Even before Season 2 of Peacemaker premiered on HBO Max, creator and DC Studios’ co-head James Gunn warned fans that the story would connect directly with Man of Tomorrow, the theatrical sequel to Superman. However, while seeds were planted in early episodes with the appearance of multiple Superman characters, it wasn’t until the Season 2 finale that Gunn’s plan became clear. Although divisive, the ending of Peacemaker Season 2 firmly establishes what’s at stake in the DC Universe before the next Superman (David Corenswet) movie and the characters most likely to appear, including a brand new superteam that just made its DCU debut.
Warning: Spoilers below for Peacemaker Season 2
The experiences on Earth X convince the 11th Street Kids that they should be doing more to fight injustice in their own reality. That’s the same conclusion Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez) reaches after seeing Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) descend into paranoia and sacrifice ARGUS agents just to reach his goal of finding an alternate dimension to use as a metahuman prison. What’s worse, for the sake of his crusade, Rick Flag Sr. joins forces with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), employing his goons and tech experts to unravel the mysteries of the Quantum Unfolding Chamber.
By the end of Peacemaker Season 2, the 11th Street Kids and Sasha Bordeaux use all the blood money Adrian (Freddie Stroma) stole from criminals over the years to create Checkmate. This new security agency is supposed to stand up against ARGUS and work to make the world a better place, despite political alignments or U.S. military interests. The Checkmate mission has even convinced some key ARGUS agents to join their fight, as Agent Fleury (Tim Meadows) and Judomaster (Nhut Le) are also part of the new team. While Season 2 of Peacemaker doesn’t give Checkmate anything to do, it’s clear they will become a recurring player in the DCU, which follows the agency’s comic book history.
In the comics, Checkmate has a long and complex history as one of the DC Universe’s premier espionage organizations. Originally introduced as a branch of Task Force X, the agency was structured with a unique chess-based hierarchy, with a King, Queen, and Bishops making strategic decisions while Knights and Rooks led field operations. Its mandate was to serve as a clandestine government force, handling threats both metahuman and political with a level of deniability that traditional law enforcement could not achieve. This structure allowed it to operate in the shadows, often putting its agents in morally gray situations as they worked to protect national interests against superhuman threats, rogue states, and mystical dangers that fell outside the Justice League’s typical purview.
The organization’s most definitive modern incarnation came after the events of Infinite Crisis, when it was reformed as a United Nations-sanctioned intelligence agency. This version, heavily featured in the series Checkmate by Greg Rucka and Jesús Saiz, established a crucial internal conflict by splitting its leadership between two opposing figures to ensure checks and balances. Sasha Bordeaux famously held the position of Black Knight and eventually Black Queen, while Amanda Waller also vied for control, positioning Checkmate as a direct rival to her own ARGUS and Task Force X operations. Checkmate was designed to be a more diplomatic and accountable force, creating a persistent ideological battle over how to best police a world filled with superhumans.
While DC Studios is keeping the plot of Man of Tomorrow under wraps, Gunn has emphasized that Peacemaker 2 sets up the movie in motion. It’s fair to assume, then, that Man of Tomorrow will deal with Salvation to some extent. This interdimensional prison, created by Rick Flag Sr. in the season finale, aligns with Lex Luthor’s plans to rid Earth of metahumans. So, since Lex is one of the co-protagonists of Man of Tomorrow, the movie simply cannot ignore Salvation. It’s most likely that the threat that Superman and Lex will unite against comes from Salvation itself, as the Peacemaker Season 2 finale also teases that some disturbing creatures are hiding in this seemingly paradisiacal world.
Since Checkmate was founded after Rick Flag Sr. used ARGUS funding to find Salvation, any story involving this metahuman prison must also involve the 11th Street Kids’ new organization. Checkmate will actively work against ARGUS in the DCU, ensuring metahumans get the same human rights as any other people on Earth. That would also explain why Gunn has already confirmed future plans for the characters of Peacemaker, going as far as to tease that Peacemaker (John Cena) would appear in upcoming theatrical releases. All the pieces of the puzzle seem to point to Man of Tomorrow tying all the loose ends together and giving Checkmate their first mission in theaters.
Man of Tomorrow is set to be released on July 9, 2027.
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