Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stargirl episode "Summer School: Chapter 6." Read at your own risk!
Stargirl fans were given a sneak peek of what Nick Tarabay would look like as Eclipso ahead of the season, but apparently, nothing prepared viewers for his live-action debut. Stargirl and friends came face to face with the villain for the first time in Season 2 and were quickly outmatched by the iconic DC villain. The heroes were rattled, and fans at home were floored by the impact Eclipso had in his episode.
Eclipso's appearance alone looked terrifying in the first-look photos, but actually seeing him move around and fight on Stargirl really heightened the effect for many. Whether it was his fearsomeness as a physical combatant, or the fact that he so easily sucked the souls out of children like it was nothing, fans were left stunned by Eclipso's debut in the best way possible.
Eclipso is definitely creepy, but there was certainly a familiarity to the villain that couldn't be denied. Personally, I kept wondering where I'd seen him before, only to be beaten to the punch by another fan on Twitter who pointed out he resembled a much more evil version of an iconic Power Rangers villain.
Fair point, but even Ivan Ooze on his best day wasn't able to create quite the horrifying havoc that Eclipso did upon his arrival. Ultimately, Injustice Unlimited took the biggest loss of the episode as both Isaac and Cindy were supposedly killed by Eclipso during a brawl with the JSA inside the school. The moment was pretty jarring, but others felt like it was a great tease to the eventual proper showdown of Eclipso vs. the JSA.
The JSA's showdown against Eclipso will not be an easy one, especially considering he negated the power of Stargirl's staff with relative ease. Things would've probably been a lot easier on them had they just never gone down this rabbit hole to start. Unfortunately, the JSA wasn't willing to trust Shade at his word, and now it's time to pay the price.
Basically, the episode resulted in what may be the best arrival of a big bad in the Arrowverse yet. The multiple-episode tease for Eclipso's arrival culminated in this incredibly well-shot fight scene, and now the stakes seem impossibly high for the JSA from here on out. It's going to be a real test of the team to see if they can stand up to a challenge this great, and if this weren't a CW series with a generally uplifting tone where the good guys usually win, I'd say there's a good chance they lose.
Honestly, I'm still not 100% sure they'll conquer Eclipso, but it's a little too early to count out the JSA just yet.
Stargirl airs on The CW, Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. For more on the Arrowverse, read up on what's happening with Stephen Amell, and how he's permanently paying tribute to Oliver Queen.
