Stargirl Season 2 Ending, New Title & S3 Villain Setup Explained

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the finale of Stargirl season 2.

The Stargirl season 2 ending set the stage for a number of conflicts in Stargirl season 3, and introduced a new threat in the form of the mysterious Mr. Bones. Strangely enough, these upcoming conflicts will involve supervillains the new Justice Society of America have faced before. This time, however, the conflict will be a social one rather than a physical fight, though that may follow shortly.

Stargirl season 2—subtitled Summer School—follows the titular hero Courtney Whitmore and the rest of the teenage Justice Society of America, as they adjust to the new normal following their victory over the Injustice Society. The heroes are forced to face their inner demons thanks to the formidable powers of Eclipso, a shadowy master of illusion who delights in corrupting the innocent, and bringing out the worst in people. The Stargirl season 2 ending reveals that Eclipso’s goal is to take control of Stargirl and use her cosmic staff in conjunction with his own powers to draw the entire Earth into his realm—the Shadowlands.

Ironically, Eclipso was defeated by a union of light and dark, with several members of the Injustice Society joining forces with the Justice Society of America to fight the supervillain, freeing a possessed Stargirl from his influence. Eclipso is seemingly destroyed once and for all after a concentrated effort uniting the power of the mystic Thunderbolt, Stargirl’s cosmic staff and the emerald fire commanded by the new Green Lantern, Jennie Lynn Hayden. Despite this victory, the Stargirl season 2 ending made it clear that the heroes’ problems are far from over.

Why Stargirl Season 3 Is Called “Frenemies”

A title card in the Stargirl season 2 ending revealed that Summer School will be followed by Stargirl: Frenemies, an appropriate new subtitle for the upcoming season. This is a worthy theme, as the series looks to explore the continued relationship between the Justice Society of America and the Injustice Society as the two groups attempt to co-exist in different ways. Season 2 came to a close with their old foes offering friendship instead of violence, to everyone’s great surprise.

Cindy “Shiv” Burman approaches Wildcat about her desire to join the JSA, arguing that she deserves a chance to make up for her past mistakes. Meanwhile, the Injustice Society traitor known as The Shade reveals his intentions to remain in Blue Valley, Nebraska, as he has become found of the small town. Perhaps most distressingly, the Crock family—Sportsmaster, Tigress and their daughter Artemis—have purchased the home next door to Stargirl, showing up on her doorstep with a gift basket full of muffins.

Why Shiv Joining The JSA Would Be Problematic

While the continued presence of any Injustice Society member in Blue Valley is cause for concern, it is Shiv’s sudden desire to join the Justice Society that proves the most problematic plot point in the Stargirl season 2 ending. The only daughter of the mad scientist known as Dragon King, Cindy “Shiv” Burman was the subject of some of her father’s more twisted experiments, and accidentally killed her mother when she lost control of her powers, leading to further abuse.

Related: Stargirl’s Best Trick Is That The Villains Are Also Right

It seems that Shiv’s desire to join the Justice Society is entirely based around an entitled belief that she deserves a chance at redemption rather than an actual desire to do good and atone for her crimes. This, coupled with Shiv’s amoral nature and seeming inability to understand selfless behavior, can only lead to trouble for the members of the Justice Society in Stargirl season 3.

How Starman’s Return Complicates Stargirl Season 3

The mystery of Starman’s resurrection lingered in the background of Stargirl: Summer School, with it taking the entirety of the season for Starman to track his former sidekick Pat Dugan to Blue Valley. Starman arrives just in time to offer Courtney Whitmore a reminder, in the midst of Eclipso’s psychic assault, that his cosmic staff had chosen her to wield it, proving she was worthy to continue his legacy. This gives Courtney the strength she needs to force Eclipso out of her mind and back into the real world, where he is ultimately destroyed.

The Stargirl season 2 ending reveals that Starman is moving into the basement of the Whitmore-Dugan home, in order to train Courtney in using the cosmic staff to its full potential. Unfortunately, Pemberton and his former sidekick soon butt heads over the question of Courtney’s training. Pemberton dismisses Dugan’s insistence that superhero training wait until after Courtney finishes summer school, claiming that “superheroes don’t need school.” It seems likely, given Pat’s complex over being seen as nothing more than a sidekick, that having his authority as a father questioned will not end well for the former partners.

Stargirl Season 3’s Villain Explained: Who Is Mr. Bones?

The final scene of the Stargirl season 2 ending took place in the Helix Institute For Youth Rehabilitation, where Jennie Lynn Hayden had tracked her brother Todd earlier in Stargirl season 2. A nurse reports to an unseen figure that Green Lantern’s daughter is searching for Todd in Milwaukee, and that she has found “friends like her” in Blue Valley. The unseen figure is revealed to be a man with transparent skin, who tells the nurse they may have to make a trip to Blue Valley soon.

While the figure was not identified by name, comic readers will recognize the skeletal figure as Mr. Bones, a part of the villainous group of teenage metahumans called Helix. Possessing a poisonous touch as well as superhuman strength and endurance, Mr. Bones is a frequent enemy of the JSA until he seeks redemption for his past crimes as part of Infinity Inc., later going on to become the Director of the Department of Extranormal Operations. It remains to be seen if the version of Mr. Bones shown in the Stargirl season 2 ending will be a friend or foe of the Justice Society, but what has been shown of the Helix Institute does not inspire confidence that his newfound interest in Blue Valley is a good thing.

About The Author

Matt Morrison
(1835 Articles Published)

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Matt Morrison has been writing about comics since before the word
“blogging” was coined. He got his start writing for the
legendary DC Comics digital fanzine Fanzing,
before receiving his own column, The Mount. Since then he has gone on
to write for over a dozen websites, including 411
Mania, Comics
Nexus and The Cult of Nobody. He holds both an MS in Information
Science from the University of North Texas and a BFA from the
University of Texas at Arlington. Known as a font of comic book
history trivia, he has delivered lectures on the history of American
Comic Books, Japanese Manga, Doctor Who, and Cosplay at over a dozen conventions
and served as an Expert In-Residence for a course on Graphic Novels
for Librarians at the University of North Texas. In addition to his
work for Screen Rant, Matt is currently the Editor In Chief of
Kabooooom.com and writes reviews for No
Flying, No Tights – a graphic literature and anime review site
aimed at teachers and librarians. He also maintains a personal blog –
My Geeky Geeky Ways –
which hosts his extensive episode guide for the television series
making up The Arrowverse as well as his
comedic Let’s Play videos. What little spare time he has is
devoted towards acting, role-playing, movie-riffing and sarcasm. You
can follow his adventures on Twitter, @GeekyGeekyWays.

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