Creature Commandos kicks off James Gunn’s new DCU on the right foot, as the series has debuted to rave reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Creature Commandos took many fans by surprise when it was not only confirmed as part of the new DCU lineup, but it would be the first installment in the rebooted cinematic universe. An animated series based on a lesser-known team from the comics debuting on a streaming service was a different approach than starting with a prominent Justice League member as a feature film. It appears the gamble has paid off for the DCU.

Creature Commandos debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with 100%, based on ten reviews. It is still early, and that number can change and will likely go down a bit, but it is an excellent start for Gunn’s DC Studios. IGN’s Tyler Robertson gave the series an 8/10 and said, “James Gunn’s classic recipe of lovable weirdos, great music, and lots of jokes and violence is on full display, but in a new, fresh way that’s presented well in animation.” Jared Jones from the A.V. Club gave the series a B+, saying, “Even with all these messy feelings and messier body parts flying around, Gunn’s monster mash achieves the level of gravitas it so often seeks. Even when he’s running in circles, the guy still knows how to deliver cheap thrills.” Lauren Milici of Total Film said:

“While it’s easy to compare and contrast with Gunn’s other works, Creature Commandos stands on its own. Yes, it’s the same formula that we’ve come to expect from Gunn, but there’s just something different here.”

Creature Commandos’ 100% score is certainly a major improvement from the previous DC shared universe, the DCEU. Man of Steel opened in theaters in June 2013 and has a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. The first DCEU movie to get a fresh rating would not be until Wonder Woman, the fourth film in the franchise, which landed 93% on the critic aggregator. Creature Commandos is also a personal best for Gunn, beating his two previous DC entries – The Suicide Squad has 90% while Peacemaker garnered 93%.

The DCU Begins Strong With ‘Creature Commandos’

While 2024 has been a rough year for comic book movies, superhero television shows have thrived thanks to excellent animated series like X-Men ’97 and My Adventures with Superman, alongside great live-action projects such as Agatha All Along and The Penguin. Creature Commandos looks to be worthy of that company and certainly looks to end the year on a solid note. It also will likely increase fan excitement over Gunn’s upcoming DCU. The following entry is the first feature film in the new universe, the highly anticipated Superman, which Gunn is also directing and writing. Superman hype will likely kick into high gear soon, as the teaser trailer is expected to debut sometime in December, likely before The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim.

Related James Gunn Reveals How the DCU Will Differ From the MCU in a Major Way “One of the things I’ve gotten a little sick of is all these stories being relatively the same,” said James Gunn.

It is an exciting time to be a DC fan. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s downfall has been greatly exaggerated, there is no denying they aren’t the pop culture titan they were in 2010, at a time when the interconnected DCEU was struggling. Marvel and DC will go head-to-head at the box office in 2025 as The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman will be released in the same month. It might be too early to tell now, but Creature Commandos might mark the beginning of where Marvel and DC’s roles reverse, with the new DCU becoming the critically acclaimed crowd-pleaser and the MCU slowly losing audiences. Warner Bros. Discovery hiring Gunn to oversee their DC projects might have been one of the best calls the studio has made in a long time.

Cast Indira Varma , Frank Grillo , Zoe Chao , David Harbour , Sean Gunn , Alan Tudyk , Anya Chalotra , Maria Bakalova , Viola Davis , Steve Agee , Benjamin Byron Davis