PEACEMAKER Introduces a Mysterious Agency to the DCU

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The first season of *Peacemaker* ended with Peacemaker and the former 11th Street Kids – Leota Adebayo, Emilia Harcourt, John Economos, and Adrian Chase – creating a new spy organization. Adrian is funding it with money he took from criminals. They’ve also brought on board former ARGUS agents who were unhappy with their old jobs: Sasha Bordeaux, Judomaster, and Agent Fleury. As they leave their new office, a sign reveals the agency’s name: Checkmate. This name is significant for DC Comics fans, as Checkmate is a well-known organization with its own history and several comic book series.

The History of Checkmate in DC Comics

As a long-time comics fan, I remember when Checkmate first showed up! It was created by Paul Kupperberg, who actually wrote the original *Peacemaker* series back in the ’80s, along with artist Steve Irwen. They debuted in *Action Comics* #598, and didn’t long after get their own ongoing series. But what’s really interesting is that Checkmate didn’t come out of nowhere. It evolved from an earlier organization called the Agency, which was basically a part of Amanda Waller’s Task Force X. A key operative in the Agency was Valentina Vostok – you might recognize her as a former member of the Doom Patrol. Eventually, they decided a rebrand was in order, and the Agency became the Checkmate we know today.

The organization Checkmate gets its name from chess, mirroring its hierarchical structure. Key members are assigned chess piece titles – like Black and White Kings, Queens, Bishops, Rooks, Knights, and Pawns. Over the years, many DC Comics characters have held important roles within Checkmate. For example, Harvey Bullock served as a Bishop, and Amanda Waller was the Queen. Maxwell Lord was notably the Black King, with Sasha Bordeaux as his Black Knight. This happened during the *Infinite Crisis* storyline, when Lord revealed his villainous side and misused Checkmate for his own plans. Mister Terrific briefly held the position of White Knight, and even the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was once a White King.

Checkmate 2.0

The first DC Comics series featuring Checkmate depicted it as a secret, undercover organization. But in the second volume, writer Greg Rucka completely changed that, presenting Checkmate as an official metahuman monitoring force authorized by the United Nations. This new version of Checkmate operated under a unique “Rule of Two”: for every member with superpowers in a leadership role, there had to be a non-powered counterpart in a similar position of authority. Lower-ranking field agents, known as Pawns, continued to handle on-the-ground operations, and included characters like Peacemaker, Vigilante, and even some members of the Justice League, such as Vixen.

The latest iteration of Checkmate, written by Michael Brian Bendis, broadened the organization’s scope to include well-known DC heroes like Lois Lane, Green Arrow, Steve Trevor (Wonder Woman’s love interest), the Question, and Talia al Ghul. It appears Checkmate is set to have its own dedicated project – potentially a series or film – and will be a significant part of the new DC Universe. Given that ARGUS is now portrayed as an adversarial group, a counterpart organization is needed – one ideally filled with heroes under James Gunn’s leadership. Several key Checkmate characters, including Maxwell Lord and Mister Terrific, are already established within the DCU.

Checkmate’s Role in the DCU

I’ve been following the news about James Gunn’s plans, and while he’s said Maxwell Lord won’t suddenly become a villain, I definitely get the sense he’ll still play a role. And speaking of powerful, complicated characters, Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller has a *huge* history with the organization Checkmate, and it would be so interesting to see her try to take control, especially now that she’s out at ARGUS. It makes you wonder if Checkmate will get its own show or movie, right? I have a feeling Gunn will let us know what’s happening with Checkmate pretty soon, and honestly, I’m excited to find out!

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2025-10-10 05:10