This article contains spoilers for Creature Commandos
Summary
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is off to a flying start, and with Gunn’sCreature Commandosmarking the official start of the superhero franchise, he’s wasted no time in establishing an expanded universe of gods and monsters. Rising from the ashes of 2021’sThe Suicide Squad,Creature Commandosintroduced fans to the new Task Force M and sent the rag-tag group of expendables on a deadly mission.
LikeThe Suicide Squad, there was a pretty high death toll that saw some tragic deaths acrossCreature Commandos’ seven-episode run. January 9’s “A Very Funny Monster” saw the brutal murder of Princess Ilana Rostovic (Maria Bakalova) and a post-credit fakeout death of Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour). The finale also saw thecriminally underused Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao)perish, but among all the death and destruction, there was a welcome return.
The Creature Commandos Finale Brings Back G.I. Robot
TheCreature Commandosfinale endedwith the Bride (Indira Varma) vanquishing the threat of Princess Rostovic and hotfooting it out of Pokolistan with surviving team members Weasel (Sean Gunn) and Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk). Back at the Belle Reve Correctional Center, the Bride was rewarded by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and got a whole wing converted for the Non-Human Internment Division.
Fans already know thatCreature Commandosis coming back for season 2, and with that, it looks like the team’s ranks are set to grow. Alongside a seeming return of the fan-favorite King Shark fromThe Suicide Squad, new members include the vampiric Nosferata and a mummy called Khalis.Eric Frankenstein’s survival suggests he’ll be back chasing the Bride in season 2, but there was one more surprise in the form of G.I. Robot’s return.
One ofCreature Commandos’ early casualties was G.I. Robot (voiced by Sean Gunn). The show’s third episode was called “Cheers to the Tin Man” and fleshed out G.I. Robot’s backstory. Just as tragic as the rest of the Creature Commandos, G.I. Robot was an artificial intelligence created with the sole purpose of killing Nazis in World War II. Under the leadership ofEasy Company’s Sergeant Franklin John Rock, G.I. Robot thought he’d found a home. Sadly, after his brothers-in-arms moved on and eventually died, G.I. Robot was sold to Dr. Will Magnus – a scientist who wanted to build a line of advanced automatons.
Jumping forward to the events ofCreature Commandos, G.I. Robot was the team’s first loss when he was seemingly destroyed by Circe (Anya Chalotra). That was the last fans saw of G.I. Robot until a new and improved version popped up in Belle Reve’s new facility. This G.I. Robot has put on a few pounds, and looking more likeMarvel’s Hulkbuster, he’s sure to come in handy against whatever threat season 2 introduces. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the show’s original G.I. Robot featured the number two on his helmet, suggesting that he wasn’t the first version of the character. Elsewhere, a question mark over Magnus’ research hints that there could be more G.I. Robots out there.
Who is G.I. Robot in the Comics?
The twist thatG.I. Robotis back for more won’t come as a surprise to those who know about the character in DC Comics. Introduced in 1962’aStar Spangled War Stories#101, the original G.I. Robot was known as Joe and created as an option to replace human soldiers on the battlefield. The character was mysteriously dropped after three issues, soon to be replaced by a second version (called Mac), who only appeared in a single issue before sacrificing himself while fighting a Tyrannosaurus.
G.I. Robot was shelved until a third incarnation was reintroduced for 1981’sWeird War Tales (vol. 1)#101 as ‘J.A.K.E. #1’ – standing for Jungle Automatic Killer - Experimental. The J.A.K.E. models have taken G.I. Robot through to the modern era of DC. After the first J.A.K.E. sacrificed himself saving a group of marines, J.A.K.E. II is the one remembered for joining the Creature Commandos. This seems to be where Gunn got the idea for his animated counterpart for theever-expanding DCU, and just like J.A.K.E. was quickly replaced by J.A.K.E. II,Creature Commandosseason 2 will feature a new version of him.
The final two versions of G.I. Robot/J.A.K.E. include J.A.K.E. #6.1 who was introduced in 2008’sCheckmate Vol 2#24 (May, 2008) and manufactured using parts previously used by Maxwell Lord when he was trapped as an android.Sean Gunn has controversially been cast as Maxwell LordinSuperman, so G.I. Robot’s reconstruction is a possible way to fold the villain intoCreature Commandos. Finally, ‘Lord Job’ arrived as part of 2008’sThe War That Time Forgotminiseries. This G.I. Robot has unknown origins and looks like the earlier models, although he remains something of a mystery as he doesn’t make it clear what period of history he comes from.
Creature Commandosmarks G.I. Robot’s biggest role to date. Previously, he appeared fleetingly inBatman: The Brave and the Bold’s “The Plague of the Prototypes!” and sacrificed himself to save Sgt. Rock. More than his comic book backstory, fans should’ve guessed G.I. Robot would be coming back thanks to Gunn’s praise of Gunn’s performance. Discussing G.I. Robot withEntertainment Weekly, Gunn said:
“There’s an innocence to G.I. Robot that I didn’t quite see until Sean stepped into the booth and started creating this character. His choices for G.I. Robot give the character this sweet, mechanic innocence.”
Even though it’s good news that G.I. Robot is back on the revamped Creature Commandos team, there’s a sense of sadness because Nina likely won’t be returning. Aside from his time in World War II, G.I. Robot had never felt at home like when he was with the Commandos. He especially drummed up a special bond with Ninja during their short time together, while her death is sure to leave a void in the surviving team’s lives. Still, as a formidable force even in his first form, this souped-up G.I. Robot should become an even more important part of the Creature Commandos when the series returns.
