Full spoilers follow for Creature Commandos episode 7.
The first season of Creature Commandos has ended – and, hot damn, its final episode was an emotional roller coaster.
As the dust settles on the DC Universe’s (DCU) first-ever project, I imagine you’ve got a ton of questions about Creature Commandos episode 7, titled ‘A Very Funny Monster’. So, from queries concerning the fates of certain characters and the post-credits scene to DC Comics Easter eggs and whether a second season is on the way, I’ll endeavor to answer all your biggest questions about said finale.
Major spoilers immediately follow for the R-rated animated series’ final chapter. Turn back now if you haven’t seen it.
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: does Nina really die?
That’s affirmative. Nina Mazursky is murdered by Princess Ilana Rostikov when Task Force M’s mission to kill Pokolistan’s monarch-in-waiting goes awry.
After infiltrating the Princess’ headquarters, the titular team’s remaining metahumans – The Bride, Doctor Phosphorus, Weasel, and Nina – eventually locate Ilana. She’s taking her daily morning dip in a lake within the confines of her command post, which makes things difficult. Not only is the body of water surrounded by guards, but none of the Creature Commandos can swim or breathe underwater.
Well, except for Nina. The amphibious humanoid’s abilities mean she’s tailor-made to assassinate Ilana as she enjoys her swim. Despite her protestations that she’s ill-equipped to kill anyone, Nina is convinced to murder Ilana by The Bride and Phosphorus. Armed with a serrated knife, a determined but reluctant Nina leaves to execute the group’s plan.
She would’ve succeeded, too, if it wasn’t for Weasel. Remembering how kind Ilana was to him during the series’ premiere, not to mention the fact that Ilana looks like a grown-up version of the blonde kid that Weasel failed to save in Creature Commandos episode 4, he races out onto the water and cries out to warn Ilana. As The Bride and Phosphorus try to stop him, Ilana notices Weasel, realizes what’s going on, and spots Nina rising from the deep to skewer her. A tussle ensues beneath the surface and, after Ilana overpowers Nina, she wrestles the knife from the latter’s hand, stabs Nina multiple times in the abdomen, and leaves her lifeless body floating serenely on the lake.
It’s an emotionally soul-crushing moment, especially from a thematic standpoint. As the group’s moral compass, Nina’s death is a turning point for the Creature Commandos. With nobody on the team roster to keep their fellow villains and antiheroes in check on future missions, I think we can expect more inhuman actions in the seasons to come (more on this later). Additionally, this chapter and Creature Commandos episode 3 proved DC Studios co-chief James Gunn isn’t afraid to kill his darlings, which suggests shocking deaths will be part and parcel of future DCU movies and shows.
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: is Princess Ilana also dead?
Yep. She evaded death’s clutches by murdering Nina (Ilana will say she did so in self-defense), but Ilana’s death-defying escapade proves to be short-lived.
Not long after Nina’s devastating death, Ilana is visited by The Bride. After a brief back-and-forth, The Bride reveals that she knows Ilana isn’t as sweet and innocent as she looks or has made out to be. Indeed, one of the biggest questions fans have had throughout the Max series’ first season is whether Ilana is good or evil, and it turns out she’s the latter.
The Bride tells Ilana (and viewers by proxy) that she knows the Amazonian sorceress known as Circe, aka one of three big references to Wonder Woman in Creature Commandos, was telling the truth about Ilana’s desire to conquer the world. However, Ilana’s plan for world domination fails. Her scheme, which included seducing the titular team’s leader Rick Flag Sr and using Batman villain Clayface to impersonate metahuman expert Doctor MacPherson and counteract Circe’s claims, falls apart when The Bride sees Ilana and Clayface meeting in person on a security camera monitor in episode 6. In short: The Bride does what Nina couldn’t and kills Ilana.
The Bride, though, reveals she’s not murdering Ilana to prevent World War III. She’s doing it because Ilana killed Nina who, as The Bride finally and heart-breakingly confirms after seven episodes of constant denials, was “the only friend I ever had” and the only team member “with an ounce of kindness in her soul”. An angry and desperate Ilana reaches for a handgun in the drawer of her office desk but, she is too slow to shoot and winds up being shot in the head by her immortal foe instead.
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: what happens to Rick Flag and Eric Frankenstein?
Don’t worry, the pair who make up the DCU’s first bromance are still alive. After his near-death experience at the hands of Clayface – he’s getting his own DC Studios movie, by the way – in episode 5, Flag Sr wakes from his coma (albeit temporarily) to tell ARGUS chief Amanda Waller that she was wrong to trust Circe and MacPherson before he passes out. That brief conversation becomes the catalyst for this finale’s blood-soaked events, so I’m convinced that Flag Sr won’t be a happy chappy when he reawakens and finds out that Ilana and Nina have died.
As for Eric Frankenstein, he lives to fight another day, too. It seemed he’d taken his last breath after falling from a tower at Ilana’s headquarters and then being riddled with bullets by The Bride. Remember, Eric believes The Bride was made with the sole purpose of being his adoring wife. However, after murdering the pair’s creator – Victor Frankenstein – because The Bride fell in love with him instead of Eric, he shatters any hopes of getting together with her. Nonetheless, Eric spends the next two centuries pursuing The Bride across the globe, which is why he ends up in Pokolistan and gets gunned down by her in the season 1 finale.
