Every DCU Character and Franchise That’s Referenced in Creature Commandos’ Episode 7

Over its first season, Creature Commandos used its story of a quirky group of monsters to build the foundations of James Gunn’s and Peter Safran’s DC Universe. Even though the series has kept the focus on Task Force M’s operation in Pokolistan, each episode has cleverly placed nods to other characters, locations, and events that help flesh out the larger cinematic universe, underlining how metahumans and caped heroes are common in this world. It couldn’t be different with Episode 7 of Creature Commandos, which adds some unexpected references on top of everything we’ve seen so far.

Star City, Bludhaven, and Metropolis

The flashback scenes of Episode 7 of Creature Commandos unfold in Star City, the birthplace of Nina (voiced by Zoë Chao). That’s relatively easy to verify, given that Star City’s name is featured in newspapers and broadcast channels in the episode. If the name rings a bell, that’s because Star City is closely associated with Green Arrow, a fan-favorite character who became incredibly popular thanks to The CW’s Arrow, a TV show that spawned a beloved interconnected universe of live-action DC heroes.

Star City is not the only key DC location mentioned in Episode 7. As a news report explains, the hunt and capture of Nina after she’s found in Star City was conducted by animal experts from Metropolis and Bludhaven. Metropolis is the city of the Man of Steel, which will be prominently featured in the upcoming Superman. As for Bludhaven, the town is the base of operations of Nightwing, aka Dick Grayson, the first Robin. Since The Brave and the Bold is set to introduce Damian Wayne as Robin, Dick Grayson has probably already flown away from his Bat-nest and is acting in Bludhaven, which makes the Creature Commandos nod even more enticing.

Marvel Comics Exists in the DCU

When Task Force M breaks into Princess Ilana’s (voiced by Maria Bakalova) castle, The Bride (voiced by Indira Varma) pokes fun at Dr. Phosphorus (voiced by Alan Tudyk) by calling him “Ghost Rider.” That’s obviously a nod to the flaming-skull Marvel hero of the same name. That means Marvel Comics exists in the DCU, continuing a decades-old tradition of the two major superhero publishers fondly referencing each other. For instance, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Iron Man 3 namedrops the Super Friends DC animated series, while in Eternals, Ikaris (Richard Madden) is mistaken for Superman. It’s nice to see Gunn is keeping the trend alive, proving that the Marvel vs. DC rivalry has more to do with fans than the companies.

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How Long Has Batman Been Active?

The most shocking detail of Creature Commandos Episode 7 is that the DCU’s Batman might be older than we all expected. By the end of the episode, Dr. Phosphorus tells the Bride he hasn’t been intimately touched in 15 years since transforming into a radioactive skeleton. Episode 6 of Creature Commandos establishes the fact that Dr. Phosphorus kills Rupert Throne and takes over his operation right after the incident that warped his body and mind. Following that, Dr. Phosphorus’ crimes attract the attention of Batman, who defeats the villain and sends him to Belle Reve. Even if Dr. Phosphorus enjoyed years of prolific criminal activities, that would mean the DCU’s Batman is active for at least a decade. That’s a surprising timeframe that would nevertheless explain how the Bat-family is already established.

All Hail the King (Shark)!

At the end of Episode 7, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) gives The Bride leadership of all future Task Force M operations to reward her for killing Princess Ilana and preventing World War III. In this scene, The Bride is introduced to her new team. Dr. Phosphorus and Weasel (voiced by Sean Gunn) remain active assets, while GI Robot (voiced by Sean Gunn) has been rebuilt into a hulking metal body. Since GI greets The Bride as if he doesn’t know her, it’s fair to assume he doesn’t preserve his memories, making his Episode 3 death more meaningful.

Among the new recruits are Nosferata and Khalis, two Creature Commandos members with cameos in Episode 4. Rounding up the team is King Shark, one of the prominent members of Task Force X in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. Creature Commandos confirmed that Project Starfish and the operation in Corto Maltese happened in the DCU, making The Suicide Squad at least partially canon. King Shark’s presence is another piece of evidence that Gunn’s first DC movie is mostly still part of the new continuity.

All episodes of Creature Commandos are currently available for streaming on MAX.