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lonelywretchjervistetch · 5 months ago

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My DC Cinematic Universe - Creature Commandos: Part III

Chapter Three: Flags and Walls

(Warning before we start, this one's a little long, but better than it looks! Some big images in this one.)

So, before we get anywhere else with our conversation on the Creature Commandos and...well, Creature Commandos, we need to talk about something regarding the set-up for the team. In particular, we need to talk about its leadership. And admittedly, this is a bit of a nitpick, but also a genuine problem the DCU now needs to handle. Bear with me here, this is important to my point.

Episode 1 of Gunn's series, Collywobbles, introduces us both to the team, the seemingly central conflict of the series, and briefly to its leaders and administrative controls: Amanda Waller, Rick Flag Sr., and John Economos. And yes, believe it or not, I'm also going to touch upon Economos here.

Now, having these characters in charge of the team is not inherently a bad idea. At all, actually. It's understandable that Gunn would attempt a tie between his previous projects and the new DCU, retroactively incorporating them into this universe, and giving the audience an immediate connection via the previous material they've been seen in. However, this is also a massive problem when you think about it, because that means Peacemaker is canon, and that's basically confirmed in the first five minutes, when Flag mentions the role Waller's daughter played in the continuity of that series, and the wider DCU. And again...this is a problem. Why? Oh, and spoilers for Peacemaker, by the way.

Because now, Gunn has to explain this scene away.

Sure, you could say that Barry wiped the events of Peacemaker out of reality, but then the crack about Amanda's daughter doesn't make sense. So, now, we need to go back and explain that in Peacemaker S2, probably. But wait, maybe that did happen in canon, and it's just David Corenswet up there and an unseen actress as Wonder Woman. Cool. Uh. Ezra Miller's Flash and Jason Momoa's Aquaman were prominently featured in this scene. And it's DEFINITELY THEM, no question. And that's an issue, because Momoa was JUST CAST AS LOBO in the DCU, and he's definitely not playing Aquaman! Gotta assume that, since everybody else has been cast, Miller isn't coming back as Barry either.

So, that means we need to rewrite the events of Peacemaker to fit in this new universe, and/or we need to maybe reshoot or recontextualize that ending scene to maybe include Corenswet, and whoever is playing the others, just to show it took place in this universe. And that's just talking about the complications involved in one line of this series, and not THE CONTINUITY OF AMANDA WALLER AND RICK FLAG IN THE NEW DCU. Because we now need to explain and recontextualize Gunn's other project, The Suicide Squad, which means we need to discuss both the original Suicide Squad, and potentially even Birds of Prey!

AND I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO THEMYSCIRA YET

...OK. Let's be completely fair, and say this may not be a big deal, at all, if handled correctly by Gunn in future projects. After all, a few throwaway lines in Peacemaker season 2, maybe a quick shoot that fixes those problems (which is unnecessary, but still), or maybe even just establishing that the events of these films happened with a few minor changes, thanks to Barry rewriting the universe in The Flash. Still has a hell of a lot of holes in it, but OK, fine. We can fix it, and I'm making a big deal out of very little.

...Of course...there was another way to handle this situation. Now, this is a bit off the wall here, and a little bit crazy, but hear me out. Maybe instead, you could've just...NOT. Just, like...don't. Don't include the events of those series. Don't reference those events. And maybe most importantly here: change the characters in charge of the Creature Commandos, and start with a new goddamn slate altogether, which I will remind you, IS THE ENTIRE POINT OF BRINGING GUNN ON IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I know, I know, I'm making too big a deal out of this, but to make this mistake at the very top of the supposedly new DCU baffles me greatly. But OK, what's done is done. Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad, at the very least, are in the DCU now, with as-yet unseen changed to their stories to make them work in continuity. So using Rick Flag Sr. and Amanda Waller is completely worth it and necessary, right?

...Right?

I think it's hard to deny that Amanda Waller is having a bit of a moment in DC Comics right now. This is a character that's been around since 1986, meaning she's going to have her 40th anniversary next year. And let me be clear about something right now: I adore Amanda Waller. She's always been one of my favorite characters in DC, ever since I got into this whole comic book fanboy thing. She's a no-nonsense taskmaster who cares about two things: her country and her family, in that order. The most lawful neutral character that's ever existed, with the occasional tip-over into lawful evil. And that word, occasional, is very important. Because Waller's personality has resulted in her...kinda being messed up in recent years.

