Creature Commandos will be kicking off the new DC Universe franchise when it premieres on December 5th, and that will be a pivotal start, for sure. Creature Commandos will be the firtst showcase of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s strategy for the this DC franchise universe – a world of superheroes that’s already fully-formed and in motion once these TV series and films debut. We’ve already learned from Gunn’s Superman set photos that there will be appearances from plenty of key DC characters who function as ambassadors to other corners of the DCU. During the press interviews for Creature Commandos, James Gunn revealed that the show will be doing the same kind of thing, by including a pivotal character from DC lore…
Related: Creature Commandos Season 2 Hints Are Already Getting Dropped
Creature Commandos Cast Alan Tudyk as Will Magnus
In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, James Gunn was asked about which vocal performances from the Creature Commandos cast really stood out in his mind. Gunn then made the unexpected reveal that actor Alan Tudyk – who we know plays radioactive team member Doctor Phosphorus – is also voicing the role of DC scientist Will Magnus:
“Oh yeah! Peter Serafinowicz as Dr. Frankenstein is great. Alan Tudyk as Will Magnus — his performance is based on Mike Nichols, who he did a play with one time,” Gunn said. “There are just so many fun things in there.”
Mike Nichols was, of course, the EGOT-achieving entertainer known for being part of the comedy duo ‘Nichols and May,’ as well as directing classic films like The Graduate, Working Girl, The Birdcage, and Closer. It’s a deep-dive homage via a character that even some dedicated DC fans may not immediately recognize.
…So who is Will Magnus?
Will Magnus Invented DC’s Metal Men
In DC lore William Magnus is one of the foremost scientific authorities on robotics and robotic engineering, with his “Magnus Labs” standing alongside the likes of T.O. Morrow (inventor of Red Tornado) and Professor Anthony Ivo (inventor of Amazo). Magnus’s most notable creations were the “Metal Men,” a team of advanced AI robots, whose personalities and powers are each based on a particular precious metal (Gold, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Tin, and Platinum). In some retcons, the Metal Men were humans whose consciousness was transferred into robots – including Magnus himself.
However, in DC’s “New 52” reboot, the Metal Men’s new origin had them created by Magnus under government contract to create a rescue team that could be deployed in toxic environments – only for him to learn they were going to be used as assassins. Instead, the team fled and purposed themselves as heroes. The team has been destroyed multiple times, but always gets rebuilt by Magnus.
Is Creature Commandos Introducing DC’s Metal Men?
We don’t yet know how Will Magnus plays a part in DC’s Creature Commandos – only that his inclusion in the show is far from random. There are some obvious probably points of connection – after all, the Creature Commandos’ team roster includes its own robot member: G.I. Robot (voice of Sean Gunn), the Nazi-killing military android who was created during WWII.
The DCU could easily tie Will Magnus and the Metal Men into G.I. Robot’s origin and story, once again showcasing how Gunn and co. are not wasting any world-building opportunities – even through minor characters and obscure lore. The Metal Men almost got their own DCEU movie back in the late 2010s, with Men In Black director Barry Sonnenfeld once attached to the project. That project never happened – but maybe Creature Commandos can re-open that door?
DC’s Creature Commandos will have its two-episode premiere by streaming on Max on December 5th.
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