Peacemaker Finale Forms Checkmate; No Season 3 Plans

The Season 2 finale of Peacemaker ends with Christopher “Peacemaker” Smith and the 11th Street Kids quitting A.R.G.U.S. to form Checkmate, while Rick Flag Sr. strands Peacemaker by sending him through the Quantum Unfolding Chamber to an alternate metahuman-prison world called Salvation. Checkmate is reimagined as the team's independent spy/black-ops agency and, according to writer–director James Gunn, is a key thread in his broader DC Universe plans. Gunn said he currently has no plans for a Peacemaker season 3, explaining the cliffhanger is intended to propel storylines across the wider DCU rather than anchor another standalone season, and he confirmed the character will return in some form in future projects. Gunn and outlets say Salvation and Checkmate will factor into upcoming projects, including the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow and the HBO series Lanterns, and the finale planted seeds for future adaptations — notably Sasha Bordeaux’s presence. Behind-the-scenes notes include Gunn nearly slipping a Deadpool sight gag into the episode.