Amanda Waller starts in comics in the way that most black female characters start: a single mother originally from the ghetto who clawed her way up to the top. And OK, it's incredibly overdone and mildly offensive by today's standards. And yet...I honestly think it works for every incarnation of Amanda Waller. This is an incredibly tough woman, and she has been through some shit. Doesn't matter what that shit is or was, because what matters is that she's at the top of her game now, and she's gonna stay there, no matter who she's standing on top of. And why? Because she's best for the protection of this country, and you'd damn well remember that. And she'll use anyone to get her way, no matter what happens to them, and no matter who stand in the path to victory. And because of that, she has no friends. Only subordinates, enemies, and those who are both.

Amanda's been a major player in comics for years, running Task Force X, AKA the Suicide Squad, from the lit shadows, having them do the dirty work for the USA beneath the radar. And they were good at it, because they knew they needed to be, or be killed in the process. Waller was a manipulative asshole, but she was an asshole on the side of good...probably. She ran organizations like Checkmate, Argus, and very prominently in the DC Animated Universe, Project Cadmus. I mention this because the DCAU is almost certainly the best incarnation of the character in other media. CCH Pounder's version is incredibly iconic, leading her to play the character for years. I won't spoil anything else about her, but if you haven't seen Justice League Unlimited, PLEASE FUCKING DO I BEG YOU.

Outside of this iconic iteration of the character, Waller's appeared in Young Justice as the warden of Belle Reve (playing the same role with slightly less authority than usual); in Batman: Assault on Arkham as head of the Suicide Squad once again; in Smallville as head of Checkmate (and played by Pam Grier, ooooooh); in Green Lantern, as head of the Department of Extranormal Operations (and played by Angela Bassett, OOOOOOH), in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay as the New 52 skinny version of the character (don't ask, it was a stupid, sexist, fatphobic era for the character. Oh, and played by Vanessa Williams, ooh); and most recently in Suicide Squad: Isekai, doing this:

That show is a fucking trip, and not one I really wanna take again. Yeah, I have issues with that one too, don't ask. If you really wanna know, ask me after I get over this essay series. Anyway, like I said, she's having a moment, and understandably; she's a great character. Which is why DC Comics has been turning her into a straight-up villain over the years, which I think is a mistake. Most recently, she went full-on, straight-up supervillain, taking charge of her own government division responsible for destroying all superheroes permanently, in exchange for her own little Legion of Doom. She lost, and was thrown in a prison of her own making...which is a choice, and maybe not the best for the character. I dunno, watching Amanda lose is fun, but we all knew she'd lose the fight. You go up against the Justice League, you best not miss, is all I'm saying. And, uh...she missed. Badly.

Fact of the matter is, to paraphrase a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude, you never go full villain. That's a surefire way to lose. But OK, enough about the comics version and other adaptations; I just love Amanda, and it kinda sucks to see her mistreated in recent years. What about Gunn's version?

Let's start this (again) by saying Viola Davis is basically perfect casting, and obviously loves playing this character. She's genuinely an excellent version of the character, and one of the only things about David Ayer's film that I thought was almost perfect. Almost perfect. Waller, unfortunately, shares something with her modern comic book counterpart, in that she dips into the villainous a little too far sometimes. In the first film, she murders a room full of technicians in cold blood, no remorse. Waller's not the type to get her hands that dirty, frankly, and doing so with no qualms makes her...well, straight-up evil. "No witnesses" isn't exactly a heroic statement.

And funnily enough, that leads to the main problem I have with Davis' Amanda: she loses a lot, and makes a lot of mistakes. Amanda is one step ahead, always, even compared to powerhouses of planning like Batman. But she makes a number of mistakes in her live-action appearances that are...bad. Most egregious is Suicide Squad, where her complete lack of preparation unleashes Enchantress on the world (yeah, entirely her fault, that one, hard to unsee that). The Suicide Squad spins out of her control, but her actions in and of themselves aren't the cause of the problem. Peacemaker is similar in that way. Finally, there's her role here in Creature Commandos. While she technically doesn't make any massive mistakes, the show proves she would be very easy to fool, in multiple ways. The master manipulator is manipulated. Twice.

