Creature Commandos has arrived on Max, and with it we’re also getting the introduction of James Gunn’s new DCU. And along with that, we’ve also finally gotten confirmation of what is and is not DCU canon. Turns out, that includes actor Zac Efron, and the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.
Allow me to explain, and the mildest of all spoilers past this point. In the premiere episode, “The Collywobbles,” The Bride (Indira Varma) and Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao) are headed back to Castle Frankenstein, where The Bride was born. Across the street from them is a little shack, and in the shack is an old woman, voiced by Maria Bakalova. She sees them entering the castle, and calls Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour), who is on a party boat, to inform him his Bride has been spotted.
That’s all well and good, but what concerns us is the wallpaper the Old Lady has on her phone:
Yes, that’s a shirtless Zac Efron. But it’s not just any shirtless Zac Efron… This is Efron accepting the 2014 MTV Movie Award for Best Shirtless Performance in That Awkward Moment. In case you’ve forgotten this iconic TV moment, pre-Awards Efron had promises to accept his award shirtless if he beat Thor (Chris Hemsworth). He did, but came on the stage with a shirt… Only for presenter Rita Ora to sneak up behind him, pop open his shirt and reveal Efron’s ripped abs to the crowd. He then proceeded to salute, which is where we get the picture above.
While we can’t confirm at this time whether any MTV Movie Awards prior to 2014, or afterwards have occurred in the DCU, this does mean very specifically that the 2014 MTV Movie Awards did happen. And that Zac Efron exists. Interestingly, Guardians of the Galaxy and James Gunn were nominees the next year (2015) — so does the MCU also exist in the continuity of the DCU? Is this some sort of ouroboros for superhero movies??
Regardless, look, to be clear… This is a goof. It’s funny that an old lady in a weird European country has Zac Efron shirtless on her phone screen. But it also adds a little historical detail to the burgeoning DCU that is fun, and could lead to a stellar running joke if played out long-term (meaning Efron showing up in person at some point).
If you’d like to see a time capsule from 2014, watch the video of Zac Efron getting his shirt ripped off at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards, below.
Where To Watch Creature Commandos:
Creature Commandos Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first two episodes of Creature Commandos premiere Thursday, December 5 at 3 am ET / Midnight PT on Max. One episode a week premieres after that, leading to the season finale on January 9, 2025.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Creature Commandos, with premiere dates:
- Thursday, December 5, 2024: Creature Commandos, Episode 1
- Thursday, December 5, 2024: Creature Commandos, Episode 2
- Thursday, December 12, 2024: Creature Commandos, Episode 3
- Thursday, December 19, 2024: Creature Commandos, Episode 4
- Thursday, December 26, 2024: Creature Commandos, Episode 5
- Thursday, January 2, 2025: Creature Commandos, Episode 6
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Creature Commandos, Episode 7
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