DC's Creature Commandos Trailer Replaces The Suicide Squad With Something Stranger

The DC Universe is in desperate need of a reset, and it's about to get one next year. DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have an ambitious plan for a unified DC multiverse, which they first laid out in early 2023. While that kicks off in earnest with Gunn's "Superman" movie next summer, it is technically the animated "Creature Commandos" that will usher in this new era for the DCU. Fresh from the halls of New York Comic Con, we've got a brand new trailer for the series, which hits the Max streaming service in December. Have a look for yourself.

"Creature Commandos" is sort of a spin-off of "The Suicide Squad" in that it's Amanda Waller once again leading a team of not-so-good people executing missions that the good guys can't or won't do. We've also got some returning characters, most notably Weasel, but it's largely a list of newcomers led by Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo, "The Purge: Anarchy"). What's interesting is that Grillo will also be playing the character in live-action beginning with "Peacemaker" season 2. This all fits with Gunn's vision of a fully unified DC Universe, which also makes this show's success pretty crucial in some ways. The brief logline for the series reads as follows:

"Creature Commandos" tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails ... they're your last, worst option.

The stacked cast also includes Steve Agee as Economos, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, David Harbour as Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Indira Varma as The Bride, and Viola Davis returning as Amanda Waller. Sean Gunn will voice both GI Robot and Weasel.

As mentioned in the first teaser for "Creature Commandos," the United States Congress has officially put a stop to Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad, after its existence was exposed at the end of "Peacemaker" season 1. (There was also that rather messy incident with the giant alien starfish.) But Amanda Waller is not a woman who lets red tape get in her way, and simply exploits a loophole in Congress' wording. No more using human prisoners for secret task forces? No problem! Say hello to the human-free Task Force M.

The principle remains the same, and in fact is really just a refined version of the original vision for Task Force X. Human villains like Bloodsport and Harley Quinn are no longer considered expendable, but there's unlikely to be much of a public outcry if a creature like Weasel is killed in action.

Behind the scenes, the Suicide Squad quietly being brought to an end is likely due to "The Suicide Squad" bombing at the box office — though, in fairness, it did have a pandemic and a day-and-date streaming release to contend with. Maybe there'll be some surprise cameos from the surviving members of the last squad in "Creature Commandos" season 1, which premieres December 5, 2025, on Max.