The new DC Universe is almost upon us, with the first entry in the James Gunn-led franchise, the adult animated series Creature Commandos, debuting on Max on December 5. But one question that has come up often since Gunn and his co-CEO Peter Safran took charge of DC Studios is what, if anything, will still be considered canon from the old guard of movies and TV shows.
Well, it now sounds as though almost everything that has come prior to Creature Commandos will be relegated to the continuity junk heap, with a few exceptions. I spoke to James Gunn recently about the new show and the new DCU, and he explained that, basically, nothing is definitely canon “unless you see it in Creature Commandos” and anything that is released after that in the DCU.
“Now in Creature Commandos, you'll hear them talk about things that happened in [The] Suicide Squad or Peacemaker,” Gunn explained. “Well then, those things automatically become canon.”
Take the character Weasel, who is voiced by Sean Gunn. He (it?) was previously seen in Gunn’s film The Suicide Squad, and his surprise survival was teased in a post-credits scene. Now he’s back as a member of the Creature Commandos, which is another team of misfit mercenaries handpicked by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).
Gunn did acknowledge that there’s one scene from Peacemaker that has confused matters a bit – the moment when the Justice League arrives in the Season 1 finale just a little too late to save the day. Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s Flash even had brief if hilarious cameos in the scene. But the thing is… that’s the Justice League from the old regime, not the new DCU.
“The truth is almost all of Peacemaker is canon with the exception of Justice League… which we will kind of deal with in the next season of Peacemaker,” promises Gunn.
It’s a small follow-up from Gunn’s previous clarification, where he confirmed that Peacemaker Season 2 would indeed be canon to the new DCU. Confusion remained, however, around Season 1, especially given that scene.
How exactly this discrepancy will be resolved remains to be seen. Peacemaker Season 2 is currently shooting and will debut in August, 2025, and Gunn’s Superman reboot starring David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane is currently in post-production with a July 11, 2025, release planned. It should be noted that Frank Grillo plays Rick Flag Sr. in both productions, as well as in a lead role in Creature Commandos.
Creature Commandos also features the voices of Maria Bakalova, David Harbour, Alan Tudyk, Indira Varma, Sean Gunn, Zoë Chao, Steve Agee and Viola Davis. The first two episodes of the seven-episode series debut on Max on December 5.
Watch our full chat with James Gunn below or find out when he says the Lanterns TV show will be released at the link.
Talk to Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura, or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3. Or do both!
