Everything Confirmed As Canon In The DC Universe

Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for Creature CommandosCreature Commandos marks the first official project in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe and has confirmed several events from the DCEU timeline as official DCU canon. As the new creative heads of DC Studios, Gunn and Safran have embraced a fresh direction for the franchise, beginning with Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Within this, the pair are retaining select elements earlier DC works, primarily from Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.

The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker season 1 serve as the foundation for the DCU, proving that Gunn’s distinctive style was ideal for the future direction of the DCU. Characters and events from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker will directly shape the franchise, especially in the DCU’s Creature Commandos, which follows on from these narratives. As the franchise continues to unfold, it confirms previous events that are still considered official DCU canon.

7 Rick Flag’s Death In The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad

Rick Flag’s shocking death in The Suicide Squad remains a pivotal event in the DCU’s canon. Played by Joel Kinnaman, Flag was one of the few returning characters from David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad. His moral compass clashed with the team’s chaotic nature, making his presence integral to each mission. Flag’s demise at the hands of Peacemaker (John Cena) hinted at a morally gray world in James Gunn’s DCU.

Peacemaker kills Rick Flag to help cover up the US’s involvement in human experimentation in Project Starfish, working under Amanda Waller’s instructions, but also because he believed revealing the project to the world would cause worldwide turmoil. Nevertheless, this formed the catalyst for Peacemaker’s character development as he grapples with his actions throughout his solo series. The DCU’s Creature Commandos confirmed that this is canon, introducing his father, Rick Flag Sr., who discusses his son’s death with Waller in episode 1.

6 Amanda Waller’s Activities Being Outed In Peacemaker Season 1

Peacemaker

Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller is one of the most consistent and compelling presences in the DCU. In Peacemaker Season 1, her covert operations come under scrutiny when her own daughter, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), exposes her involvement with Task Force X and Project Starfish. This act of whistleblowing is a critical development, bringing Waller’s activities in previous installments into the public eye. This revelation has massive implications for the DCU.

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Waller’s power has always relied on secrecy and plausible deniability. With her activities now public knowledge, her ability to manipulate events behind the scenes is significantly weakened. This fallout impacts her future role in the DCU, including her restricted ability to form the eponymous Creature Commandos team.

5 Task Force X’s Battle In Corto Maltese

The Suicide Squad

The chaotic battle in Corto Maltese forms the backbone of The Suicide Squad and is firmly established as canon in the DCU. Task Force X’s mission to destroy the Jotunheim facility and Project Starfish was a high-stakes operation that unraveled Waller’s manipulation and the team’s fragile unity. The most infamous moment was when the first team were roundly slaughtered in the movie’s opening act, leaving Harley Quinn and Rick Flagg to find and join the second team.

This battle displayed the blend of absurdity and heroism that defines Gunn’s DC projects. The event’s significance is referenced by Amanda Waller in Creature Commandos when she is discussing her new team with Rick Flag Sr.. Waller seems unphased by this, despite the ramifications and subsequent restrictions placed on Waller’s work by the US government. Nevertheless, Waller confirms the whole of Corto Maltese as DCU canon.

4 Project Starfish In The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad

Project Starfish was revealed in The Suicide Squad as a clandestine series of human experiments involving the monstrous alien Starro. While the Thinker was intimately involved with implementing these experiments, he was largely working under the direction of the US government. Task Force X ultimately battled Starro, highlighting the unexpected heroism of the team – especially characters like Ratcatcher 2. Amanda Waller directly references Project Starfish in Creature Commandos episode 1.

While Waller doesn’t go into details, she notes that a governmental response to human experimentation is limiting her options in recruiting a new team. These combined would suggest that Project Starfish and the Thinker’s human experiments are indeed DCU canon. Presumably then, this suggests that Starro’s death at the hands of Ratcatcher 2 is also a canonical event. That said, Starro’s true origins have only been scantly explored, so there is scope for the monster to return.

3 Waller Is Banned From Creating Another Human Team

The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos

After Waller’s activity and affiliation with Project Starfish was exposed in Peacemaker season 1, it is revealed that she has been banned from forming a new team out of human subjects. Waller states in Creature Commandos episode 1 that Congress has disallowed human subjects in a new Team X. This prompts her to create a team out of non-human subjects – the Creature Commandos.

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This marks a significant shift from the unchecked authority that Waller previously enjoyed, while still giving her position of power within the government. The ban sets up the intriguing possibility of Creature Commandos, as Waller now turns to non-human operatives for her missions. This pivot allows the DCU to explore fresh dynamics and storytelling opportunities, emphasizing Waller’s adaptability while raising questions about the ethical implications of using non-human teams.

2 Weasel’s Murderous Backstory

The Suicide Squad

Weasel is one of the most bizarre characters introduced in The Suicide Squad, and has an especially chilling backstory. Played through motion capture by Sean Gunn, Weasel is described as a literal weasel-like creature responsible for killing 27 children. This dark detail contrasts with his absurd behavior, and highlights Gunn’s ability to blend humor with horror, making him a standout among The Suicide Squad’s ensemble cast.

Weasel’s backstory was subsequently confirmed in Creature Commandos when Rick Flag Sr. explains to Princess Ilana Rostovic in episode 1 that he had killed 27 children. This combination of grotesque and comedic elements perfectly sets up his role in Creature Commandos. It provides a clear connection between the DCEU remnants and the DCU reboot.

1 Weasel Survived Corto Maltese In The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad

The post-credits scene of The Suicide Squad confirmed that Weasel survived the Corto Maltese mission, despite being presumed dead after the film’s opening sequence. His survival is a testament to Gunn’s penchant for surprising twists and sets up Weasel for future appearances in the DCU, teasing the creature’s return. Weasel is part of the main Creature Commandos team and appears throughout.

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Waller refers to Weasel as one of the few survivors of Corto Maltese. This confirms not only that his survival is official DCU canon, but he also ends up back inside the prison Belle Reve. Weasel’s unpredictable nature and darkly comedic presence make him a natural fit for Gunn’s storytelling style. By confirming his survival as canon, the DCU ensures that one of its most unconventional characters remains part of its evolving narrative.

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The Suicide Squad

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad acts as a soft reboot for David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is again recruiting a group of superheroes for a dangerous mission, this time pairing Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Savant (Michael Rooker), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), and Javelin (Flula Borg).

Release Date: August 5, 2021
Studio(s): Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures
Runtime: 132 minutes
Budget: 185million
Main Genre: Superhero