Stargirl: Why Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt Is So Dangerous

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Stargirl, season 1, episode 3, “Icicle.”

The latest episode of DC Universe’s Stargirl made reference to the Thunderbolt; the secret weapon of the Justice Society of America and, at times, their greatest liability. However, the episode did nothing to explain just what the Thunderbolt was and why it scared Pat “STRIPE” Dugan so much.

The action of Stargirl, season 1, episode 3, “Icicle,” saw Stargirl and STRIPE facing off against the titular villain, who had returned to Blue Valley, Nebraska after their defeat of his fellow Injustice Society member Brainwave. The battle was deeply personal for Courtney Whitmore, who only knew Icicle as the murderer of Starman, whom she believed to be her estranged biological father. While the two heroes were able to save a bus full of Courtney’s classmates, Icicle was able to score one victory by causing the death of Joey Zarick; a magic-loving student who, unbeknownst to everyone but Icicle, was the only son of another Injustice Society member, The Wizard.

With Courtney deeply troubled by Joey’s death, Pat took Courtney to the original Justice Society of America headquarters and showed her their meeting hall, where many of the artifacts and equipment employed by the JSA were gathering dust. Pat had hoped that Courtney might have the danger of heroism impressed upon her by how these great heroes had fallen fighting the same enemy they were facing and that she might follow his more cautious lead in the future. Instead, the trip inspired Courtney, who asked why they couldn’t recruit  more heroes to stand against the Injustice Society, nearly picking up a pink pen that was on a stand before a portrait of the hero Johnny Thunder. Pat freaked out, telling Courtney not to touch the pen, referring to it as “The Thunderbolt,” before calling it “the most dangerous thing in here.“

The Thunderbolt first appeared in Flash Comics #1 in January 1940, which was also the first appearance of the Jay Garrick Flash. The comic introduced the character of John “Johnny” L. Thunder; a 7th son of a 7th son, who had been born at 7 am on Saturday, July 7. This unique astrological confluence gave Johnny a fool’s luck and made him an ideal receptacle for the machinations of a cult from the tiny nation of Badhnesia, who needed someone born under those conditions to bind an all-powerful being known as the Thunderbolt into their service. Unfortunately for them, a neighboring nation learned of the plot and Johnny’s dumb luck allowed him to escape and be returned home to his parents, with nobody knowing just what the cultists had done to him.

Afterward, whenever Johnny said the words “say you” (a homophone of the magical phrase “Cei-U“), it would summon the Thunderbolt, who would then do his best to obey Johnny’s wishes before retreating into the ink of his favorite pen. This made Johnny into an incredibly powerful hero, as the Thunderbolt, like the genies of Arabian myth, had few limits on what it could do. Indeed, its biggest limit was Johnny himself, who had to be able to speak out-loud in order to command the Thunderbolt and have some idea of what he needed the Thunderbolt to do. Given that Johnny was not the sharpest tool in the shed and easily tricked, this often made him a danger to his fellow crime-fighters, who brought Johnny into the JSA as much to keep him out of trouble as to take advantage of the phenomenal cosmic power at his beck and call.

The one saving grace of the Thunderbolt’s power was that it only worked for Johnny Thunder or another 7th son of a 7th son, which were quite rare and even more rarely disposed towards evil. This might not be the case in the reality of Stargirl, however, and it may be possible that anyone who possesses the pink pen might be able to command the Thunderbolt, making it quite dangerous and explaining Pat’s fears. The episode ends with Courtney taking the pink pen, as well as other items of power once used by the Justice Society of America, so she can start recruiting more heroes to help her. It seems likely then that the series will set up Johnny Thunder’s successor from the comics, JJ Thunder.

About The Author

Matt Morrison
(1835 Articles Published)

See also  Magic For Humans Season 4 Updates: Renewal, Release Date, Tricks

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.

More From Matt Morrison