The finale of Peacemaker Season 2 ended with the establishment of a new intelligence organization called Checkmate. Formed by the 11th Street Kids and several disgruntled ARGUS agents, it seems poised to become a true force for good. Given the team’s make-up and history in the comics, it might also introduce some more obscure superheroes into the DCU.
What characters could Checkmate introduce into the DCU?
In the comics, Checkmate was originally a branch of Task Force X (aka Suicide Squad) focused on international issues. However, it was eventually retooled into a separate agency. Eventually, it was reformed into an independent body supervised by the United Nations, with several metahuman and vigilante members.
The Checkmate of the DCU seems to have skipped ahead to this final form. Given that, and the original team’s origins with the Peacemaker and Vigilante solo comics of the 1980s, it seems likely the team might recruit more costumed crimefighters. Indeed, the team’s membership in the comics includes characters like Mr. Terrific and Maxwell Lord, who have already been brought into the DCU.
Arsenal
The first hero to fight alongside Oliver Queen as Speedy, Roy Harper took on a radically different career path after his battle with heroin addiction. He joined the Drug Enforcement Agency while volunteering as a counselor for other addicts. His government work eventually led to his joining Checkmate. It was there he expanded his weapons skills and first took the codename Arsenal. It’s possible Roy Harper could become a Checkmate recruit and later help introduce Green Arrow or the Titans into the DCU.
Huntress
Like Batman, Helena Bertinelli was born to an old-money family and lost her parents to violence. The difference is that the Bertinellis were one of the most powerful crime families in Gotham. Also, when Helena became the vigilante called Huntress, she didn’t share the Dark Knight’s code against killing. Given that, and her history of working with Checkmate and Spiral in the comics, Helena might be an ideal recruit for the equally violent DCU Checkmate.
Fire
Beatriz Bonilla da Costa was a Brazilian model before she was recruited as a government spy. After an explosion gave her the ability to conjure green flames, she enlisted in the Global Guardians and then the Justice League before being recruited to Checkmate. She used several codenames, but ultimately came to just be known as Fire. While frequently teamed with her best friend, Ice, Bea did work as a solo operative while part of Checkmate. She could easily do the same thing in the DCU.
Manhunter
Kate Spencer was a federal prosecutor who grew disillusioned with the American justice system. This pushed her to take on the Manhunter identity, to go after those supervillains she couldn’t bring down legally. While never an official Checkmate agent in the comics, she did work with them while acting as Wonder Woman‘s defense attorney. However, given her history of violence in the comics, she would fit in alongside Peacemaker, Vigilante, and Judomaster.
Green Lantern Alan Scott
One of the founding members of the Justice Society of America, Alan Scott was an unlikely recruit to Checkmate. However, the first Green Lantern served as the team’s White King, overseeing intelligence gathering operations when it reformed under U.N. control. We know the JSA existed in some form in the DCU thanks to the mural in the Justice Gang’s headquarters. Bringing Alan Scott into Checkmate could help establish the team’s history in the DCU.
