Ultrabunny Explain: The DCU's unofficial mascot

Summary

  • The DCU restarts with Gunn's God and Monsters series featuring Creature Commandos and the mascot Ultrabunny.
  • Ultrabunny was born out of a missed opportunity to feature Wile E. Coyote in The Suicide Squad.
  • Ultrabunny has the potential to become a popular DCU character that could potentially lead to spin-off projects.



James Gunn ushers in a new era for superhero franchises DC Universe plunges headfirst into “Chapter One: God and Monsters.” Hoping to recapture the world-building magic of the MCU's first phase, the DCU is officially in the starting blocks Creature Commands. Next to a cartoon in Creature CommandsThe opening credits featured the surprising appearance of the DCU's unofficial mascot.

While there is some confusion about which parts of the old DCEU will carry over into the new canon, Creature Commands has already connected Peacemaker And The Suicide Squad. Gunn's adult animation also brought back to life a throwaway Easter egg from the DCU's not-so-distant cousin. Just as Disney has Mickey Mouse and McDonald's has Ronald McDonald, it looks like Ultrabunny has established himself as the DCU's mascot.

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Who is Ultrabunny?

Ultrabunny sketch for the DCU


A bunny with floppy ears holding a shield, Ultrabunny first appeared in 2022 The Suicide Squad but has officially appeared in DCU canon, thanks to a brief nod Creature Commands Episode 2. December 5's “The Tourmaline Necklace” fleshed out the past of Indira Varma's The Bride and her tragic backstory with Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour). As the episode jumped through history and saw the bride's many encounters with Eric, a flashback to the '90s showed him wearing a black Ultrabunny t-shirt.

Gunn told BBC Radio 1 in 2021 how Ultrabunny started as a joke where he wanted to put Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr. in a comedic Wile E. Coyote t-shirt The Suicide Squad. Although Warner Bros. also owns the Looney Tunes characters, Gunn says the studio was concerned about splashing blood on the iconic cartoon character. Additionally, he said he felt a little “weird,” including the character:


“If it was Mickey Mouse it would be fine, or if it was Wile E. and we were doing a Disney movie I would be fine, but doing a Warner Bros. movie with Wile E. crossed my mind “I'm also working on a movie with Wile E., so it feels like all these different things coming together and I just wasn't sure.”

Instead, Gunn created Ultrabunny and has since shared his original drawing (shown above). With Ultrabunny acting as a replacement for Wile E. Coyote, fans might see some similarities, such as the pair holding amusing signs. For the original drawing, Gunn thought about sayings like “The future is checkered” and “Elvis saves” before deciding “Obstacles are opportunities.”

Similar to that Invincible Comics had Science Dog and the Amazon animated series had Seance Dog (blame issues), Ultrabunny is a fictional character that exists in the world of DCU The Itchy & Scratchy Show In The Simpsons. Gunn highlighted the importance of Ultrabunny, posting in threads and telling fans:

Ultrabunny is one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world of the DCU. He also appeared in Peacemaker.


The fact that Gunn said “one of the more well-known” suggests that there are other cartoon characters out there. Has Gunn already designed his own superhero team of anthropomorphic animals in the world? At least the audience knows Superman and the rest might want to relax with a cartoon or two after a tiring day of saving the world.

Observant viewers have noticed that Eric Frankenstein's Ultrabunny T-shirt is different from the one Rick Flag Jr. wore in 2011 The Suicide Squad. At that time, Flag changed into the yellow T-shirt with Ultrabunny holding a sign that read “obstáculos son oportunidades.” (That's Spanish for “obstacles are opportunities.”) The character made an unexpected return when Evan Calcaterra (Lenny Jacobson) wore an Ultrabunny T-shirt Peacemaker Season 1, while there is an Ultrabunny action figure on the hood of Vigilante's (Freddie Stroma) car. Ultrabunny appears in Creature Commands further ties the DCU canon together.

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The DCU already has its own mascot

Ultrabunny DC-1

Ultrabunny is something of a mystery, as his name and outfit suggest that he has at least some sort of superpower. There's also the gag for which his tagline was the production tagline The Suicide Squad. Whether Gunn even gave him a backstory remains to be seen, but with fans apparently responding well to his inclusion, Ultrabunny has the potential to become a DCU character all his own. Plus, it sounds like a great opportunity for merchandising – just look at how popular it is The Mandalorian's Grogu became.

“Chapter One: Gods and Monsters” is expected to be the first installment of an ever-expanding DCU that will add some of the weird and wonderful characters that the DCEU never got around to, as well as some brand new creations. Creature Commands has wasted no time in giving the world a nod, though David Corenswet's Superman should at least be mentioned before the credits roll. Given Ultrabunny's popularity, he's expected to appear in the vein of many other characters, but what if he's destined for more?


Beyond the already packed first chapter, Ultrabunny could star in a project of his own. Although a full Ultrabunny film seems unlikely after Warner Bros. canceled the Wile E. Coyote-led film Coyote vs Acme After it was completed, Gunn's mention of his popularity suggests he has a plan. Additionally, if Gunn manages to pitch the right project to Warner Bros., an Ultrabunny outing could fill that Coyote-shaped hole. If not, a series in the style of Creature Commands could also work.


There are arguably much more important characters to worry about, such as the casting of Batman for God and Monsters, as well as the hopeful arrival of fan favorites like Booster Gold, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman later on. While Ultrabunny is never more than a joke drawing that Gunn did because he couldn't use Wile E. Coyote, he could become a recurring Easter egg, like Pixar's iconic Pizza Planet trucks. Still, imagine what Gunn could do with his own foul-mouthed take on an animalistic homage to Justice League.

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