The CW just dropped an extended trailer for the newest season of DC’s “Stargirl,” giving a sneak peek into the future of the Justice Society of America. After their epic takedown of the Injustice Society last season, many of the JSA heroes seem ready to hang up the capes and focus on a more realistic challenge: high school. However, Stargirl herself doesn’t seem too sure.
During a virtual panel at New York Comic-Con, executive producer of “Stargirl” Geoff Johns hinted that danger was on the horizon for the young heroes. He mentioned that season two would feature “a lot of bad guys and a lot of bad things happening.”
Here are the two biggest threats the JCU will face in the upcoming season.
The Shade
Throughout the first season of “Stargirl,” there were flickers of The Shade in old photographs of the Injustice Society of America. He made his first in-person appearance in the season finale and will play a much larger part in “Stargirl’s” new season. Not much is known about The Shade’s role in the CWverse, but he has always been a particularly dark character in the comics.
The Shade made his first appearance in 1942 in Flash Comics #33, where he battled The Flash. His name derives from his shadowy powers — he’s able to manipulate the darkness and, in some iterations, can teleport and control demons.
As The Shade’s powers evolved throughout the years, so did his role in the narrative. He was initially penned as an antagonist but forges a new legacy as a hero in the Starman series. Since “Stargirl” draws inspiration from both the Starman comic series as well as the DC Universe, there’s no telling which path The Shade will take.
Eclipso
“He’s so terrifying. He’s a very different antagonist or villain than the ISA,” Johns said when first teasing Eclipso’s appearance at New York Comic Con last fall.
At the very end of season one, Shiv was looking for a black diamond that has trapped an ancient being for centuries. This being, Eclipso, gains strength from humanity’s fear and feeds off sins and darkness.
Eclipso made his first appearance in 1963’s House of Secrets #61. In this first iteration, “Eclipso: The Genius Who Fought Himself,” he was both the hero and the villain, with an origin story that mirrored Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
In another iteration, released in 1992, a murderous treasure hunter finds a mysterious black gem and breaks it into thousands of pieces. A century later, a scientist discovers a spirit has been using these fragmented gems to possess and control people on Earth.
In Eclipso’s latest comic book iteration, anyone possessing the black gem can harness Eclipso’s power. While no one knows for sure how Eclipso will make his appearance in season two, it’s safe to say he doesn’t have much longer in his prison. He’s likely more than ready to wreak havoc on the people of Blue Valley.
Season Two of DC’s “Stargirl” premieres on Tuesday, August 10.
