The newestDC Universetheory about how the franchise has already set up a solid way to bring back one dead character has genuinely raised my hopes that an early franchise tragedy can be undone. Whilethe DC Universe release timelineis still very much in its early phases, this early period of the franchise has already paved way to some major moments.The DC Universe has provided its first look at its Batman, and already killed off two Batman villains - those being Clayface and Rupert Thorne, though Clayface’s death is more questionable - alongside a selection of other notable characters.
While there have already been many elaborate and eye-catching deaths in the current DC Universe timeline - especially sinceThe Suicide SquadandPeacemakerseason 1 have moved from being part ofthe DCEU timelineto the DC Universe - there is, in my opinion, already one death that takes the current cake in terms of intentionally breaking audience’s hearts. On the plus side, this is also one death that plenty of DC fans appear to think will be undone later on in the franchise, and the theory about this particular revival has proved a convincing balm to my heartbreak.
Creature Commandosseason 1, episode 7closes the first season by unveiling what appears to be the new team layout for season 2. This lineup includes the Bride, G.I. Robot, Doctor Phosphorus and Weasel once more, but also adds King Shark and two more obscure characters to the roster. The first of this duo is Nosferata - the vampire who was previously seen inCreature Commandosepisode 4 alongside her ape-like companion who the Bride promptly murdered. The second of these appears to be DC’s Khalis, a mummy who also works alongside some of the Creature Commandos cast in the comics.
It’s this second option that holds the most weight for Nina Mazursky’s return after Princess Ilana murdered her earlier in episode 7, as there’s already a storyline established in the original comics that could be used to bring her back to life.In the comics - specifically Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E #12 - Khalis II revives both Nina and Frankenstein himself within the story, setting a precedent for this to potentially be repeated in the DC Universe as well.
The case of Nina’s revival is particularly interesting, as not only does Khalis save her life, he also provides her the ability to breathe on dry land instead of only in water. All Khalis appears to need in order to do this in the comics is a sufficient amount of organic material and his powers - something that initially complicates his ability to bring the already undead Frankenstein back, but appears to make reviving Nina comparatively easier. This could also theoretically also make bringingCreature Commandos' Nina easier too, since her body appeared otherwise uninjured aside from her fatal stab wounds.
While the DC UniverseCreature Commandosstory is already pretty different to the comics in a fair few ways - most notably in that Nina is a very different character who mutated herself in the comics, and in that the show’s version won’t have been immediately revived, but rather have been dead for at least a little while as of season 2 - the current layout of things would make bringing Nina back from the dead seemingly not only possible but probable for the franchise.
Why Bringing Nina Back In Creature Commandos Season 2 Makes Sense
With G.I. Robot also returning from certain doom in the final episode of the first season, Nina’s revival seems especially viable inCreature Commandosseason 2, as she wouldn’t even be the first character to have come back from the abyss in the series - though justifying bringing back a flesh and blood character from death versus a robot is always inherently going to be a little more tricky. That said, it’s worth noting that two of the key players inCreature Commandosthus far - the Bride and Eric Frankenstein - are also reanimated bodies, helping once again blur the boundaries between life and death.
Given the Bride seemed especially troubled by Nina’s death inCreature Commandos- and she and Doctor Phosphorus may hold themselves responsible on some level, as they instructed Nina to swim out with a knife and try to kill the Princess, only to have Ilana instead murder Nina herself - it would stand to reason that if a way to bring her back from the dead was found, it would also be used. Khalis could present exactly that opportunity, particularly since this demonstration of the character’s powers would certainly show how interesting the Creature Commandos medic could be.
Image via Max
Nina’s death inCreature Commandosepisode 7 was particularly heartbreaking even by the superhero genre’s standards, with us viewers provided her tragic origin story of an isolated person feeling alienated from the world because of those who harassed her shortly before we saw her brutally stabbed to death. This highlighted the tragedy of losing the character in dramatic fashion, as it seemed that Nina had literally only just found herself alongside people who cared for her and who didn’t treat her like a monster before she ultimately passed.
While it isn’t uncommon for superhero stories to pull this kind of story approach just to make a character death hit harder - as indeed James Gunn himself did with the now-DC Universe canonThe Suicide Squadand its depiction of Polka-Dot Man - it does further raise hopes that Nina may return once more alive and well once more, since it would add another story reason for the character’s death to be so devastating in its set up.
Reuniting the original show team could also be a fun twist for either midway through the season or in its finale, asCreature Commandosgave us a lot of time to grow attached to the plucky and unconventional team over the course of the first season. While the path forward for the franchise isn’t clear yet, I’m definitely hopeful that this is oneDC Universetheory that turns out to be true, whatever else the future may hold.
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.
