Stargirl will be enjoying a big shift in Season 2. Having first aired on the now-defunct DC Universe platform, the popular Arrowverse show will become a CW exclusive.
Now, plans for the next year involve the appearance of John Wesley Shipp as Jay Garrick aka the “Golden Age” Flash.
The original Speedster
Shipp and the Flash have been linked together for over 30 years.
Shipp is famous for having played the Fastest Man Alive in a 1990 CBS series. While it only lasted one season, the show gained a great following for being true to the source material.
When CW’s The Flash show began in 2014, Shipp was cast as Barry Allen’s father, Henry. He stayed in the role until Henry was killed by the villain Zoom.
In a wild twist, Barry met Jay Garrick, the Flash of the alternate Earth-3, who was a dead ringer for his late father. Shipp would reprise the role a few more times before Jay announced his retirement.
In 2019’s Crisis on Infinite Earths event, Shipp returned to the role of the CBS Flash. The character heroically sacrificed himself saving the multiverse from destruction.
New Justice Society
Earth-3 was destroyed in the “Crisis” event but a new multiverse was created. This includes Earth-2 where Stargirl is set.
The backstory is that the heroic Justice Society of America was wiped out by the evil Injustice Society. The only survivor was Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), the sidekick to Starman (Joel McHale).
Years later, Pat’s stepdaughter Courtney (Brec Bassinger) discovers Starman’s Cosmic Rod and uses it to become the heroine Stargirl. She then recruits some classmates to become a new JSA.
The first season ended with the JSA stopping the ISA but hints a new pack of villains would show up.
Garrick’s presence
Jay will appear in a “pivotal” flashback sequence establishing that he now resides on Earth-2. Given the JSA were supposedly destroyed, it’s unsure if this Flash survived.
It’s also unclear whether this is the Earth-3 Flash migrating to Earth-2 or if the new history says Jay always lived there.
There were plans for a crossover between Stargirl and The Flash but it never came off due to scheduling conflicts.
The second season of Stargirl has the JSA facing Shiv (Meg DeLacey) who now possesses a gem holding the dark spirit Eclipso. Also, original ISA member the Shade will be a threat.
On top of that, the final scene of season 1 revealed that Starman was somehow still alive and searching for Pat.
Shipp’s presence will mark the first connections of Stargirl to other Arrowverse series. Whether it’s a one-off appearance or the start of a recurring role, fans will enjoy watching the original live-action Flash race one more time.
Stargirl season 1 available on the CW. Season 2 airs later in 2021.