In the Creature Commandos season finale, as Princess Ilana goes for a morning swim, The Bride tells Nina that she's the one who must go into the water and kill the woman destined to bring about the end of the world.
However, just as Nina is about to deliver the killing blow, Weasel runs into the water to warn the Princess. The distraction is enough for Ilana to spot Nina, disarm her, and repeatedly stab the most pure-hearted member of Task Force M to death.
It's a tragic end for a great character and actor Zoë Chao has now broken her silence on Nina's shocking demise.
"I'm like, what compelling storytelling, James Gunn, does it again," she said of her reaction to learning Nina would die in the finale. "He gets you right in the heart. You often, in stories like this, lose your favorite characters sometimes, or the ones that represent the heart of the story. So I understand why she had to go. She was too good for this world."
As for why she thinks this was the right end for Nina, Chao added, "I think she, I think her life ended the way she's always lived it, which is actually kind of by a moral code that other people in her world didn't have. So, I think even in her death, there's dignity because I don't think she could ever really kill another being."
Finally, the Creature Commandos star weighed in on whether she believes Nina was truly capable of killing the Princess. "I think she was totally capable, physically, of doing it," Chao explained. "I think any stutter came from not wanting to kill another being. And I think in that hesitation, that's how she lost her life."
Characters from Creature Commandos are expected to show up in future live-action projects but, in the meantime, the focus will likely be on the show's now-confirmed second season.
However, with Peacemaker season 2 set to feature A.R.G.U.S. and Rick Flag Sr., we'd be shocked if at least one or two members of the team don't appear, even if it's just a fleeting glimpse of them within the confines of Belle Reve. Sadly, Nina won't be among them.
Creature Commandos tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails...they’re your last, worst option.
The cast features Steve Agee as Economos, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Indira Varma as The Bride, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.
Creature Commandos is written and executive produced by James Gunn. Based on DC characters and produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, additional executive producers include Peter Safran, Dean Lorey, and Sam Register; Rick Morales serves as a supervising producer.
All episodes of Creature Commandos are now streaming on Max.