Summary:
- Peacemaker Season 2 finale has ended and James Gunn isn’t sure on the possibility of a season 3.
- That is because, season 3 might just come under a new name of heroes called the Checkmate.
- If you’re not familiar with this team in DC Comics, here’s everything you need to know.
Peacemaker Season 2 has officially ended. Despite the ambiguous ending of this season, James Gunn has clarified that, as of writing, he has no plans for a Peacemaker Season 3. This makes sense since the DCU head has stated that the story will tie into Man of Tomorrow. However, a small yet significant detail suggests that Peacemaker Season 3 might return under a new name – Checkmate.
Warning: Spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2.
What is Checkmate in DC Comics
Checkmate, named after the ending move of chess, is a branching team of Task Force X, formed by Amanda Waller. The team first appeared in Action Comics #598 in 1988 and was created by writer Paul Kupperberg and artist Steve Erwin. You can think of Checkmate as the Suicide Squad with a tinge of espionage.
True to its name, Checkmate uses the structure of its chessboard to assign its members tasks. The “white” operatives handle intelligence gathering and more of the table work, while the “black” operatives focus on fieldwork. The Black King handles field operations, while the White Queen focuses on intelligence gathering, with both serving as the team lead.
The Rooks are the mission planners; the Bishops, on the other hand, are mid-level field agents who focus on tactical operations. Knights are the high-ranking agents who do the actual action stuff, which includes characters like Mr. Terrific and Sasha Bordeaux. Finally, pawns are the lowest in the hierarchy, assisting knights. In the comics, characters like Peacemaker and Vigilante have taken on the roles of pawns in Checkmate.
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- Every Peacemaker Helmet Ranked from Worst to Best
What is Checkmate in Peacemaker Season 2
Peacemaker Season 2 ends with Sasha Bordeaux being unhappy with the way Rick Flag Sr. is handling A.R.G.U.S. It is revealed that Flag was searching for a planet with suitable resources in the Quantum Unfolding Chamber (QUC) to create a prison for Metahumans, dubbing it Salvation.
This, however, doesn’t sit right with Bordeaux, and she then confides in Emilia Harcourt. While the two didn’t start on a good note, Bordeaux opens up to her, and Harcourt takes her to Leota Adebayo, who now runs her own security agency.
The three of them talk and finally set up an office space, using Adrian’s (Vigilante) blood money. While we don’t get to see the team in action, the finale reveals the members of the newly formed organization, Checkmate, as they walk out of the building, and the camera pans to a checkerboard-shaped sign bearing the team’s name: Checkmate: Making the world better.
Checkmate Members in the DCU
As of writing, Checkmate has a total of eight members in the DCU, with the cute addition of Eagly. Here’s all of them:
- Christopher Smith (Peacemaker)
- Emilia Harcourt
- Adrian Chase (Vigilante)
- John Economos
- Leota Adebayo
- Rip Jagger (Judomaster)
- Langston Fleury
- Sasha Bordeaux
- Eagly
We don’t know if Checkmate in the DCU will work similarly to DC Comics. James Gunn has stated in the Peacemaker Podcast that the DCU iteration will be many iterations. However, if we were to go by the work being assigned based on chess pieces, we can theorize who will be who.
Characters like Peacemaker, Vigilante, Bordeaux, and Harcourt will surely be Knights. Economos, Adebayo, and Fleury on the other hand, will be divided into Rooks and Bishops.
