Stargirl is getting dark in its second season.
The Arrowverse show (which aired on the now-defunct DC Universe platform but will move to the CW in its second season) has shown the first look at villain Eclipso, who will be causing some chaos in Season 2.
Who is Eclipso?
Debuting in 1963, Eclipso was a standard supervillain of the time. Bruce Gordon was a scientist infected by a mystical gem that would turn him into the evil Eclipso whenever a solar eclipse occurred.
While boasting powers of energy blasts and super strength, Eclipso wasn’t much of a threat and often easily defeated.
1992’s Eclipso: The Darkness Within event changed the character into an ancient god of darkness who had been trapped in a gem broke into a thousand pieces. Anyone who held a piece could have their inner darkness brought out, allowing Eclipso to possess them and turn them evil.
In a 1993 series, Eclipso went on a tear that slaughtered a score of super-heroes, including the second-generation versions of Wildcat and Dr. Mid-Nite. He was defeated and imprisoned again in the Heart of Darkness.
The character returned to battle the JSA. Alexander Montz was able to inject himself with liquid forms of the diamonds to control Eclipso’s powers briefly. But when he fell in battle, Eclipso was once more freed.
The character has returned a few more times, often attempting to warp the entire world into darkness and twist any heroes to his side.
Eclipso in Stargirl
The second season of Stargirl ended with the Injustice Society being defeated by Stargirl and her new Justice Society. In the chaos, Shiv (Meg DeLacy) discovered what appeared to be the Heart of Darkness in the ISA’s headquarters.
The first images of Eclipso are much like his comic book counterpart, emphasizing the darkness within him and the glowing gem matching his powers.
The role is played by Nick Tarabay, well known to Arrowverse fans for playing Captain Boomerang on Arrow and The Flash.
In addition to Eclipso, Jonathan Cake has been cast as original ISA member the Shade. An alliance between them makes sense as the Shade has the power to control darkness.
The comic book version of the Shade has bounced between villain and anti-hero to make his role on the show a mystery.
Danger for the JSA
Given that in the comics, Eclipso’s victims included Dr. Mid-Nite and Wildcat, this may not bode well for the show’s versions (played, respectively, by Cameron Gellman and Yvette Monreal) who are still learning to be heroes.
Mid-Nite/Beth is working on repairing the goggles containing the artifical intelligence of the original Dr. Mid-Nite while Yolanda/Wildcat, is dealing with the death of boyfriend Henry.
Stargirl herself (Brec Bassinger) will still be mastering her powers and dealing with the original Starman’s unexpected return (Joel McHale), who was believed dead.
Also, John Wesley Shipp will appear as the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick.
The arrival of Eclipso heightens the challenges of season 2 as Stargirl is ready to soar on its new network.
Stargirl season 1 now streaming on the CW.