Creature Commandos Episode 7’s Most Gut-Wrenching Easter Egg Is a Nod to a Wild Incest Novella

SUMMARY

• Creature Commandos' finale pays homage to Frankenstein and the Bride author Mary Shelley.
• The book in question is similar to The Bride's tragic backstory in the DCU.
• James Gunn has been pretty vocal about drawing inspiration from Shelley's versions.

Apart from a plethora of twists, like every other episode in the series so far, Creature Commandos episode 7 was filled with easter eggs, whether it’s major DC locations or direct references to Marvel. However, one easter egg, which earns a brief spotlight in the final confrontation between The Bride and the Princess is more than just a homage to author Mary Shelley.

Creature Commandos | Credit: DC Studios

Notable for crafting Frankenstein and the Bride, in the finale, The Bride picks up Shelley’s Mathilda novella from the Princess’ library, which seems to be a callback to one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the entire series.

Creature Commandos‘ Mary Shelley homage connects to The Bride’s tragedy

A Very Funny Monster | Credit: DC Studios

Given its R-rating, the acclaimed animated series doesn’t shy away from delving into the grotesque reality of these monsters, whether it be Dr. Phosphorus’ revenge spree or the s-x scenes in the initial episodes. While the first intimate scene between Rick and Princess Ilana is mainly played for laughs, which later on connects to the latter’s overarching scheme, it was the s-x sequence between The Bride and Victor that gave everyone the ick.

As for Shelley’s Mathilda, which the Bride picks up during her final confrontation with Ilana, the novella revolves around a father’s incestuous love for his daughter, which results in his suicide. Although The Bride’s father figure Victor doesn’t exactly commit suicide, the parallels between the easter egg and The Bride’s tragic backstory are palpable.

James Gunn drew a lot from Mary Shelley’s work for DCU’s Frankenstein

Creature Commandos | Credit: DC Studios

Instead of completely relying on the comics for Frankenstein and The Bride, James Gunn took inspiration from the original source material for the DCU versions. Being a huge fan of Shelley’s works, Gunn opted to add more of Shelley’s version into the DCU renditions, especially in the case of Eric Frankenstein, whom he deemed (via EW) “a sociopath and a stalker”.

I really love Mary Shelley’s original Frankenstein. So a lot of it was taking the Frankenstein that’s in DC comics, and then just adding a lot more of Shelley’s version into that, combining those characters to take us away from the Boris Karloff Frankenstein. This is a very well-spoken Frankenstein, but who’s also basically a sociopath and a stalker.

With a new team on board, it’ll be interesting to see in which direction the Creature Commandos will go in the upcoming season, especially in regard to Eric Frankenstein, who simply refuses to move on.

Creature Commandos is available to stream on Max.

Written by Santanu Roy

Articles Published: 2013

Santanu Roy is a film enthusiast with a deep love for the medium of animation while also being obsessed with The Everly Brothers, Billy Joel, and The Platters. Having expertise in everything related to Batman, Santanu spends most of his time watching and learning films, with Martin Scorsese and Park Chan-wook being his personal favorites. Apart from pursuing a degree in animation, he also possesses a deep fondness for narrative-driven games and is currently a writer at Fandomwire with over 1500 articles.