Stargirl is a DC superhero drama that follows the adventures of Courtney Whitmore, who is played by Brec Bassinger. Courtney is a sophomore at Blue Valley High. Under the alias, Stargirl, Courtney uses her newly acquired powers to combat evil and injustice with her team of like-minded companions in the revived superhero organization, the Justice Society of America.
The first season of Stargirl aired on May 18, 2020. The second season, Stargirl: Summer School was released on August 10, 2021. The show is based on the comic series, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., which first appeared in 1999 with its premier issue, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E #0.
Stargirl and the New Justice Society of America
The timeline for Stargirl takes place ten years after the fall of the Justice Society of America (JSA), a league of heroes that battled its antithetical counterpart, the Injustice Society of America (ISA). Starman, an original member of the JSA, perished in the fateful encounter with the ISA. His supernatural abilities were derived from his Cosmic Staff, which Courtney inadvertently discovers among her stepfather's possessions. Courtney decides to carry on Starman's legacy by taking up the mantle of Stargirl.
After becoming a superhero, Courtney decides to reboot the JSA with an all-new membership. She recruits other Blue Valley High School students from various rungs on the social ladder to join the organization. Though the ragtag team may not be as sophisticated or as put-together as its previous incarnation, the new JSA members must learn to accept each other's differences in order to work together.
Stargirl's Place in the DC Entertainment Universe
Stargirl is the third DCEU live-action series to feature an actress in the starring role and the second DCEU live-action series to focus on teenage protagonists. Geoff Johns is an executive producer of the show, working alongside Sarah Schechter, Greg Beeman, Glen Winter, Melissa Carter, and Greg Berlanti.
The show takes place on Earth-2, a universe that is identical to but separate from the Arrowverse, which is comprised of the superhero, Green Arrow, and all of his allies and antagonists. Stargirl characters made their first appearance in an Arrowverse crossover episode, "Crisis on Infinite Earths," which canonized Stargirl's storyline in the DCEU.
The Legacy of Stargirl
While many DCEU series feature well-known, larger-than-life characters, Stargirl's debut represents the dawn of a new generation of DC heroes who must take on the challenges of their legendary predecessors while also remaining vigilant for new threats to humanity. Teenagers and young adults in Stargirl's audience may take a shine to the show because they, too, are expected to live up to the expectations set by their forebears while simultaneously overcoming the trials and tribulations of independence.
Viewers of Stargirl may also appreciate the advent of fresh faces among both the superheroes and the supervillains in the series. Many of the characters on Stargirl had previously held minor roles or had descended into relative obscurity after the Golden Age of Superheroes, which lasted from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s. For this reason, it is satisfying to see that these characters have been revitalized for a new audience.
