The Ending Of Stargirl Season 2 Explained
When "Stargirl" Season 2 premiered in August 2021, it immediately presented a colossal shift in tone compared to the end of the first season. Season 1 ends with the bad guys defeated and good guys on top, as a newly reformed Justice Society of America (JSA) led by Stargirl (Brec Bassinger), whose real name is Courtney Whitmore, celebrates Christmas together. The first episode of Season 2 feels less like a superhero show and more like "Nightmare On Elm Street," as we are introduced to the monstrous vestige of darkness known as Eclipso (Nick Tarabay). Showrunner Geoff Johns told Entertainment Weekly that he wanted to lean into the horror elements and emotionally break down Stargirl and her young teammates in Season 2.
The show definitely achieves this, as Eclipso spends this season terrorizing the JSA with their deepest fears and guiltiest secrets. Keeping with the theme of secrets, the worst deed of the older generation of JSA comes to light, and the reveal heavily hangs over the heads of the new generation. Season 2 of "Stargirl" has the series' darkest moments. However, in the season finale, when all hope appears lost against their final battle with Eclipso, the show decides to shine the brightest and remind us that Stargirl is never alone. Help for the hero comes from her friends, family, returning heroes, and even ... former enemies?
We've got a lot to cover for the ending of "Stargirl" Season 2.
The new generation does better than the old
The idea of legacy plays a considerable part in Season 1 of "Stargirl," as a new generation of young heroes attempts to step into the looming shadows left by the old JSA. Season 2 continues on with this idea of legacy, setting up a mirror between the new JSA and the old one to show how both teams deal with Eclipso when seemly left with few options. In Episode 9 of the season, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) drops a bombshell on Courtney when he reveals that the elder JSA decided to kill Eclipso's previous host, Bruce Gordon (Jason Davis). The murder serves as the old JSA's greatest sin, which forever fractures the team. The same Eclipso host problem, however, arises again for the current JSA.
When Eclipso possesses Stargirl in the finale, Wildcat (Yvette Monreal) and Shiv (Meg DeLacy) are forced to confront her. While Shiv is ready to kill the hero, Wildcat argues against it, stating that killing Eclipso's host might've been the way of the old JSA, but they have to do better. This moment shows that while the old JSA failed with Eclipso in the past, the new generation of heroes still strives to soar above. Wildcat being the one to argue against killing is perfect, because besides being Stargirl's best friend, she also spends much of Season 2 wracked with guilt from taking a life in Season 1. Starman (Joel McHale) also makes a surprise appearance pleading with Stargirl to fight off Eclipso's possession.
Stargirl proves that there's light in everyone
Eclipso spends much of Season 2 manipulating everyone's fears and negative emotions like a strategic puppet master. The JSA nearly breaks down for good, but by the time they reform for the final battle, they have some help from the unlikeliest of allies. Yes, Stargirl's little brother Mike Dugan (Trae Romano) finally has his hero moment along with his friend Jakeem (Alkoya Brunson), and surprise returns from Starman, the original Doctor Mid-Nite (Alex Collins), and The Shade (Jonathan Cake) shift the field.
Yet, the major assistance doesn't just end with new young heroes or returning old ones. Allies also come in the form of previous villains. Shiv, who is mainly responsible for Eclipso coming back, and Solomon Grundy help out in the battle. Even Artemis (Stella Smith) busts her villainous parents out of prison for the fight against Eclipso. Stargirl notes in the final episode that battling Eclipso makes her believe that there truly is good in everyone, and this is reflected in all the villains previously against the JSA teaming up with their enemies to help fight Eclipso.
It also appears that this idea of villains and heroes coming together is Season 3's central theme. Shiv wants to join the JSA, and Artemis and her parents are the new neighbors of the Dugan/Whitmore family. The ending reveals that next season will be called "Frenemies," so it's a safe bet that we're going to see just how much light truly is within some of the Injustice Society of America's most notorious members.
Mister Bones steps up as the next threat
During a special post-credits scene of the "Stargirl" finale, we get a surprising look at potentially the next major threat for Stargirl and the JSA. If looks are anything to go by, this next villain might be just as dangerous as Eclipso, if not more so.
When Jennie (Ysa Penarejo), a.k.a. Jade, is introduced in Season 2, the new Green Lantern focuses on finding her long-lost twin Todd, which leads her to a youth rehabilitation center called the Helix Institute. In Episode 10, the head nurse of Helix tries to contact someone named Mister Bones and gives details on Jade and her JSA teammates. The finale's final scene gives us a good look at Mister Bones, played by Keith David, as he and the head nurse go over what they know about the young heroes.
In the comics, Mister Bones is the head of a supervillain group called Helix, which serves as an antagonist for Infinity Inc, a group of young heroes with legacy ties to the JSA (via DC Fandom). So it seems like the ghastly villain and Blue Valley's finest are on a collision course as Mister Bones says he needs to plan a trip to Nebraska. His reveal may also indicate that we're much closer to finally seeing the on-screen debut of Jennie's sibling. In any case, the Season 2 finale of "Stargirl" shows us that we'll have to wait until 2022 for the series to return and see how everything develops moving forward.