The day has finally come. The new shared universe from DC Studios has officially launched with the release of James Gunn’s Creature Commandos. Debuting tonight on Max, this animated show for adults kickstarts the “Gods and Monsters” chapter of the DCU, with heavy emphasis on the “monsters” part.

To get an idea of what we’re all in for, we recently spoke with David Harbour about his charming vocal performance as the series’ Frankenstein. Harbour infuses the creature, who isn’t a member of the team and functions as an unpredictable agent of chaos over the first season, with a lovable sense of both vulnerability and a complete lack of self-awareness. Frankenstein pines for his Bride, who wants absolutely nothing to do with him, and he isn’t afraid to dramatically lament his condition. Like every monster on the show, it’s a character who’s ripe with James Gunn’s signature sense of comedy and tragedy, a balance that seems tailor-made for the Stranger Things star.

Creature Commandos calls attention to how the superhero genre runs on “freaks.” That is, it's a place where being an outsider is a strength. And this certainly isn't your first rodeo with a character who has monstrous attributes. As an actor, are you excited by the self-reflective nature of the show?

Yeah, for sure. I've struggled with what would be societally deemed as mental illness, or neurodivergence, perhaps. And I have found that our strengths and weaknesses are inextricably linked. What we consider our illness and what we consider our superpower are inextricably linked. And I find that is one of the most interesting archetypes of the genre, so we have it in Creature Commandos. I'm fascinated by mythologies and archetypes of human beings, of which I feel like the neurodivergence is [part of that]. Because there is a normal humanity, then there are these deviants which, in various comics, become X-Men or mutants. But they walk among us. They're just people that think differently or behave differently, or have deeper struggles, and therefore higher highs. It's just human capacity being stretched in archetype.

Going along with the idea of archetypes, something I found really charming about Frankenstein in Creature Commandos is that he's sort of this Byronic hero who has no idea that that's not really the story that he's in. And so, there's this element of comedy and tragedy with him. Also obviously, Frankenstein's monster has this huge cultural legacy. Was there anything that you wanted to add to people's conceptions of the character?

I keep thinking about, is this in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or not, but I remember pretty distinctly that when I watched [Kenneth] Branagh's Frankenstein with [Robert] de Niro as the monster, he had this thing where he would read books, and he was meant to be a companion of intellectual stature. He was created to be like this sort of sophisticated human being, and we all see him as a green monster with bolts in his head and stuff like that. And there's something about him being created for this purpose that he's inadequate for that I wanted to bring.

So, there are certain little moments where it feels like he's trying to speak smartly, or he's trying to be smart about this, and that's just his kind of programming, or his raison d'etre or his, “you were created to do this, so do it” that's in his head. And then this thing comes out of him that’s this uncontrollable monster. The back and forth of that and the quick switch between those two things was something that I really wanted to explore.

We can definitely see that in the way that he over-enunciates, like with his lines, “When Harry Met Sally,” and “Not many people have seen that movie.”

You caught that! It's funny, upon watching it, I was hoping that people sort of understand it, because it's a choice that can feel like bad acting. And I feel like there is a bit of him that is acting at all times. He's a bit on stage, and I hope that it translates in the character, as opposed to it just being like, “Wow! David Harbour was just not in it that day.”

We'll see. It's a big swing, and we'll see if it works.

From what I understand, you have a background in theater. And you've said in the past that you're like a “language guy” because of theater’s emphasis on text and dialogue. When you get a script for an adult animated show like Creature Commandos, how do you go about breaking down your character to discover what makes them tick?

I start with how the character functions within what I consider the larger story, and then I try to craft some personal journey that I can go on through that. For Frankenstein, he may seem like the antagonist, or he may be the villain, or the pursuer. You want to find your own personal narrative that you find interesting to play within that.

It's so interesting. When you're young, I think the emphasis is on being good [as an actor]. You want people to think you're good. I mean, you always want people to think you're good. But then, as you go on, you’re just kind of like, “Eh, you’re okay. You make money out of it. People like you.” But what do you want to do? What do you want to say? What do you believe? What do you think the world is like?

I think that becomes more important where the characters start to reveal themselves and unravel, as like, “Hmm! I think that people behave this way,” right? “What I see in the world is people doing this.”

I think that you try to latch on to what you might consider a personal take on what you think human beings go through. And I think also, the older you get, at least for me, my compassion for human beings grows. And my compassion for the choices that people make—be they right, wrong, or indifferent—grows. And so, you're trying to find your way into a personal story that allows people to see humans as more human, and even monsters, I guess, as more human.
 

Creature Commandos, featuring David Harbour as Frankenstein, is now streaming on Max. Look for new episodes every Thursday.