With its season 1 finale, Creature Commandos has secured its spot for the strangest first installment of an interconnected cinematic superhero universe. And James Gunn’s Max animated series also nailed a satisfying conclusion. “A Very Funny Monster” is twisty and tense, earns its emotional beats, sets up for a new season in the burgeoning DCU, and doesn’t even end in a big loud blowout.

What might be most remarkable about Creature Commandos’ first season is that it’s pretty much a better — and more faithful — Suicide Squad story than The Suicide Squad, Gunn’s 2021 blockbuster. You could say that’s because he’s gained experience with the concept or that he had more freedom this time around. After all, Gunn wrote Creature Commandos after The Suicide Squad, and the show was produced after he was tapped as co-CEO of DC Studios.

But that would be speculation. What I’m comfortable saying without a doubt, is that a good part of what Creature Commandos work is the format. Stories like this just hit better when serialized.

Gunn’s approach to Creature Commandos is old hat by now, even to superhero movie watchers: The group of C-list weirdos you have to Google to even figure out if you know them from somewhere are forced to do shady superhero stuff for a shady government operative. Even the MCU is getting in on the trope.........

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