Commentary: ‘Creature Commandos’ Illustrates How Spinoffs Change Context

Spinoffs seem to be all the rage these days as there are so many shows based off of films. Peacemaker spun off of The Suicide Squad, The Penguin spun off of The Batman, and Marvel’s venture into Disney+ television has completely expanded upon the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Creature Commandos is in a bit of a unique position as it’s technically a spin-off of The Suicide Squad, but it’s also being used to kickstart a brand-new DC Cinematic Universe. However, its treatment of one character showcases the power of spinoffs to completely change the context of the original work.

The series revolves around Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) putting together a new team of prisoners similar to the Suicide Squad — except this time, they are all literal monsters sent after a rogue witch from Themyscira named Circe (Anya Chalotra) in an attempt to stop her from assassinating a princess. Each episode focuses on a different member of the team, showcasing their origins through flashbacks. For the character known as Weasel (Sean Gunn), this meant revealing a very tragic backstory where he was accused of killing children when, in fact, he was only trying to save them during a fire.

Weasel was first introduced in The Suicide Squad, where he was promptly killed off after jumping in the water and drowning. His inclusion was more for comedic effect than anything. The accusation that he killed children was also included in the film. So audience’s only interaction with him was as a bumbling child killer with no importance to the story at all. But Creature Commandos changes the context around Weasel entirely. He’s become an unlikely hero and tragic figure, garnering sympathy instead of revulsion. This would have never happened without Creature Commandos. If only The Suicide Squad existed by itself, he would have been remembered as a dumb character. It just goes to show how spinoffs have the power to change context.

Creature Commandos is now streaming on Max.