The second season of Monster Commando will see the replacement of two key team members when the DC Universe's first animated series returns. The show's premiere season on HBO Max concluded in early 2025 with a final scene in which leadership of Task Force M was transferred to Indira Varma's Bride of Frankenstein. This final scene subtly changed the squad's lineup, adding new monsters and displacing a couple of recognizable characters from the first season.
The changes unfold in the final minutes of the season one finale, "A Very Funny Monster." Following Task Force M's deadly mission in Pokolistan, the Bride returns to Belle Reve Penitentiary and is taken to a refurbished wing that serves as the team's new base. A new cast of creatures awaits her inside, and this cast makes it clear that two of the season one team members will not be fighting alongside the Bride in season two.
New monsters join Task Force M.
The Bride's revamped Task Force M retains several familiar monsters, though two fan-favorite characters will be replaced. Doctor Phosphorus, played by Alan Tudyk, returns with his glowing, radioactive body, and Weasel, played by Sean Gunn, remains with the group after being plagued by guilt at the end. Gunn also voices the rebuilt GI Robot, a patriotic fighting machine upgraded after the original suffered severe damage.
The major changes come with the introduction of three new monsters in the final scene. One of the new additions is Nosferata, a classic vampire threat. This winged, bat-like creature had previously appeared in season one as an inmate at Belle Reve Penitentiary, where she and the giant ape Congorilla tormented Nina Mazursky in the prison cafeteria before the Bride beat Congorilla to death before her eyes. In the comics, she debuted in 1998 in Superboy #50 as a wily foe of Superboy, possessing flight, immortality, the ability to transform into a bat, hypnosis, psychokinesis, and heightened senses. This power set made her one of the most versatile predators on the team.
Khalis, an ancient Egyptian mummy, also appears in the finale, quietly knitting in a chair—a tranquil hobby that contrasts with the violence surrounding him and hints at a patient, methodical nature. DC Comics has produced several versions of this character, and the most likely one worked as an agent of SHADE and fought alongside other Creature Commandos. This version possesses superhuman strength, is virtually indestructible, carries a staff that channels otherworldly energy, and possesses the gift of healing, which could provide the Bride with a rare source of medical assistance in the field.
Perhaps the most recognizable member of the new team is King Shark. This shark-human hybrid made his name in James Gunn's 2021 film The Suicide Squad, voiced by Sylvester Stallone, and is now played by Diedrich Bader. He imbues the Bride with a massive, simple-minded predator with incredible strength and a hunger for man-eating—a kind of brute strength that will aid the team in physical combat. His childish temperament makes him unpredictable, which may also contrast sharply with the Bride's cooler, more carefree demeanor.
Together, the new cast promises a completely different energy in season two. Led by the Bride and with three unfamiliar monsters on board, the team trades in their trusted human handler for a more horror-focused roster. This new chemistry creates fresh tensions within Belle Reve even before the group embarks on their next mission.
Two members missing from the new line-up.
The push for a new cast comes at the expense of two key characters from the first season: Nina Mazursky and Rick Flag Sr. Neither appears in the new cast of The Bride, and they are exited in very different ways.
Nina Mazursky, voiced by Zoe Chao, was the original team's moral compass. Born with external lungs, her father altered her DNA to save her life, leaving her with a fish-like body and a need for water to breathe. The finale devoted much of its screentime to this backstory, before she was killed during a mission to assassinate Princess Ilana Rostovich of Pokolistan. As the only commando capable of breathing underwater, Nina was tasked with stabbing the princess while swimming, but Laska foiled the plan and alerted Ilana, who disarmed Nina and stabbed her with her own knife. Her death deprived the team of its most gentle and honorable member.
Rick Flag Sr., voiced by Frank Grillo, led the ground-based Task Force M throughout the first season until a brutal fight with Clayface sent him to the hospital. He survives the season, but in the finale, he is promoted from the unit to a higher position. Flag becomes the new president of A.R.G.U.S., a position previously held by Amanda Waller, as confirmed in the live-action film "Peacemaker" in the second season. Grillo continues to play the character in the DC Universe, including in "Man of Tomorrow," so his departure is more of a step forward than a farewell, paving the way for the Bride to assume leadership.
The loss of Nina and Rick Flag Sr. changes both the team's core and structure. Flag brought discipline and human authority, while Nina acted as the conscience that kept the monsters acting honorably. With them gone, The Bride commands a group of killers, answering to a leader as ruthless as themselves.
This gives James Gunn and showrunner Dean Lorie the opportunity to take the second season to a darker tone. Nosferata, Khalis, and King Shark lean toward terror and brute force, and none of them possess Nina's instinct for mercy. This could make Task Force M more lethal and unpredictable, with far fewer constraints.
Season two is still in production, and a release date hasn't been confirmed, but the series is expected to return in 2027. Regardless of the premiere date, the new Bride team will likely be very different from the one that officially launched the DC Universe.