We'll get to Circe later, by the way, because that's an even crazier situation that I straight-up don't understand the logic of. But as for Amanda Waller. She's obviously a favorite character of James Gunn's, understandably. But does she need to be the organizer of the Creature Commandos? To be honest...I don't really see why not. But also, no, not really? She's not a horrible choice, but she's far from the only choice available. Government leaders are a dime-a-dozen in the DC Universe, and while I think giving Waller an appearance in this series isn't a bad idea, I honestly don't think she needed to be in charge of this team. More on this later. Let's raise the flag real quick.

OK, real talk here: why Rick Flag, Sr.? This is a completely arbitrary choice that makes very little sense to me? Is it because he has a connection to Rick Flag, Jr., played by Joel Kinnaman who died in The Suicide Squad? Maybe, must is that a character that people were super-devoted to? He was great in the end, and I like Kinnaman in that move for sure, but...did it have to be a character associated with him? Is it because Rick Flag Sr. has a link to the Creature Commandos? Well, no, he's got a link to the original Suicide Squad, who fought in the 1950s. Yeah, that's a whole other thing. Is it because he's hot? No, you made him hot, and sure, that was an important plot point, but any character can be hot! WHY RICK FLAG, SR.?

I guess an important question is, why NOT Rick Flag, Sr.? Well, first off, you wouldn't have to have that awkward-ass scene where he explains how he's so seemingly young, but had a son in his 30s. Plus, you also wouldn't have had a scene where a man in at least his early 50s HAS GRAPHIC SEX WITH A WOMAN IN HER 20S? KINDA WEIRD, GUNN! Granted, you didn't need that anyway, except, again, it was an actual plot point? That's...questionable, at best. Anyway, without using Rick Flag, Sr., you also wouldn't need to establish that The Suicide Squad was canon. Maybe that was the point, though. Maybe Gunn really wanted to establish that that film is canon. Real weird, though, that Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Blue Beetle weren't confirmed to be canon, despite happening after Gunn's projects. Huh. That's not nepotism at all, NOW IS IT???!??

It's also at this point I should mention John Economos, played once again by Steve Agee reprising his role from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. This is another blank slate character from the comics, having been the warden of Belle Reve Penitentiary that housed the member of Task Force X. Gunn and Agee's version of the character? Fine. I think Agee is fun in the role, and there's also nothing inherently wrong with this character. But again, there's no real reason to include him outside of being one of Gunn's favorites. In the show, even, there's not a lot of reason for his presence outside of comic relief, and there's already a LOT of that in the series. So, is Economos necessary? I don't think so, frankly. Plus, again, his appearance is confirmation of the events in Peacemaker, considering his broken leg, and mention of an alien invasion in episode 4.

It's at this point that you may be thinking: "Wretch, you're complaining A LOT. Don't just criticize; make constructive suggestions!" Yeah, yeah, OK, you're right. Who should be the humans in charge of the Creature Commandos? And a second question: which one? I won't go into my full planned roster(s) as of yet, but I will say this: I love the idea of the team in my hypothetical series being the modern Creature Commandos, succeeding a previous long-gone team of Commandos that fought during World War II, and possibly more. But for now, let's focus on the leaders of the modern team, sans Economos' replacement. Like I said, his role isn't entirely necessary, so let's simplify things for the time being.

Last thing, though. I don;t think Waller and Flag are inherently bad choices for leadership; I just think they come with a lot of baggage and complication, and it feels like the only reason these characters are included is to form a connection with Gunn's previous DC projects. And is that enough of a reason? Not sure that it is. Having an opportunity to build up the DC Universe further feels like more of a priority to me than having something we've already seen. Maybe this was a choice to make the series more attractive to the unaffiliated, but I'm not sure anybody's going to be brought in by specifically Amanda Waller and the father of a previous character. Just saying. Let's look for more interesting choices here.

So, as I said in the first post, I'll put up two proposals: the purist option and the creative option. The former will try to stick to the comics as closely as I can, either through homage, or through direct adaptation. The latter will examine these characters narratively, and look at who can make the most sense (for has the most fun storytelling potential) for this role. Without further ado...

