max.