The first animated entry in James Gunn’s new DC Universe, Creature Commandos, finally has a release date. The seven-episode series debuting exclusively on Max releases Thursday, December 5. It will run weekly until January 16. The initial trailer back in July revealed the release window was in December, but now fans know exactly when they can sit down and start watching.

Characters from some of the previous DCEU franchises are still carrying over, notably the Gunn-directed Peacemaker, but Creature Commandos is the first show set strictly in the new DCU. The stacked cast includes Viola Davis making her return as Amanda Waller after previously portraying the character in live-action across various entries in the now-defunct DCEU. Gunn’s brother Sean Gunn is pulling double duty in the series as the voice of both GI Robot and Weasel, the latter of which appeared in 2021’s The Suicide Squad . Although it’s the first official entry, the live-action Superman film has a good chance of being viewed as the current start by general audiences.

What is Creature Commandos about?

You’re forgiven if you don’t know much about what to expect from Creature Commandos because the cast of characters doesn’t exactly have the same household name recognition the likes of Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman have. Gunn’s Creature Commandos follows a secret team of monsters that are recruited for a mission that’s too dangerous for humans to tackle. Essentially, it’s the Suicide Squad, but if all the members were non-human. Gunn is no stranger to taking oddball characters and making them household names, so this should still be a series DCU fans won’t want to miss.

Another important note is that, although it’s an animated series, this isn’t something that’s meant for children. You can expect a lot of violence and swearing in the show, much like fellow DC animated show Harley Quinn. Creature Commandos carries an R-rating. The major question that remains is how it’ll connect to the greater universe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows connect to the mainline movies, but it’s not clear how the DCU plans to handle things. Gunn’s Superman is already setting up future plot points for the universe with the introduction of Lex Luthor, Supergirl, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl, just to name a few. Making room for characters from Creature Commandos could prove to be a difficult task.

Both Superman and Creature Commandos are part of a larger slate of series and films called Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Similar to how the MCU separates its lineup into phases, Creature Commandos represents the first TV series in the chapter, while Superman is the first film. There’s a possibility the shows and movies never fully interact, and we’ve seen some precedents for that in the past. Gunn’s Peacemaker Season 1 was largely independent of the DC universe, except for Justice League characters showing up in the finale for a quick cameo. Luckily, questions like this will be put to rest once the projects are released.

Superman is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 11, 2025.