The Purist Choice: The General and the Hunter

For the administrator role, if we're choosing from the comics, let's put Wade Eiling in this role. A modern choice in the comics, but also a genuinely interesting character to use here. Like Waller, Eiling is an ardent believer in putting his country first and foremost. He's also a believer in making controversial decisions in terms of soldiers. In the comics, Eiling is a part of Project Atom, which aims to turn a soldier into a nuclear-powered super-soldier, and succeeds...almost. Said soldier, Nathaniel Adam, disappears for years, after Eiling had blackmailed him into being altered for the project. He seemingly dies, and Eiling honors his memory by...marrying his wife and having children with her. Ah. Yikes. Not a great guy.

Bringing Eiling in means that we not only get the possibilities of Captain Atom in this universe (which is awesome), but also get the possibility of Eiling turning into a monster himself, as he becomes a character known as the General in the comics. The Creature Commandos could not only be Eiling's second attempt at the super-soldier game, but also would be foreshadowing for his own villainous future. Plus, in the purist spirit, this is replicated by the recent comic-book run of the Commandos. Honestly, even without that series, I think this is a good choice. We'll also assume in this universe that Eiling is inspired by the original Creature Commandos. As a general of high clearance, he'd be made aware of that group, and seek to replicate it thoroughly. And to do that, he'll need a human agent to control the Commandos in the field. So, let's stick to tradition.

Our human field commander is Miranda Shrieve, a badass monster hunter, and granddaughter of Matthew Shrieve, the original field commander of the Commandos. Not only is this tradition, which would be important to Eiling as a conservative patriot, but Shrieve is a blank slate of a character that you can do anything with. Technically, this is a version that doesn't even exist in the mainstream universe of DC Comics, so go nuts! For our purposes, we'll say that Miranda was inspired by her grandfather's legacy to join the military, and was trained as a hunter by him when she was young. An excellent tactician with a stellar record of service, she's an obvious choice for Eiling to lead his new commandos as a liaison. And, honestly, she should hate it. But again, her personality is somewhat of a blank slate, which can be modified in whatever is the best creative direction.

Having Miranda here is not only an homage to the original Commandos and the Flashpoint team, but also references the Flags. If Waller hadn't snatched him up (and perhaps if he hadn't died in The Suicide Squad, if that's canon in this universe), maybe Rick Flag, Jr. would've been in charge of this group. Instead, we throw a different legacy character in the role, and the Shrieves are in charge of the Commandos then and now. She should be played, ideally, by someone in their '30s, and portrayed as such. Race, by the way, if flexible here; just saying. Broadens the field considerably, and the same goes for Eiling.

So, out first set of options: Wade Eiling and Miranda Shrieve. We're also solidly placing this team under the purview of the military, now. Let's get into the more inspired possibilities for these roles.

The Creative Choice: The King and the Soldier

For the administrator role, let's throw King Faraday into this iteration of the DC Universe. Faraday is a classic character in DC, essentially a more hand-on Nick Fury. A spy that was young when the Cold War was old, he should be played by an actor in his '60s or so (maybe late '50s), and should be mostly no-nonsense. The Creature Commandos, in this context, is a government-approved organization with a bit more oversight than Waller's Suicide Squad, and you can even reference them in the beginning of the show and have fans question what exactly is canon, if anything. The idea of using superhuman assets, however, is a good one, and Faraday would approve of it.

I also think it's a fun idea to see Faraday interact with Waller, as two allies with somewhat opposed moralities. Waller runs her Task Force X with no regard for human life in sacrifice for a presumed greater good. Faraday also serves the greater good, but puts more value in life, human or otherwise. Also, unlike Waller, Faraday should be played as somewhat of a cool customer, more seemingly relaxed, but frighteningly competent, even in his age. Again, similar to Nick Fury. A secretly scary customer, and somewhat of a monster himself, he should be able to prove himself pretty much immediately against any threats. You come for the King, after all, you best not miss.

My inspired choice for human field commander is...definitely controversial. But hear me out, I beg of you.

John Edward Brown is a veteran of the Iraq War, having served since he was 18, and climbing the ranks to become a sergeant, and known for an excellent service in the process. Still a member of the military over a decade later, he's called back for active field service by King Faraday, who brought him in based on his reputation, and upon rumors about certain aspects of his service. Regardless of this, when Brown is brought into this group, there's a serious question as to why. Oh, and he's Black American. Vital to his character, and absolutely cannot be changed.

