Viewers have probably not been able to process the tragic fourth episode of Creature Commandos yet, which brought the dark, harrowing origin of Weasel to light, and the fifth episode of the series has already doubled down on the pervading grim undertone by showcasing Eric Frankenstein’s past. Previously, a captive Circe had shown visions of an apocalyptic future to Amanda Waller, where princess Ilana Rustovic of Pokolistan is shown to cause nuclear armageddon in the future, which will result in the deaths of millions, including DCU’s superpowered protectors. As Themyscira expert Professor MacPherson vouched for Circe, mentioning the visions shown by her to be real, Waller was convinced to consider Ilana as a threat and ordered Flag Sr. to return to Pokolistan with his team to eliminate her. As Flag Sr. refused to follow her command, given he had reservations regarding Waller’s decision, Bride was assigned the role of team leader. On the other hand, Flag Sr. gets acquainted with Eric Frankenstein under troubling circumstances but manages to make an ally out of him by promising to take him to the love of his life, Bride, to give him a chance to reconcile with her.
Spoilers Ahead
Heart of a Monster
So far, in the case of Bride, G.I.Robot, and Weasel, viewers were able to sympathize with them after learning of their past, as these non-human outcasts, feared and despised by humanity, were proven to be victims of their circumstances. However, don’t expect James Gunn to follow the same pattern with everyone, as in the case of Frankenstein; he shows that beneath the emotionally unstable, hopelessly romantic, patchwork of a monster’s hulking stature lies a monster who is irredeemable and vicious. Following the big fight Eric and Bride had back in 1831 after Victor Frankenstein’s gruesome murder at Eric’s hands, Bride escaped the Frankenstein mansion while a severely injured, burned Eric stumbled outside, fell into the river, and washed up on a nearby shore. A blind gypsy woman named Bogdana and her pet dog, Ivan, rescued him and brought him to their hut, where Eric is treated back to health.
While living with Bogdana and Evan, Eric formed a strong bond with the duo and found a new perspective of beauty as he was able to realize that the elderly gypsy woman was able to perceive a greater sense of beauty through her mind’s eye than those gifted with vision were able to. Eventually the time came for Eric to leave Bogdana to continue his pursuit of Bride, and the old woman was afflicted with a deep sense of loneliness at the prospect of Eric’s departure. She pleaded with him to stay, fearing she would not be able to bear the agony of separation, and Eric decided to spare her the pain of isolation by killing her. It remains unclear whether it was Eric’s dysfunctional relationship with Victor, his father figure whom he murdered, that led him to kill Bogdana—the only other person who showed him affection, or whether it was his fear of abandonment that led him to do so, but what I do know is that I was wrong to consider him a simpleton of a monster. Eric took Evan along with him on his journey, and the poor dog remained unaware that his new friend had brutally killed his old companion.
Trouble in PokolistanÂ
On the other hand, at present, Eric and Flag take a closer look at Professor MacPherson’s professional life and realize that something feels off. Sure, as the Themyscira expert surmises, the lesbianism is a key part in understanding the history of Amazons—it feels pretty in sync with the cultural roots of the fictional all-women warrior race, but seeing her engaging in sleazy behavior with one of her students, the duo start suspecting MacPherson’s motives. As Eric and Flag decide to check up on her by visiting her house, they find out that the real MacPherson has been murdered, which indicates the imposter taking her guise had tricked Waller into sending the Creature Commandos to kill Ilana. As his suspicion about Circe’s lies gets confirmed, without wasting any time, Flag calls and warns Ilana that the team has been sent to eliminate her.
As a result, in Pokolistan, Ilana informs her security chief, Alexi, who was escorting the recently arrived Creature Commandos to the castle, about the situation; he takes the team elsewhere and flanks them with his security team— equipped with an armored exosuit, tank, and whatnot. Bride, Phosphorus, Weasel, and Nina, who are still acting under Waller’s command and are unaware of Circe’s deceit, launch an attack on the Pokolistani army and kill Alexi. However, the commandos are soon outnumbered, and they get separated from each other while escaping the army. Ilana grows bitter and orders all of the team members to be executed with haste. Is this how the dark vision of the future eventually comes to pass? Did Circe deliberately set these events in motion and use Waller’s paranoia as her trump card? Guess we will find out before the first season ends.
Clayface Reveal: Is Rick Flag Sr. Dead?
Meanwhile, at MacPherson’s home, Rick and Eric patiently wait for the imposter to return to learn their true identity, and he turns out to be none other than the classic Batman villain, Clayface, whose earth manipulation skills and insanely strong shape-shifting abilities are well known by fans. Very recently it has been confirmed that prolific horror director Mike Flanagan has written a classic body-horror-themed Clayface solo movie script for DCU, which has been fast-tracked to release in 2026. In the fifth episode we get our first look at DCU Clayface, voiced by Alan Tudyk, who has lent his voice to Dr. Phosphorus as well.
The mud monster is quickly able to sniff Flag and Eric out and launches a vicious attack on the duo. While a superhumanly strong Eric Frankenstein is somehow able to hold his own, Rick Flag Sr. is merely a human, who gets brutally battered by Clayface left and right. Flag is even given the Knightfall Batman treatment—where Bane broke Bats’ spine with a single strike of his knee. Eventually, Eric is able to electrocute Clayface, rescuing Flag and getting out of the vice grip of the monster himself, although I am not sure whether Clayface is dead, as he has made a comeback from way worse situations. Anyway, as the episode comes to a close, Flag is seen apparently breathing his last in Eric Frankenstein’s arms and collapses before completing a sentence he was going to say about Bride. A puzzled Eric seems unsure about what his future course of action might be, but it seems the duo will find their way to Waller and warn her about Circe’s trickery. Rick Flag Sr. will surely survive, given he is going to appear in the upcoming Superman movie in a supporting role. The major question remains as to whether Flag will be able to reach his team before it’s too late or if Ilana will end up becoming the murderous sycophant Circe’s vision predicted she will turn out to be in the future. I can’t wait for the final two episodes and also to get a glimpse at Nina Mazursky and Phosphorus’ backstory in the process.
