Department of Extranormal Operations

The Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) is a 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).^[3] The agency was the focus of the Chase series. It is featured in the Supergirl television series.^[4] The agency has a complicated relationship with the depiction of law and constitutional rights in the DC Universe.^[5]

Department of Extranormal Operations
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Batman #550 (1998)
Created by	Dan Curtis Johnson and J. H. Williams III
In-story information
Type of organization	Federal Law Enforcement Agency
Leader(s)	Mister Bones Dr. Amanda Waller Cameron Chase
Agent(s)	Agent Sandra "the Bear" Barrett Agent Kate Spencer Alesandra Taracon[1] Donald Fite and Ishido Madd Sarge Steel Agent Liberty[2] Batwoman

Fictional organization history

The role of the DEO is to monitor those with extranormal superpowers and to prevent any threat to the general public.^{[citation needed]}

A rogue department of the DEO manages to convince Kyle Rayner to scan various heroes, presumably to detect a body-hopping supervillain. Instead, the data is used to create a new version of Amazo. Chase, Mister Bones, Kyle, and other heroes shut down the division. Amazo is destroyed and Kyle deletes the relevant information.^[6]

Batwoman becomes a reluctant agent of the DEO after the agency learns her identity. Mister Bones, director of the DEO, believes himself to be the illegitimate son of Jacob Kane, Batwoman's father. DEO agents discover that Beth Kane, Batwoman's identical twin sister, is alive and capture her. Bones blackmails Batwoman into helping the DEO uncover the secret identity of Batman in exchange for Beth.^[7]

Operatives

Executive directors

• Mister Bones – Pre-Crisis/Post-Crisis
• Amanda Waller – The New 52
• Cameron Chase – DC Rebirth
• Sarge Steel – Director of the Department of Metahuman Affairs
• Martin Stein – Founder of the Department of Metahuman Affairs in post-New 52 continuity.^[8][9]

Agents

• Agent Sandra "The Bear" Barrett
• Agent Kate Spencer
• Alesandra Taracon (undercover as "Cucilla" in Slabside Penitentiary).^[1]
• Donald Fite and Ishido Madd (occasional allies of Young Justice, seconded from A.P.E.S.).
• Agent Liberty^[2]
• Batwoman

In other media

Television

• The Department of Extranormal Operations appears in several series set in the Arrowverse, mainly Supergirl. This version of the agency is led by J'onn J'onzz, with Alex Danvers and Brainiac 5 as operatives. In the fourth season, Danvers becomes the director of the DEO.
• The Department of Extranormal Operations appears in the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Ground Control to Sara Lance".

Film

The Department of Extranormal Operations appears in Green Lantern, with Senator Robert Hammond as a sponsor and his son Hector Hammond as a member.

Video games

The DEO appears in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate.

Miscellaneous

The Department of Extranormal Operations appears in the comics continuation of Smallville, led by Mister Bones and Steve Trevor and consisting of Cameron Chase, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, and Diana Prince as agents.^[10]