Danny Pudi Brings ‘Community’ Comedy Chops to ‘Creature Commandos’ as Khalis the Mummy

Few corners of the DC Universe have been as gleefully strange as ‘Creature Commandos‘, the adult animated series about a squad of monsters sent on missions too dangerous for humans. The show built its reputation on an offbeat voice cast, and it just added a very familiar comedic voice. Danny Pudi is joining the monster team, and the role he landed is a fitting one.

The first season premiered on Max in December 2024 and ran for 7 episodes. Its finale teased several new recruits for the second round, including a vampire, a shark and a bandaged figure who spends his downtime knitting in a living room armchair.

According to an exclusive from The InSneider, Pudi will voice Khalis the Mummy in the second season of ‘Creature Commandos’ on HBO Max. The report adds another notable name to a cast that has been steadily expanding.

Pudi is best known for playing Abed Nadir on the sitcom ‘Community’. He has also dipped into the superhero world before, appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a S.H.I.E.L.D. tech in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’.

Khalis is a revived Egyptian mummy with superhuman strength and durability who joins the team in season 2. He was first glimpsed briefly in the fourth episode of season 1, then appeared among the new recruits as the series wrapped up. A shot of him knitting while another new member plays ping pong became one of the finale’s most memorable gags.

In DC Comics, Khalis was created by Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli and debuted in ‘Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.’ #1 in November 2011. The comic version is an ancient Egyptian priest, and the character is tied to a supernatural government unit that is very much in the ‘Creature Commandos’ mold. James Gunn has joked that he was never a big mummy guy and that he is more of a werewolf fan, which makes the character an interesting challenge for the creative team.

The news arrives at a turbulent moment for the franchise. Skydance recently replaced Gunn and Peter Safran with Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham as president and chief creative officer of DC Studios, a surprise move announced on Monday. Pudi’s casting suggests that animated projects already in motion are still moving forward.

Where ‘Creature Commandos’ fits in the new regime is an open question. Gunn tied even the animated shows to the larger DCU, though some of them were positioned as stand-alone stories, and one report suggested the second season may not connect to whatever Latcham builds next. For now, the monsters appear to be carrying on regardless.

‘Creature Commandos’ was renewed for a second season in December 2024, before the first season had even finished airing. Gunn confirmed in January 2026 that the new episodes were in production, and he has said he is not writing them, with a full writers’ room handling the scripts under showrunner Dean Lorey.

Gunn has also said the season will premiere after the release of ‘Man of Tomorrow’ in July 2027. The expected lineup includes the Bride, Weasel, Doctor Phosphorus and G.I. Robot, joined by Nosferata, King Shark and now Khalis. Pudi’s arrival adds a comedy veteran to a group that was already stacked with funny people.

Pudi joins an ensemble that has never been shy about mixing comedy and drama. The first season featured voices including Indira Varma, Sean Gunn, Alan Tudyk, Zoë Chao, David Harbour, Frank Grillo, Viola Davis, Steve Agee and Maria Bakalova.

Nosferata is reportedly being voiced by Sydney Chandler of ‘Alien: Earth’, so the new recruits are shaping up to be as eclectic as the original team. With a mummy who knits and a comedy veteran lending his voice, the second season looks set to keep the same blend of horror and humor.

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