A new superhero is coming to a television near you and she is not who you’d expect. Stargirl is a normal high school girl until she meets the former Starman’s assistant and begins using the cosmic staff. This show tackles how Stargirl balances life as a teenager and as a superhero, but even as a 21st-century superhero, still uses tips and guidance from the past to help her.
Who is Stargirl?
Stargirl is a high school girl named Courtney Whitmore. Played by Brec Bassinger, Courtney is a typical teenage girl just trying to fit in and navigate the world around her. Courtney finds an odd-looking staff hidden in a chest and decides to play with it. The staff begins to glow and eventually shoots energy. After a time, Courtney’s stepdad, also Starman’s former sidekick and protector of the cosmic staff, finds out that Courtney has used the staff. This is when Courtney realized the significance of the staff and her newfound powers and thus becomes Stargirl. Produced by executive producer, Geoff Johns, Stargirl is an updated version of the typical superhero television series.
What happened to Starman?
If you are familiar with the older DC superheroes, you’ll know that Starman is based on an astronomer, Ted Knight, who invented the cosmic rod. This rod, or staff as it’s called in Stargirl, allows Starman to fly and manipulate energy. Eventually, Jack Knight, Ted Knight’s son, becomes Starman. After Jack, the cosmic staff and title of Starman goes through several hands. According to the Stargirl series, Sylvester Pemberton was the Starman prior Stargirl. Sylvester Pemberton was a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA) and 10 years before Courtney becomes Stargirl, the entire JSA was killed. As Starman is dying, his former sidekick finds him. Starman’s final words are imploring his sidekick to find someone worthy of the cosmic staff so they can help keep the JSA alive.
Where does Stargirl fit into the DC universe?
Since Stargirl is the person worthy of the cosmic staff, she is also the one to take on the responsibility of the JSA. This is challenging because Stargirl is only a high school student. In the series, Stargirl is able to find super classmates and friends. Some of these characters include a young Wildcat, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Hourman, all of which were in the original JSA. Stargirl becomes the leader and is able to form them into a proper team.
While Stargirl is a new take on DC’s Starman, it provides a new beginning for the DC superhero franchise. By bringing back JSA, this show is able to create a new force of superheroes led by an unlikely source.
