Department of Extranormal Operations

Updated on Dec 02, 2023

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Publisher DC Comics Leader(s) Mister Bones		First appearance Batman #550 (1998) Agent(s) Cameron Chase
Created by Dan Curtis Johnson and J. H. Williams III Type of organization Federal law enforcement

The Department of Extranormal Operations (D.E.O.) is a fictional government agency in the DC Universe appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was co-created by Dan Curtis Johnson and J. H. Williams III and first appeared in Batman #550 (1998). The agency was the focus of the Chase series.

Fictional organization history

The role of the DEO is to monitor those with extranormal superpowers and to prevent any threat to the general public. However, in Action Comics #775 there are a couple of rogue agents being defeated by Superman. Manchester Black, the leader of The Elite, suggests they are responsible for the creation of fellow team member Menagerie, saying that "These guys run a triple black alien immigration service that takes the galaxies' cast-offs an' turns them into weapons for the highest bidder. The West Nile glop in New York is one of theirs from the Microbio Division."

The DEO was responsible for the "orphanage" seen in Young Justice, in which Secret was kept, although a later conversation between Director Bones and Agent Chase suggested the conditions in which she was kept were not official policy. Another such orphanage was seen in the 1999 Titans series.

The DEO has protected important aspects of Washington D.C. from telepathic intrusion.

A rogue department of the DEO manages to convince Green Lantern to scan various heroes presumably to detect a body-hopping super villain. Instead, the data is used to create a new version of Amazo. Chase, Mr. Bones, Green Lantern and other heroes shut down the division. Amazo is destroyed and Green Lantern deletes the relevant information.

Operatives

Executive directors

Mister Bones - Pre-Crisis/Post-Crisis

Dr. Amanda Waller - New 52

Cameron Chase - DC Rebirth

Agents

Agent Sandra "the Bear" Barrett

Agent Kate Spencer

Alesandra Taracon (Cucilla/undercover in Slabside Penitentiary)

Donald Fite and Ishido Madd - Occasional allies of Young Justice, seconded from A.P.E.S..

Sarge Steel - Director of the Department of Metahuman Affairs, a subdivision of the DEO.

Agent Liberty

Batwoman

Supergirl

Film

In the 2011 film Green Lantern, the DEO appears as an agency under the secret support of Sen. Robert Hammond. His son Dr. Hector Hammond is given the assignment of doing the autopsy of Abin Sur. One of the main heads is Dr. Amanda Waller.

Arrowverse

In the 2015 CBS/CW television series Supergirl, the Department of Extra-Normal Operations employs Kara Zor-El's adoptive sister Alex Danvers as a scientist and operative. This iteration of the agency is led by former CIA agent Hank Henshaw (later revealed to be J'onn J'onzz in disguise after the real Hank Henshaw was presumably killed while on assignment). Thanks to J'onn, the DEO now is less prejudiced against non-humans and focused on battling rogue extraterrestrials in addition occasional criminal, metahuman, and terrorist threats. It was learned in Season 2 that Superman was a member of the team.

At the end of the 4-part crossover between Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, titled "Invasion!", Kara spoke with the succeeding President of the U.S. of the Earth-1 universe; she informs the new chief executive that the United States government on her universe (Earth-38) founded the DEO for monitoring and countering extraterrestrial threats, and the president agrees that her administration would set up their own agency in response to the Dominators' attacks.

Video games

The DEO had a brief appearance in the intro level to Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, where they acted as adversaries to both Batman and Catwoman, the former due to mistaken association with the latter, and the latter due to stealing classified data.

References

Department of Extranormal Operations Wikipedia

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