Back in Creature Commandos Episode 4, we got a dark vision of the future, with the DCU’s Justice League all killed by Princess Ilana (Maria Bakalova). And while that was neat and all, in Creature Commandos Episode 6, “Priyatel Skelet,” Batman officially arrives in the DCU… And he’s very reminiscent of the one from Batman: The Animated Series.
Spoilers past this point, but in the episode, we get a full-on origin story flashback for Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk). While the character never appeared in Batman: TAS, it’s pretty clear from the introduction of Gotham City in the opening moments, from the noir setting to the camera angles to the music, that this is meant to evoke the classic animated series.
It’s also apparent from the inclusion of mob boss Rupert Thorne (Benjamin Byron Davis), who was a recurring antagonist in the previous series. Here, he’s tormenting Alex Sartorius, the human scientist version of Doc Phosphorous who owes him a slew of money, and research that Thorne was going to give to Bialya, a fascist regime that was likely going to use it for no good.
Instead, Thorne kills Sartorius’s wife, frames him for the murder, and then throws him in his own radioactive machine. The resulting blast — as you may expect based on watching previous episodes of the show — turns Sartorius into a radioactive killing machine. He uses this power to take out Thorne’s underlings, followed by Thorne himself. And completely unfettered from his humanity Dr. Phosphorous takes over Thorne’s criminal empire.
That’s what brings him to the attention of Batman. And in case you missed the not-so-subtle Batman: TAS references earlier in the episode, after a dance routine to “Wanderlust King” by Gogol Bordello, Batman shows up in silhouette in a skylight, a crash of lightning behind him… Just like in the opening credits of Batman: TAS.
While that’s the sum total of the Batman appearance (it’s to show how Dr. Phosphorous ended up in Belle Reve), it is the official, non-dream sequence introduction of Batman into the DCU. While it’s likely that the eventual live-action version won’t directly be the same exact character as on Batman: The Animated Series, if Creature Commandos is implying the eventual movie may take some sense of that? I’m all for it, personally, as Batman: TAS is essentially the gold standard of Batman tales.
At the moment, though, like a lot of the DCU output, it’s a neat shoutout to the past that may or may not pan out into something in the future. We’ll either see this tease die a hero or live long enough to become a villain.
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: “The Collywobbles”
- Thursday, December 5, 2024: Creature Commandos, Episode 2: “The Tourmaline Necklace”
- Thursday, December 12, 2024:Creature Commandos, Episode 3: “Cheers To The Tin Man”
- Thursday, December 19, 2024:Creature Commandos, Episode 4: “Chasing Squirrels”
- Thursday, December 26, 2024: Creature Commandos, Episode 5: “The Iron Pot”
- Thursday, January 2, 2025: Creature Commandos, Episode 6: “Priyatel Skelet”
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Creature Commandos, Episode 7: “A Very Funny Monster”
Listen to Sons Of A Gunn:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.