The Flash: New Grodd Lives Image Shows Off Mysterious New Character -- Is Checkmate Involved?

Earlier today, The CW released a single, new image from the forthcoming May 5 episode of The [...]

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Earlier today, The CW released a single, new image from the forthcoming May 5 episode of The Flash, titled "Grodd Lives."

The image, seen above, shows off a mysterious, masked character wearing body armor and walking away from an exploded truck. The mask/helmet and outfit look unfamiliar, the truck looks unfamiliar...and in the spot where The CW typically includes a caption that says "[actor's name] as [character name]," it instead says "Blank."

So...what's going on here?

Well, first of all, take a look at this 1987 DC Comics house ad:

1987 - Checkmate

...Yeah, to us, that helmet sure looks like something that somebody working for Checkmate might wear.

Checkmate was DC's go-to clandestine, quasi-governmental organization for years. Often skirting the edges of morality, the organization helped operate the Suicide Squad and worked with heroes like Manhunter (Mark Shaw, who appeared this season on Arrow) before becoming increasingly villainous. Ultimately its head murdered the Blue Beetle as part of an elaborate plan to rid the world of superheroes, and when he ultimately was killed by Wonder Woman, Amanda Waller took over the organization for a time.

It appeared in its morally dubious form in Smallville and was pervasive for a few years in the comics following the death of Blue Beetle before fading gradually into the background in favor of A.R.G.U.S., the preferred super-spy organization of the moment in both the comics and on Arrow. But with Diggle and Lyla leaving A.R.G.U.S. this year, could there be Checkmate in the future for the CWverse? Or are we making too much of a similar costume design?

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