TheDC Universerelease containing what James Gunn called “the saddest thing I’ve ever written in my entire life” has finally debuted, and proves the DC Studios co-CEO very much right about his previous statement. James Gunn is a name associated in the superhero genre with both heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes, setting the stage in a big way for his role inthe DC Universe timeline. Rocket’s backstory inGuardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3was infamously heartbreaking, and evenThe Suicide Squadmanaged to pull off some genuinely gutwrenching parts of its story, such as Rick Flag Jr’s death, or the reveal of many of the team’s backstories.
With all of this in mind, there’s a pretty considerable backlog of scripts that audiences could understandably believe is James Gunn’s saddest work - either in that one specific scene hits so strongly, or in the overarching events and tone of the project. However,James Gunn revealed at 2024’s New York Comic-Conthat the “saddest thing” he had ever written was actually upcoming inCreature Commandosepisode 4. The episode’s release unveiled a potential dystopian future with a dead Justice League, but it was a different sequence that actually confirmed Gunn was right about the script overall.
Weasel’s Backstory In Creature Commandos Is Genuinely Devastating
Creature Commandosepisode 4 dedicates a notable part of its runtime to the series of events that led to Weasel being charged with the murders of a number of children.The episode reveals that not only was Weasel not responsible for these deaths, but that he had also tried his best to save one of the children- putting himself in harm’s way in order to rescue a survivor from danger shortly after playing fetch with the group.
The group of children start a small fire in the school they snuck into, which swiftly becomes far more deadly when an old man who assumed Weasel had kidnapped the children fires at him and causes an explosion, leading a heartbroken Weasel to realize most of the children have now passed. However, one little girl is still alive, and Weasel comforts her before risking life and limb to try and carry her to safety.
Tragically, Weasel’s desperate efforts go to waste when the police sent to the scene drag him away just before he can save the last child, believing him to have been some kind of vicious monster rather than someone trying to do the right thing. The contrast here is very strongly felt, since Weasel has usually served as comic relief inCreature Commandos, whereas his anguished cries as he tries to wrestle free and save the remaining living kid despite having been shot himself are genuinely haunting.
James Gunn’s comment about episode 4 being perhaps the “saddest thing” he’s ever written also feels especially true when it becomes clear that Weasel is held accountable for these deaths simply because of how he looks and because he’s unable to physically explain what happened, since he doesn’t seem to be capable of human speech. As such, Weasel is locked up and then sent out on more than one seemingly fatal mission - asThe Suicide SquadandCreature Commandosboth put him in this position - for not only murders he isn’t guilty of, but for the death of one child he actively tried to save.
Weasel’s Backstory Makes His Entire Previous DC Story So Much Sadder
Throughout bothCreature Commandositself and Weasel’s earlier debut inThe Suicide Squad, the character was judged by both in-universe characters and the viewer alike - and while his supposed rap sheet did help this in no small way before it was disproven, his unusual appearance and demeanor also saw some considerable judgement. However, after watchingCreature Commandosepisode 4,it’s clear that Weasel has been judged for his bestial appearance and nature long before he got his charge sheet, and that people have been misunderstanding the character for seemingly his entire existence.
The fact that Weasel - who’s essentially found guilty of wanting to save the life of a child who treated him kindly, and punished for sticking it out to try and help even when it seemed this would bring about his own death - is placed into Belle Reeve with depraved murderers and hardened criminals doesn’t seem bad inThe Suicide Squadwhen the truth isn’t yet clear, but it certainly feels bad following the reveal. To make things yet worse again, it doesn’t seem that Weasel himself holds any thoughts about this ordeal other than wishing he could have saved those children, which is heartbreaking and heroic at the same time.
The DC Universe’s Weasel Backstory Totally Changes The Character
The DC Universe’s Weasel backstory takes the character from seeming like one of the most morally questionable members of the team to a very different figure. Though he does still clearly have some violent tendencies, as evidenced by his behavior in other parts of the series, they seem more reflective of his animalistic nature than any more malicious intentions, essentially meaning he goes from looking like a serial killer to an only somewhat domesticated animal.
Weasel actor Sean Gunn may have put it best when he said in aninterview with ScreenRantthat “James had always talked about Weasel as like a big dog, to me. He’s no more evil than any dog that you know,” as the events that transpired in the character’s past make him into a kind of warped DC version of Lassie. While he’s still not a Superman-esque golden hearted hero,it’s clear there’s far more compassion in Weasel than anyone in-universe or out of it had really given meaningful thought to before, making the overall trajectory of his life that much sadder.
Though it’s not clear what Weasel’s future inCreature Commandosmay hold, this all combines together to suggest Weasel could easily have a more hero-esque story going forward, since James Gunn’s “saddest” script paints Weasel’s motivations in a very different light. That said, it’s also possible this grim reveal has been carried out solely so that viewers feel a little more sorry for the last character they expected to as theDC Universeshow starts to come to a conclusion.
New episodes ofCreature Commandosseason 1 debut on Thursdays on Max.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
