The season finale of Creature Commandos is almost here, and if you’ll pardon our boldness—none of us are ready. Not us here at DC.com and not any of you out there reading this. Max’s animated series has proven to be an unexpected, yet thoroughly entertaining, introduction to the new DC Universe and we’re not ready for it to end. Since the show’s debut early last month, we’ve killed plenty of Nazis, cried our collective eyes out and fallen thoroughly in love with Task Force M. Society calls them monsters, Amanda Waller calls them assets, but we see these characters for the misunderstood heroes they truly are.

Gratuitously violent heroes, sure. But heroes all the same.

In this week’s finale, it’s Nina Mazursky’s turn to step into the spotlight. Who is this surprisingly polite aquatic woman and where did she come from? To help prepare us for Nina’s tragic origin, we had a chat with her voice actress Zoë Chao. She gave us the scoop on Nina, her fiery friendship with the Bride and what it’s like to work with James Gunn, while offering a foreboding hint about the season’s final moments. (We did say you’re not ready.)

Prior to Creature Commandos, what was your history with the DC Universe? Were you a fan?

I am coming to the DC world as an utter noob. I am new to all of it, and I'm new to adult animation. It's been a thrilling ride, and I feel very honored to be a part of this effed up world.

Creature Commandos is the first installment of this new DC Universe. That means that fans are going to be meeting you, meeting Nina, before they meet Batman and before they meet Superman. You have the honor of being their introduction. How does that feel?

Oh my gosh! No one's contextualized it like that for me! I'm scared now! You've got me scared. I'm sweating. That's really cool. A lot of people don't know about Nina Mazursky, and so it feels kind of right that she will be new to a lot of people, and that I am new to the DC world. Lots of newness together.

What did James Gunn tell you about Nina when you got the part?

I didn't know much. I auditioned, and I think I was the only one that James didn't know. So, I auditioned for the part, got it, and received seven exquisite scripts. I pored over them, read them so quickly and then reread them, which seldom happens, because they were just so good. The world is so specific, and rich, and chaotic, and messy, and really funny, and also really sad, and all the information is in there.

I showed up to record and James is so fun to work with, just really trusting. He would give notes, obviously, because no one knows the world better than he does. He wrote every script and is such a scholar. We were just really in good hands. I wasn't scared. Normally, I'm terrified of everything, but I was in such capable hands that I knew he wouldn't lead me astray.

What was Gunn like as a voice director, and what was the funniest note he gave you?

My immediate observation of James is just how much energy he has. I think when you get into a booth, you kind of have to go, "Okay, there's nothing in front of me." You have the animation, but there are no props or anything like that, so you really have to lean into your imagination. And you've got to generate a lot of vocal energy, which usually means just a lot of physical energy. I was so appreciative that he brought as much, if not more, energy into the session.

He was on his toes and excited and really appreciative that we were there to do it. I recorded a lot of my stuff with Indira Varma, who plays the Bride. She was in London, I was in New York, and James, I think, was in LA. But all three of us were so charged and amped that it felt like we were all together.

I tried to do some Nina voicing with water in my mouth, which got really messy. Also, it was hard to do baby Nina. It's hard to do a baby. A funny note is just, he was like, "Okay, you got punched. We gotta believe you."

Something like that was happening all the time.

Throughout the series we've seen Nina's interesting relationship with the Bride. It’s a friendship, despite how much the Bride protests. How does Nina view the Bride and why is she so drawn to her? How do you perceive it all?

There's a lot of masculine energy in the Creature Commandos group. I think by default Nina and the Bride are the only two females in the group. I think Nina is a real girl's girl, but also, I think she recognizes in Bride someone who's walked through a lot of fire and trauma, and I think they fundamentally understand each other because they've both been through a lot.

And, yeah, it is a friendship! But I think Nina really likes the Bride. I mean, the Bride is so salty and so hot, and I think just all the things that Nina isn't. I think opposites attract, and I think Nina really cares for the Bride.

I think with the Bride, everyone kind of expects something of her. Her creator did, Frankenstein did, and Amanda Waller does. Everyone kind of sees her as something, whereas Nina doesn't have the expectations of her and just sees her as herself.

Go off, Joshua! Say it! That's a really nice observation! I haven't thought about it that way. She kind of just meets her where the Bride is at.

Right, because a lot of the Creature Commandos roster, they're not seen. Nobody ever sees them for who they are. That's what I love about the show. It gives them time to shine.

And they've finally found their tribe.

How does Nina view herself and view her place among the team?

She's such a resilient being, and it's been so hard for her to find her place. Being an aquatic being, she's half-human and half-fish, and was really rejected by the human world as a freak. I kind of feel like it's the first time she gets to relax in a way, even though the stakes are very high.

I think when she's with the team she doesn't feel like a freak anymore because they're all freaks. In a way, it's a moment where her superpower of being a kind, empathetic soul actually gets to shine. I just feel like she becomes more and more herself in the series.

Without giving too much away, can you give fans a little tease about what they can expect from the season finale?

Tears and big surprises.
 

The season finale of Creature Commandos will be available to stream Thursday, exclusively on Max.