Peacemaker concluded its second (and possibly final…?) season last night, featuring the DC Universe’s first appearance of Checkmate, the spy-cum-superhero organization from the comics. Checkmate co-creator Paul Kupperberg is apparently a fan of Peacemaker. Because he reacted in near real time on Facebook, sharing a screenshot from the show with the caption, “Wait! What?!”
In this episode, Checkmate is introduced as a group founded by the 11th Street Kids, a team of ARGUS expatriates and superheroes Peacemakers. This reveal occurred near the end of the episode, and while many friends and fans commented that they had foreseen it coming, Kupperberg did not.
“I thought it was going to be Pax Institute,” Kupperberg said on Facebook, admitting he hadn’t read Greg Rucka’s fan-favorite Checkmate series, which features Sasha Bordeaux. Bordeaux also played a key role in Season 2 of Peacemaker, providing an important clue for those who were expecting Checkmate to appear.
In comics, Checkmate first appeared in Action Comics #598 in a story by Kupperberg and the late Steve Irwin. It served as a successor/sister work to “The Agency,” which appeared in the Vigilante comics (another connection to the Peacemaker show).
The original Checkmate comic series (stylized Checkmate!) featured crossovers with other “secret government organizations” in the DC Comics universe, most notably the Suicide Squad crossover “Janus Directive.” The group is led by leaderships named after chess pieces, such as the Black and White King and Queen, some of whom are generally anonymous, while others are known to readers and everyday agents.
In the mid-2000s, the organization took a more morally gray turn in the comics when DC revealed that Checkmate’s Black King was Maxwell Lord, a longtime ally of the Justice League, who used the OMAC satellite to weaponize the organization against metahumans. After being discovered, Lord killed Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and became a full-fledged supervillain, but Checkmate itself eventually removed his influence and became a “good guy” again in the aforementioned comic book volume 2, written by Greg Rucka and in which Bordeaux plays a key role.
In the DC Universe (movies and television), Maxwell Lord is played by Sean Gunn, the younger brother of DC Studios head James Gunn, who has suggested that Lord’s character will be closer to his original comic book portrayal in Justice League International, a greedy but well-meaning character rather than hateful and murderous.
Gunn also hinted that Peacemaker may not return for season 3, although there are plans for characters and concepts that will be introduced on the show.
Checkmate previously appeared in Smallville, which involved existing DC Universe characters Amanda Waller and Maxwell Lord. He also has a role in the animated series “The Adventures of Superman.”
Peacemaker, starring John Cena, Jennifer Holland, Daniel Brooks, Freddie Stroma, and more, airs on HBO Max. The first season is available on Blu-ray. Episodes of the second season are not yet available for purchase on digital platforms.
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