"She Killed Basically One Of The Nicest Characters": Princess Ilana Actress Maria Bakalova Addresses Those Creature Commandos Season 1 Finale Deaths And The Future Of James Gunn's DC Universe

WARNING: This article includes SPOILERS from Creature Commandos season 1.The massive deaths in the Creature Commandos season 1 finale are addressed by Maria Bakalova, who voices Princess Ilana Rostovic in the DC Universe, with the actor also discussing what may be next for her character in the franchise. The first installment in James Gunn’s DC Universe has concluded, as Creature Commandos episode 7 saw the team take on Princess Ilana Rostovic. However, before defeating her, they had to lose one of their own, as the princess ended up killing Nina Mazursky.

In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant to break down the Creature Commandos season 1 finale, Bakalova opened up about not only the death of Nina, but also Princess Ilana getting killed off towards the end. With comic book and superhero stories being known for not always letting the dead say dead, Bakalova teased the possibility of Princess Ilana Rostovic’s story not being over in the DC Universe, as she shared the following:

Maria Bakalova: Yeah, we saw her in Circe’s vision. We saw her that she’s pretty much capable to kill superheroes somehow. So maybe she also has some superpowers. Who knows? Who really knows a lot about that place Pokolistan? Because I remember I was searching for it online back when I read the script, I was like, ‘Okay, so there is a place that somehow exists with the same name, but do we know more about it?’ Maybe it’s a place that a lot of humans live, but maybe within these people, their people, their preachers, with special abilities, with special powers. So I don’t know…I hope she’s not dead-dead. Maybe some people will be opposite [to] my opinion, because she has made some terrible choices, and she killed basically one of the nicest characters in this show.

ScreenRant: Yeah, no hard feelings. I wasn’t crying at all!

Maria Bakalova: It’s not fair to kill Nina…but I wish both of them survived somehow, and [that] we see them again. Because, to be honest, I think these are my two favorite…it’s difficult to say my favorite characters, but I felt very empathetic towards Nina, and I do want to know more about Ilana. I do want to know why is she like that [laughs] like, ‘Okay, basically you’re supposed to be the hero of your country, and you want to put it on fire? Why? Why do you do that?’ It’s a question that I feel like a lot of us are asking ourselves on the daily basis, but yeah, if we can get more sense of why is she like that in the future, why is she friends with Clayface? [Those are] interesting choices.

Despite the death of Princess Ilana, ScreenRant also asked Bakalova if there was a chance Gunn would use her somewhere else in the DCU for other roles. Bakalova stressed that she would love to be back in Gunn’s DCU in any capacity, as she shared the following:

Maria Bakalova: I would love to! More than anything, because I feel like, with Creature Commandos’ first two episodes premiering back in December 5, and people loving it, it’s the biggest proof that we should keep doing this and the new DC Universe is going to have a great look. And I do want to be associated with something that comes to people and make people think about it, talk about it, feel for it. And knowing that James is going to be behind it, that’s for me, the biggest dream. So anything that he’s doing or he has in mind, I’m ready to jump in and do it.

While Bakalova isn’t saying that anything is set in stone, it does seem possible that the door has not been entirely closed for Princess Ilana, as there are a number of factors to take into account. Even though Circe’s vision has not come to fruition, there is nothing saying that the DCU’s Justice League and the world couldn’t still be at risk of Princess Ilana, especially if she has powers that no one knows about yet. It may simply be that Circe’s initial vision of the future has now been prevented from happening, but an alternative one could still happen down the line.

Given that Princess Ilana is also an original creation for the DCU, there are many routes that Gunn and the Creature Commandos team could take with her in season 2 and beyond. If Princess Ilana was going to get to a point in the future where she would be dominating the world, someone that smart could easily have backup plans in case something went wrong for her. While Creature Commandos season 2 will likely focus on the new team dealing with other threats, Princess Ilana’s resurrection could slowly be happening in the background before a proper reveal that she’s still alive.

Image via Max

Based on what Bakalova told ScreenRant, it wouldn’t be shocking to see or hear her again somewhere down the line in the DCU, whether it is as Princess Ilana or for other characters. With the many DCU movies and TV shows that are coming up besides Creature Commandos, there are many corners of the franchise that Bakalova could appear in as the future unfolds. But for now, following the Creature Commandos season 1 finale, Bakalova’s role in the franchise is done for the time being.

Every episode of Creature Commandos season 1 is now streaming on Max.

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