{"id":1056338,"date":"2026-01-19T09:13:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=485184"},"modified":"2026-01-19T09:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:13:48","slug":"creature-commandos-makes-sorting-through-dcs-new-canon-easy-sorta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/creature-commandos-makes-sorting-through-dcs-new-canon-easy-sorta\/","title":{"rendered":"Creature Commandos makes sorting through DC\u2019s new canon easy (sorta)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rick
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With Creature Commandos<\/em>\u2019 debut on Max this week, the revamped cinematic DC Universe<\/a> is finally here. True, things won\u2019t really <\/em>kick off in earnest until next year\u2019s live-action Superman <\/em>reboot<\/a>. But even so, Creature Commandos <\/em>is the first official entry in what DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Pete Safran are calling \u201cChapter One\u201d of the new DCU. So, the adult animated series represents a fresh start for the increasingly beleaguered big-screen DC brand<\/a>\u2026 kinda.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve watched Creature Commandos<\/em>\u2019 two-episode premiere \u2014 or paid attention to what Gunn\u2019s been saying<\/a> these past two years \u2014 you\u2019ll know that characters, events, and even actors from the now-defunct DC Extended Universe<\/a> are still very much in the mix. They\u2019re just part of a world where Viola Davis\u2019 Amanda Waller still exists, but Henry Cavill\u2019s Man of Steel doesn\u2019t<\/a>. Confused? Of course you are, which is why we\u2019ve pulled together this handy guide to the reset-but-also-not-reset continuity of DC Studios\u2019 shared universe.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about what\u2019s still canon in the new DCU, what\u2019s not, when Gunn\u2019s going to explain the messy stuff in between, and which DC superhero you can pin the blame on until he does.<\/p>\n

[Ed note:<\/strong> This article contains spoilers for Creature Commandos<\/em> episodes 1 and 2.]<\/p>\n

Which DC movies and shows are part of the new DCU canon? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Rick<\/p>\n

Obviously, Superman<\/em> and Creature Commandos <\/em>are both canon in the new DCU. Hell, as the first movie and TV show, respectively, of the Chapter One slate, they\u2019re the most<\/em> canon. But what else makes the cut? Unsurprisingly, only Gunn\u2019s own legacy DC efforts \u2014 2021 blockbuster The Suicide Squad<\/em> and its 2022 small-screen spinoff, Peacemaker<\/em><\/a> \u2014 definitely still \u201ccount\u201d within the new status quo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is confirmed from the jump in Creature Commandos<\/em> season 1, episode 1, \u201cThe Collywobbles.\u201d Waller is in the very first scene, and alludes to goings-on in both The Suicide Squad<\/em> and Peacemaker <\/em>season 1 in conversation with Frank Grillo\u2019s Rick Flag Sr. \u2014 the father of The Suicide Squad<\/em>\u2019s Rick Jr. Incidentally, Grillo is already locked in to reprise the Rick Sr. role in Peacemaker <\/em>season 2, further cementing the show\u2019s position within the overhauled DCU. Oh, and one of Rick Jr.\u2019s teammates, Weasel<\/a>, shows up as part of Waller\u2019s latest squad of weaponized misfits as well (once again voiced by Sean Gunn). Another veteran of Gunn\u2019s corner of the DCU that was, Steve Agee, is back as Waller\u2019s flunky John Economos later in Creature Commandos<\/em> season 1.<\/p>\n

So, basically, Gunn\u2019s approach to preexisting canon at the dawn of the DCU Chapter One is simple: Anything explicitly depicted or referenced on screen going forward is back in play; everything else ain\u2019t. He said as much in a recent interview. \u201cIn Creature Commandos<\/em>, you’ll hear them talk about things that happened in Suicide Squad<\/em> or Peacemaker<\/em>,\u201d Gunn told IGN<\/a> in November 2024. \u201cWell then, those things automatically become canon.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is an important distinction, as it\u2019s the only thing stopping the wider pool of legacy shared universe content from flooding into the DCU Chapter One. For example, Waller is in the original Suicide Squad<\/em> movie and briefly cameos in Black Adam<\/em>; meanwhile, Economos gets a few minutes of screen time in Shazam! Fury of the Gods<\/em>. This technically puts them in the running for canonical status. But neither flick gets a shoutout at any point in Creature Commandos<\/em>\u2019 initial seven-episode run, so they exist outside the new DCU.<\/p>\n

Wait, what about the Justice League\u2019s cameo in Peacemaker season 1?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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