But over time, he proves himself as an incredibly effective field commander, who also seems to be able to access surveillance information...without performing surveillance. He's not a metahuman, magic, or otherwise psychically gifted, so there should be no reason for this, outside of the occasionally heard mutterings and whispers to himself, often tinged with frustration. But we won't find out the reason for this until close to the series finale, possibly the penultimate episode. Turns out Brown is part of a long line of military men, with the family having served in every post Civil-War conflict. However, during his service in Iraq, John became the first military man in his family...to die. Not for long, however. When John, now a sergeant in charge of an armored tank division, and his command were ambushed by the enemy, John's heart stopped for exactly 31 seconds, until being restarted by his troop. However, when he awoke, they were still under attack...only to be saved by something truly unexpected.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST HEAR ME OUT

OK. So, the ghost of a Confederate Army general, J.E.B. Stuart, is protecting the members of this armored tank troop. After the dust settles, it appears that he's protecting Jeb Stuart, a young soldier in the tank troop from Virginia, named after this famous general who died young. Everyone in the tank can see him, though, including Brown, who's understandably not pleased about having a Confederate ghost in the tank. But, he's actually incredibly valuable, if not also very intolerant and stuck in his old ways. However, Stuart does begin to get along with the group, despite their differences. Except, of course, for Brown, who's literally named after abolitionist John Brown, whom J.E.B. helped to kill during Bleeding Kansas. But still, whatever, there's a ghost on the team, he's helpful and folksy.

But then, Jeb leaves the troop. Maybe he's reassigned, maybe he's injured, doesn't matter. Jeb leaves, and J.E.B....stays. He's still here. Huh. I guess he just haunts the tank now, rather than protect a descendant, right? Well, uh...no. He's still protecting a descendant. But it turns out that the descendant was John Brown. Yeah. Oh shit.

So. Again. Hear me out. The Haunted Tank is one of my favorite forgotten DC characters, and a GHOST most certainly would fit in the Creature Commandos, not to mention a military ghost at that. But obviously...this could easily be a problem. But it's one that I think somebody like Gunn could actually work with.

The Haunted Tank actually dates back to 1961, and is one of the classic weird war characters in the DC roster. However, that ghost of J.E.B. Stuart actually did haunt a good ol' Southern boy in a tank named Jeb Stuart, who was his descendant. But then, the character disappeared after an appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985. Vertigo Comics, an R-rated subsidiary of DC, brought the character back in 2009 in the series pictured above, starring Jamal Stuart instead of Jeb, and set in 2003, during the Iraq War. And lemme tell you...DON'T READ THIS SERIES. Holy shit, this book is offensive as shit, so if you'd rather not read a racist (and especially Islamophobic), overall offensive MESS of a 5-issue series, ignore it. It also RUINS J.E.B. Stuart as a character at the very end, and while I won't spoil it...it explains how he has a black descendant. In unpleasant detail. It's just not the most fun read in 2025 hindsight.

Again, though, I think this character would be Gunn's vibe. And even without Gunn, I think this is a character worth adding, and sets up a tank in the last episodes of the series. And really, who doesn't like a tank? I recognize that this is a crazy choice, but I also think it's an interesting one, and a good excuse to bring in a human character, especially with some of the characters I have in mind for the creative version of the Creature Commandos.

OK, this post has obviously been very long at this point, but I had a lot to say about both Waller and Flag, and needed to establish their potential replacements. Feel free to comment your thoughts, opinions, questions, etc., etc.! There are more posts to come, and the next one is going to jump forward to episode 2, The Tourmaline Necklace. Didn't really "review" episode 1, but that's coming in the future when we discuss the villains of the piece. Because lemme tell you...I have problem. Still, next time: the Frankensteins.

See you next time (maybe, no pressure)!

Part One: Introduction and Adaptation Part Two: The Original Creature Commandos Part Three: Amanda Waller and Rick Flag, Sr. Part Four: The Frankensteins Part Five: G.I. Robot Part Six: Weasel Part Seven: Doctor Phosphorus Part Eight: Mermaid

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