Creature Commandos‘ first two episodes are loaded with Easter eggs and references to pop culture and the bigger DC Universe. However, one of the series’ cleverest details is the inclusion of Scooby-Doo’s Shaggy in Episode 2. In the frantic montage that shows Eric Frankenstein (voiced by David Harbour) and The Bride (voiced by Indira Varma) clash over centuries, we get a quick glimpse of the two corpses trading punches in the 1960s. In the background, some characters observe the fight, appalled. Among them stands Shaggy, who has a blunt in his hand and drowsy eyes, both traits underlining that he’s a stoner in the DCU.
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The inclusion of Shaggy in Creature Commandos connects to James Gunn’s early Hollywood career. In 2002, Gunn wrote the screenplay for the live-action Scooby-Doo film, which grossed $275.7 million worldwide against an $84 million budget. While the film topped the box office with a $54.1 million opening weekend and became the fifteenth most successful film of 2002, critics were largely unimpressed.
The sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, released in 2004, faced an even steeper decline. While it still opened at #1 with $29.4 million, the film’s total worldwide gross of $181.5 million marked a massive $90 million drop from its predecessor. Critics were even harsher on the sequel, with the film earning a 22% Rotten Tomatoes score. Curiously, audience reception improved to an “A-” CinemaScore, against the “B+” grade the first movie received.
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Gunn had ideated an ambitious third film that would have served as his directorial debut. The planned story would have taken the franchise in a more mature direction, following Mystery Inc. to Scotland, where they would discover that the monsters they were hired to investigate were actually victims, forcing Scooby and Shaggy to confront their own prejudices. However, the significant box office decline of the second film, combined with its poor critical reception, led Warner Bros. to cancel these plans.
Despite their mixed reception, the live-action Scooby-Doo films left an indelible mark on pop culture. The movies pioneered the trend of adapting classic cartoons into live-action features, paving the way for similar transformations of properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe. In addition, Matthew Lillard’s performance as Shaggy was particularly celebrated, with many fans considering him the definitive version of the character.
Scooby-Doo History of DC Crossovers
The appearance of Shaggy in Creature Commandos also echoes DC’s history of crossing over with Scooby-Doo’s character. Batman, in particular, has lent his investigation skills to the Mystery Inc. crew on multiple occasions.
The connection between the two franchises dates back to 1972 when The New Scooby-Doo Movies featured crossover episodes with Batman and Robin. This collaboration expanded significantly in the comics, particularly with Scooby-Doo Team-Up (2013-2019), which paired Mystery Inc. with various DC heroes from Wonder Woman to Harley Quinn. The 2018 animated feature Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold further cemented this relationship, delivering a full-length adventure that combined both properties’ elements.
While fans should not expect Shaggy to become a fully-fledged DCU character, the Easter egg is still a nice addition. It echoes Gunn’s Hollywood journey and speaks of DC’s iconic crossover tradition.
New episodes of Creature Commandos hit MAX every Thursday until January 9, 2025.
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