Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't yet watched Stargirl's fourth episode.
DC Universe's Stargirl has already made a major mark in the DC TV world, giving fans enough to differentiate itself from the Arrowverse, which the show is also technically part of at this point, being set on the new Earth-2. Brec Bassinger's Courtney Whitmore has the overarching goals of avenging her potential father Starman's death, as well as recruiting a new generation of Justice Society of America members. So far, Stargirl only has Yvette Monreal's Yolanda Montez set up to take over the Wildcat mantle, but could the show ever introduce female versions of major comic book characters such as The Flash and Green Lantern?
That was definitely a question I posed to Brec Bassinger when the actress spoke to CinemaBlend about the first half of Stargirl Season 1. Unfortunately, fans shouldn't expect to see a female Flash on the show anytime soon, but it's not an impossibility. According to Bassinger:
Oooh, I don't know. I guess, I mean, technically, because we're on a different Earth. There is a Flash on our Earth, so I assume there could be. I don't know. I don't think there's any plans to have that soon. But you know, five seasons down the road, we'll have to be getting creative.
For all intents and purposes, Stargirl could very well drop a major end-of-season post-credits reveal that teases the existence of a female Flash on this Earth, which would presumably a descendent of the JSA's Jay Garrick, assuming this show isn't pulling some kind of switcheroo with its first Flash's alter ego. However, Brec Bassinger's answer above seems to confirm that Stargirl won't be bringing any new iterations of The Flash into Season 1. If we do get another peek at the O.G. speedster in upcoming episodes, it'll likely just be a photo or flashback. (Though likely not a flashback to John Wesley Shipp's Jay Garrick being imprisoned on Earth-2 in The Flash.)
It was quite interesting when the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover special revealed that Stargirl's characters existed on Earth-2, since that planet hadn't ever had an officially heroic Flash before. (Jesse Wells obviously didn't take on the Flash moniker.) So it's likely that the show would need to engage in an official backstory for its Scarlet Speedster in order to find a suitable replacement in the here and now.
As exciting as it would be to see a female Flash, we've technically gotten that through female speedsters in the Arrowverse. What we haven't seen on TV, however, is a full-on Green Lantern appearance, either in a male or female form. Sure, the latest "Crisis" crossover hinted at Earth-12 being the hero's home, and Arrow capped off its season finale by giving John Diggle the Green Lantern ring. Not to mention the existence of an upcoming Green Lantern TV show set to stream on HBO Max. But could Stargirl be the first place he or she shows up?
According to Brec Bassinger, the time isn't quite ripe for Green Lantern's debut appearance on Stargirl. In her words:
Once again, like, the options are endless. Stargirl has all this stuff, so now it's just time for her to find the right owner.
While seeking out Yolanda to be her new partner in crime-fighting as Wildcat, Courtney had vested control in the situation, and was the one who gifted the uniform and mask to her newfound friend. It wouldn't be nearly as easy to just hand someone the lantern and say, "You can do all kinds of magical greatness now, so long as you avoid the color yellow." That kind of heroism is almost always "chosen" by the power itself, which is vaguely similar to how The Flash's speed is almost always the result of particle accelerators exploding. It's hard to shake up that kind of status quo, even for a comic book genius like Stargirl creator Geoff Johns.
When I brought up the giggling Thunderbolt pen that Courtney picks up in Episode 3, Brec Bassinger teased that character is likely coming sooner than either a female Flash or Green Lantern, but perhaps not yet as an official member of the new JSA. Here's what the actress said:
I'll just say for the first season, the JSA is Wildcat, Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E. That is your JSA that we assemble in this first season, and we're kind of the ones who take on the ISA. So as for the pen, I think that, as you asked about The Flash coming in later, I think the pink pen is kind of a setup for maybe a new JSA member.
For those wondering who the pen might end up going to, let's just say that Thunderbolt's second comic book alter ego is Jakeem Thunder, and Courtney's stepbrother Mike mentioned having a friend named Jakeem. Coincidence? Only if Stargirl tries to adhere to Johnny Thunder being the Thunderbolt of choice. But let's see how it all shakes out as Season 1 continues.
Stargirl debuts new episodes streaming on DC Universe every Monday at 9 p.m. ET, with those same episodes airing a day later on The CW at 8:00 p.m. ET. While waiting for new installments, head to our 2020 Summer TV premiere schedule to see what's on the way.
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