The Biggest Unanswered Questions From Stargirl Season 2
The CW's "Stargirl" just wrapped up its second season. The return visit to Blue Valley, Nebraska shifts the tone vastly, as instead of outside threats in the form of bank robberies or a plot to brainwash America, the dangers come more from within.
Subtitled "Summer School," the latest adventure of Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger), a.k.a. Stargirl, and her Justice Society of America (JSA) friends serves as more of a learning experience on personal guilt, hindering insecurities, and deep dark secrets. Eclipso (Nick Tarabay) proves himself as the most challenging villain for the young heroes as he uses the teen team's personal demons to almost tear them apart. Fortunately, the heroes band together with new, old, and unlikely allies to ultimately toast the villain.
"Summer School" might tie up many plot threads presented throughout its season, but it also gets some of us in the back of class raising our hands to ask some head-scratching questions. Season 3 of "Stargirl" has already been confirmed, and the finale of Season 2 states that the series will return in 2022. That's great, because next season may just have the answers we need. Preparation is essential, so sharpen those pencils, pull out the notebooks, and let's review some of "Stargirl" Season 2's biggest unanswered questions.
Is the JSA getting new members from old enemies?
Season 2 of "Stargirl" threatens to break up the JSA as Eclipso toys with the negative emotions of the team. Wildcat, aka Yolanda (Yvette Monreal), is thoroughly weighed down by her guilt from killing Brainwave (Christopher James Baker), even temporarily quitting the JSA. Thankfully, the team isn't just back by the finale episode, but they possibly have new members. Jennie (Ysa Penarejo), Mike (Trae Romano), and Jakeem (Alkoya Brunson) are all likely additions, but there are two other potential members we're wondering about.
Shiv (Meg DeLacy) has a fascinating arc throughout Season 2. She's responsible for bringing Eclipso out of the Shadowlands and into the real world to destroy Stargirl and her friends. But after being saved from banishment by Stargirl, she joins forces with her former adversaries to fight against Eclipso. Then in one of the finale's final scenes, she tells Wildcat that she wants to join the JSA. Stargirl, who believes that there's good in everyone, might just let the former villainess join their ranks. Yet Stargirl's teammates aren't likely to forget how Shiv tried to kill them all.
But if Shiv does get into the JSA, does this in turn open the door for Artemis (Stella Smith)? Despite also once fighting the JSA, she is now the new neighbor of Stargirl with her former Injustice Society of America (ISA) parents. With Season 3's subtitle revealed as "Frenemies" (via TV Promos) in the Season 2 finale, it seems clear that Shiv and Artemis potentially joining the JSA and helping Stargirl is going to be a central conflict in upcoming episodes.
What will Cameron do after learning about his lineage?
Young love can be tricky, but "Stargirl" takes it to a more extreme level with the titular hero and her romantic interest Cameron Mahkent (Hunter Sansone). Yes, their relationship is already plagued with the "Will They or Won't They?" trope found in many on-screen teen romances, but it's also topped with the fact that Cameron is the son of Icicle (Neil Jackson), a villain who tries to destroy the team in Season 1.
Icicle becomes a pile of shattered ice when Mike accidentally runs over him, and as of right now, Cameron doesn't know the truth about his father's evil deeds, icy powers, or sudden death. Season 2 gives Courtney and Cameron a few lovely moments together. However, when Cameron shows hints of having the same icy powers as his father, Season 2 ends with his grandparents ready to reveal the truth about his family.
This could have significant repercussions next season, as depending on what his grandparents reveal, Cameron could go from a potential hot suitor to a sub-zero villain. We might've gotten a peek at his possible vengeful streak in Season 2, Episode 10, when Eclipso uses Mike's guilty conscience to present an illusion of a fully-powered Cameron out for revenge. Sansone told Decider that he thinks Cameron and Courtney have a Romeo and Juliet type of relationship. With this new development, it certainly couldn't be any more star-crossed for the two.
Is Brainwave really in Yolanda's mind?
For Yolanda Montez, her murder of Brainwave in the first season serves as a fuse to her guilt that burns brightly in the first half of Season 2, before finally nearing its explosive limit in Episode 7. As the episode begins with Yolanda going to confession in her church, it's not long before she starts seeing the image of Henry Jr. (Jake Austin Walker), who accuses her of being a murderer. However, everything reaches its zenith when Brainwave appears before Yolanda, proclaiming that he hid a part of himself in her mind upon his death to take over the young hero eventually. But is it real?
Brainwave's reveal of his master plan is in line with a big brain scheme that can only come from the world of superhero comics, but it's also the perfect plan for Eclipso, who spends Season 2 torturing our heroes with their deepest fears and secrets. Also, in an interview with ComicBook.com, Monreal noted that as Yolanda walks away from the JSA in this specific episode, her mental health is at its lowest. By the episode's end, cracks in a friendship widen, and a sad Courtney asks the question we are all left wondering — was it Brainwave, Eclipso, or just Yolanda's mind messing with her? Yolanda comes back for good by the finale, but we've got the feeling that next season will explore the events of Episode 7 one way or another.
How is Starman still alive?
Starman (Joel McHale) is introduced in the first episode of "Stargirl" by dying, thanks to the ISA. His death and the demise of the original JSA serves as the catalyst for Courtney to take on the cosmic staff and the mantle of Stargirl, rebuilding a new generation of the JSA. And while we might've thought that Starman would continue to live on in the series strictly through flashbacks, fans got the biggest surprise in the Season 1 finale when the former cosmic staff wielder is revealed to be alive in California looking for his old sidekick, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson). Season 2 of "Stargirl" features Starman through more flashbacks, but he also returns in the finale episode to help Courtney fend off Eclipso's possession of her.
With his reappearance, Courtney receives a new mentor ready to teach her more about the cosmic staff, but we haven't yet gotten the answer as to how Starman's still alive despite receiving a giant icicle through the body. It seems like the series is opting for a multi-season slow burn. McHale confirmed while on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that he was promoted to series regular for Season 3, which means he's now going to play a huge role in the story. Hopefully there will be an episode somewhere in Season 3 that details how the heck he is still alive.
Who is Mister Bones?
In one scene of "Stargirl" Season 2, Episode 10, the head nurse of the Helix Institute makes a call to someone named "Mister Bones." In a memorable post-credits scene, we get to see this mysterious character and why he has the most appropriate name, as the actual skeleton of Mister Bones (Keith David) is on full display. Mister Bones also expresses an interest in Blue Valley's young heroes, and we're inclined to believe it's not for benevolent reasons. Based on this, it seems like Mister Bones is poised to be the major threat for the JSA next season, and he might also know the actual whereabouts of Jennie's lost brother.
We'll have to wait to see how "Stargirl" handles Mister Bones' on-screen origins, but in the comics, he is an antagonist and leader of a supervillain group called Helix. The character has invisible flesh, which causes his skeleton to creepily show. Mister Bones and Helix fight against Infinity Inc., a superhero group composed of the children of original JSA members (via DC Fandom). Even more curious is the fact that the head nurse, Louise Love (Lynne Ashe), shares the same last name as someone from the comics named Benjamin Love, who is responsible for creating Mister Bones and Helix.