Explaining Ultrabunny: the unofficial mascot of the DCU

Summary

  • The DCU starts anew with Gunn's “God and Monsters” series, featuring Creature Commandos and the Ultrabunny mascot.
  • Ultrabunny was born from a missed opportunity to introduce Wile E. Coyote in The Suicide Squad.
  • Ultrabunny has the potential to become a popular DCU character, potentially leading to spin-off projects.



James Gunn is ushering in a new era for superhero franchises DC Universe dives headfirst into “Chapter One: God and Monsters.” Hoping to recapture the world-building magic of Phase One of the MCU, the DCU is officially in the starting blocks with Commando of creatures. Next to a cartoon featured in Commando of creaturesin the opening credits, there's already been a surprise appearance by the unofficial DCU mascot.

While there is some confusion as to which parts of the old DCEU will be carried over into the new canon, Commando of creatures has already linked to Peacemaker AND The suicide squad. Gunn's adult animation also resurrected 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 seems that Ultrabunny has solidified himself as the DCU's mascot.

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Who is Ultrabunny?

Ultrabunny sketch for the DCU


As a floppy-eared rabbit holding a sign, Ultrabunny first appeared in 2022 The suicide squad but he officially appeared in DCU canon thanks to a wink nod Commando of creatures episode 2. “The Tourmaline Necklace” on December 5th fleshed out Indira Varma's Bride backstory and her tragic past with Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour). As the episode moved through the story and the bride's many run-ins with Eric, a flashback to the '90s featured 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 Wile E. Coyote comic t-shirt to The suicide squad. Although Warner Bros. also owns the Looney Tunes characters, Gunn says the studio was worried about splattering the iconic cartoon character with blood. In addition to that, 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 making a Disney movie, it would be fine, but doing a Warner Bros. movie with Wile E., I felt a little strange. Also, I'm working on a Wile E. movie, so it's like all these different things coming together and I wasn't sure.

Instead, Gunn created Ultrabunny and has since shared his original art (seen above). With Ultrabunny working as a stand-in for Wile E. Coyote, fans may notice some similarities, like the pair holding funny signs. For the original design, Gunn pondered sayings like “the future is plaid” and “Elvis saves” before deciding “Obstacles are opportunities.”

Similar to how the Invincible the comics have Science Dog and the Amazon animated series has Seance Dog (guilt issues), Ultrabunny is a fictional character who exists in the world of the DCU, as The Itchy and Scratchy show In The Simpsons. Gunn highlighted the importance of Ultrabunny, posting on 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 is called “one of the most famous” suggests that there are other cartoon characters out there. Has Gunn already planned his superhero team in the world of anthropomorphic animals? At least the public knows Superman and others might want to relax with some cartoons after a hard day saving the world.

Attentive viewers have noticed how Eric Frankenstein's Ultrabunny T-shirt is different from the one worn by Rick Flag Jr. in The suicide squad. Then, Flag changed into the yellow shirt that depicted Ultrabunny holding a sign that said “obstáculos son oportunidades”. (In Spanish it means “obstacles are opportunities”). The character returns unexpectedly when Evan Calcaterra (Lenny Jacobson) wears an Ultrabunny t-shirt in Peacemaker season 1, while there is an Ultrabunny action figure on the hood of Vigilante's (Freddie Stroma) car. Ultrabunny appears Commando of creatures further ties together the DCU canon.

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The DCU already has its own mascot

Ultra Bunny DC-1

Ultrabunny is something of a mystery, with his name and outfit suggesting that he at least has some sort of superpower. There's also the joke that his catchphrase was the production's catchphrase The suicide squad. Whether Gunn even gave him a backstory remains to be seen, but with fans appearing to respond well to his inclusion, Ultrabunny has the potential to become a DCU character all his own. Plus, it seems like a great merchandising opportunity – look how popular it is The MandalorianHe became Grogu.

“Chapter One: Gods and Monsters” is expected to be the first part of an ever-expanding DCU that will add some of the weird and wonderful characters that the DCEU never managed to include, as well as some new creations. Commando of creatures wasted no time in nodding to the rest of the world, with David Corenswet's Superman should at least be mentioned before the final credits roll. Given Ultrabunny's popularity, it is expected that he will appear in the style of many other characters, but what if he was destined to do more?


In addition to the already rich chapter one, Ultrabunny could be present in one of his projects. Although a full-blown Ultrabunny movie seems unlikely after Warner Bros. scrapped the Wile E. Coyote-led film. Coyotes vs. Acme after it is completed, Gunn's mention of its popularity suggests that he has a plan. Plus, if Gunn can pull it off and pitch the right project to Warner Bros., an Ultrabunny release could fill that Coyote-shaped hole. Otherwise, a series in the wake of Commando of creatures it might even work.


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

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