Yet, Eric survives their latest encounter. Episode 7’s post-credits scene reveals he’s being nursed back to health by another old Eastern European woman, which mirrors the Eric-centric flashbacks depicted in episode 5. Based on what he did to his former savior Bogdana in that chapter, I don’t have high hopes for the survival of this second Good Samaritan…
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: who are the titular team’s new members?
With Rick Flag Sr incapacitated and Nina shuffling off this mortal coil, the eponymous group of superpowered beings is short of a member or two. Luckily, DC Comics isn’t lacking in the villain or antihero department, so there’s a seemingly immeasurable amount of individuals who could join Task Force M’s roster.
Gunn and this DCU Chapter One show’s showrunner Dean Lorey don’t leave us hanging on that front before Creature Commandos ends. After returning to Belle Rive penitentiary, The Bride is met by Waller’s right-hand man John Economos. He informs her that Waller wants to retain their services, thanks to their successful mission to kill Ilana. Not only that, but she wants The Bride to lead the new-look team, who’ll operate out of one of Belle Rive’s abandoned wings, which are now converted into their HQ.
Entering Task Force M’s new facility, The Bride is greeted by the familiar faces of Phosphorus, Weasel, and – in a reveal that’ll surely delight many fans – version 2.0 of G.I. Robot, who’s been repaired following his apparent demise in episode 3. They aren’t the only individuals who The Bride will lead. As the camera pans around the room, the vampiric Nosferata, The Suicide Squad‘s breakout star King Shark, and a Pharoah mummy-like character (I’m assuming this is King Tut, but please correct me if I’m wrong!) are also revealed to be part of Task Force M’s new line-up.
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: is there a post-credits scene?
Yes. As mentioned in the Rick Flag Sr and Eric Frankenstein section above, episode 7 contains an end-credits scene that stars Eric. Scroll up to learn more about what it’s about.
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: is this the end of the show or will there be a season 2?
There will be another installment! On Christmas Eve 2024, Max confirmed Creature Commandos season 2 was officially in development, so we can expect more adult animated monster mash-based storytelling in the future.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, Gunn and fellow DC Studios co-head Peter Safran said: “We’re thrilled to team up with Max for another season of Creature Commandos mayhem. From our spectacular first season of Peacemaker to the astonishing run of The Penguin to the record-breaking launch of Creature Commandos, Max has consistently delivered above industry expectations and beyond our wildest imaginings. Thank you, Casey [Bloys], Sarah [Aubrey], Pia [Chaozon Barlow], Sono [Mitchell], and the entire team for your tremendous support of DC Studios. We are proud to call Max home.”
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: how does it reference DC heroes Green Arrow and Nightwing?
Creature Commandos hasn’t been shy about referencing myriad DC heroes throughout its initial seven-episode run. Its final episode is no different, with ‘A Very Funny Monster’ including Easter eggs concerning two other notable superheroes, though neither makes a cameo before season 1 ends.
The first of those suggests that a version of Green Arrow may be operating in the DCU. In a TV news segment seen midway through the season finale, the north Californian tech capital known as Star City is mentioned. This is the region that the Emerald Archer infamously watches over in DC Comics.
As for the other reference, the news anchor reporting on a mysterious fish-woman/sea creature being spotted around Star City (that’ll be Nina, for anyone who may have forgotten) also mentions that animal control experts from Metropolis and Bludhaven had been drafted in to help catch Nina. The first city namedrop is a clear reference to Superman, who’s already been alluded to in previous episodes. Bludhaven, meanwhile, is an obvious nod to Gotham City’s sister town, which is protected by Nightwing, aka Dick Grayson, a former Robin. With a Dynamic Duo movie, starring the former Robins Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, in development at DC Studios, this Easter egg may be planting the seeds for Nightwing’s eventual debut in the DCU.
Creature Commandos season 1 ending explained: how does the Max series set up other DCU films and shows?
Creature Commandos doesn’t purposefully set up future DCU projects, but some of its characters and unresolved plot threads will feature in new movies and shows set to arrive in 2025 and beyond.
For starters, Rick Flag Sr will have a small role in James Gunn’s Superman movie, which flies into theaters on July 11. After that, he’ll play an antagonist in Peacemaker season 2, with Flag Sr expected to be gunning for the titular antihero after he killed Flag Sr’s son in The Suicide Squad. Flag Sr will be portrayed by Frank Grillo, who voiced the character in Creature Commandos.
Waller and Economos should also have bit parts in the forthcoming Superman film and may have major supporting roles in Peacemaker‘s sophomore outing, too. The pair will likely be the protagonists of the as-yet-untitled Amanda Waller TV series, too, which is still in early development.
As for other DCU Chapter One productions, Creature Commandos season 2 might resolve any story threads left dangling after its forebear’s finale. One of the best Max shows‘ next season is also in its early stages, though, so it’s hard to determine when it’ll be released or what its story will be about. This season’s references to Wonder Woman also suggest it’s tentatively setting up events to come in Paradise Lost, a Game of Thrones-inspired series set on the Amazonian island of Themyscira. Again, this project is still years away from surfacing, so I can’t say what impact Creature Commandos season 1 will have on Diana Prince, Circe, and other Themyscira-based individuals.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
