Who Is Stargirl? Meet DC’s Newest TV Superhero
DC Universe might not get the same attention as other superhero destinations on TV, but that might all change this spring when the streaming platform debuts Stargirl. As we recently learned, the new superhero series will debut on May 11, and each episode will get an encore on The CW a day after it hits DC Universe.
So who is this new small-screen superhero? Stargirl a.k.a. Courtney Whitmore was created by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder and named after Johns’ younger sister, who died in a 1996 plane crash. The character made her debut in the 1999 DC Comics series Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E, but her history goes all the way back to the original Star-Spangled Kid a.k.a. Sylvester Pemberton, a teenaged superhero from DC’s Golden Age.
You see, Star-Spangled Kid had an adult sidekick named Stripesy, a.k.a. Pat Dugan. And Dugan eventually married Courtney’s mother, much to the teen’s dismay. Courtney finds Star-Spangled Kid’s Cosmic Converter Belt while nosing through her new stepdad’s stuff, and she wears it to her school’s patriotism-themed dance to spite him. Long story shorter, a gang of baddies attacks the school, Dugan dons his mechanized “S.T.R.I.P.E.” armor to protect Courtney, and stepfather and stepdaughter agree to be a crimefighting team.
When Starman a.k.a. Jack Knight retires, he gives his Cosmic Staff to Courtney, and she officially becomes Stargirl. She also joins the Justice Society, and when that supergroup disbands, she links up with the JSA All-Stars splinter group.
Stargirl has already hit the small screen a few times. Britt Irvin played her in three episodes of Smallville, and Sarah Grey portrayed her in three Legends of Tomorrow installments. Stargirl has also appeared in the animated shows Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Justice League Action, and Young Justice: Outsiders, as well as the video games Injustice: Gods Among Us, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, and Infinite Crisis.
Now Courtney is the hero, so to speak, of her own show. In Stargirl, Nickelodeon alum Brec Bassinger leads the cast as Courtney, having cameoed in the part in the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event earlier this year.
Bassinger’s costars in the show include Luke Wilson as Dugan and Joel McHale as Pemberton — who, in this case, goes by Starman and not Star-Spangled Kid.
DC Universe says Stargirl “follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past,” and it “reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in an unpredictable series.” Johns serves as co-showrunner on the series, and Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti is an executive producer.
We fully expect to be Star-struck!
Stargirl, May 11, DC Universe
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services