What Is Checkmate? The DC Team Introduced In Peacemaker's Finale, Explained

Spoilers for the "Peacemaker" season 2 finale episode titled "Full Nelson" follow, so beware.

"Peacemaker" creator/DC Universe architect James Gunn hasn't committed to a season 3,  but there might be a good reason for that. After the season 2 finale, "Full Nelson," this might be because the story of "Peacemaker" will continue under a new title.

In "Peacemaker" season 1, government agency A.R.G.U.S. was the team's employer. This season, A.R.G.U.S. was under the new management of Rick Flag (Frank Grillo), who is understandably miffed that Peacemaker/Christopher Smith (John Cena) killed his son, Rick Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) back in "The Suicide Squad." A.R.G.U.S. shifted into a more antagonistic role, and by the end of "Full Nelson," the heroes have left it behind to form their own private agency: Checkmate, "Making The World Better."

In the comics, Checkmate is a spy team with a chess motif, and the code names are assigned based on rank (with the Kings and Queens on top and Pawns on the bottom). Like chess, the "pieces" of Checkmate are divided by color: the "white" division handles intelligence, the "black" division are the field operatives.

The full-line up on this new chess board is Peacemaker, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), John Economos (Steve Agee), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Vigilante/Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma), former A.R.G.U.S. agents Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez), also a cyborg, and Langston Fleury (Tim Meadows), as well as mercenary Judomaster (Nhut Le), possibly our favorite addition.

The foreshadowing has been there if you look back with hindsight. Leota was trying to set up and advertise her own private security firm earlier this season. Her mother is also Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, set to get her own show), who in the comics was the "White Queen" of Checkmate. Judomaster and Sasha are also associated with Checkmate in the comics, as is "Superman" breakout star Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi).

Checkmate debuting in "Peacemaker" is not a random choice. The team debuted in DC Comics in 1988, created by writer Paul Kupperberg and artist Steve Irwin. That same year, Kupperberg wrote a four issue "Peacemaker" mini-series that re-established Peacemaker (originally a Charlton Comics character) for the DC Universe. He later depicted Peacemaker as an agent of Checkmate in the agency's own comic series.

Kupperberg's "Checkmate" series ran for 36 issues, concluding in 1991. However, the Checkmate most DC fans know now is the second iteration, introduced in 2006.

In 2005, DC published six-issue miniseries "The OMAC Project," by writer Greg Rucka and artist Jesus Suiz. The story features Maxwell Lord, Checkmate's Black King, trying to use OMAC technology (which turns people into satellite controlled cyborgs) to wage war against metahumans. There's already been signs that James Gunn's DCU is building to an OMAC crisis, and the introduction of Checkmate in "Peacemaker" may be another clue in support of that.

Rucka spun a new "Checkmate" series out of "The OMAC Project" and used Sasha Bordeaux as a lead. (Rucka, with artist Shawn Martinbrough, had first introduced Sasha as a Batman supporting character during his run on "Detective Comics" and had her recruited into Checkmate during that series.) Espionage fiction, especially espionage fiction starring kick-ass women, is one of Rucka's niches. In fact, one of his original comics is "Queen & Country," a spy thriller about MI6 agent Tara Chace. He also previously co-created "Gotham Central," a police procedural with the twist that these cops work in Gotham City and have to deal with all the colorful insanity that entails. "Checkmate" had a similar pitch in how it was written as a spy thriller but never attempted to run away from being a DC comic.

DC Comics

Checkmate, during the Rucka run, was reformed under the control of the United Nations to ensure "balance" between humans and metahumans. The new command structure was thus made to ensure both people with and without superpowers held authority. Superhero members included Mister Terrific, Alan Scott/Green Lantern, and Beatriz Da Costa/Fire.

Rucka's "Checkmate" ran for 31 issues, concluding in 2008. With the debut of Checkmate on "Peacemaker," there's no better time to dive into the series than now. 

All of "Peacemaker" season 2 is streaming on HBO Max.