Late last spring The CW released the latest DC superhero offering when it unleashed Stargirl. Stargirl follows the adventures of high schooler Courtney Whitmore and her fellow classmates, who by day are ordinary teenagers, but by night are crusaders saving their town and the world from evildoers’ destruction.
Finding the Cosmic Staff
The title character is the creation of executive producer Geoff Johns. Stargirl is born the day Courtney Whitmore uncovers the cosmic staff in her stepdad’s still-packed moving boxes. What originally looks like a stage prop from some mythological story, like Lord of the Rings, comes to life before the young girl’s eyes. Lying dormant since the death of its first owner, Starman, nearly a decade before, it has been waiting for the right person to wield its awesome power once again.
In combination with her mad gymnast skills, Courtney is able to achieve great things with the cosmic staff. However, a question that haunts her throughout season one is why the cosmic staff chose her.
Is Starman Courtney Whitmore’s Father?
Courtney Whitmore doesn’t remember her biological father. She knows he didn’t come home one night when she was still very young. She has a small, faded photo she keeps of him in a locket. When she discovers Starman died the night her father disappeared, she comes to the conclusion that Starman is her long-lost father, now tragically deceased.
It makes sense that Starman would be Courtney Whitmore’s father. The story pieces together nicely, and other superheroes and villains in Stargirl’s circle inherited their parent’s talents.
Her stepdad, Pat Dugan, who knew and fought along Starman as Stripesy, doesn’t buy her theory and tells her it isn’t true. Courtney refuses to believe Pat and continues believing Starman is her father until one day father does return home, and he isn’t Starman. In fact, he isn’t much of anything. He’s simply returned to recover a gift he had given her that he later discovered had value.
Disappointed, Courtney Whitmore again finds herself asking why the cosmic staff chose her. Disappointed, she decides she can’t be special and tries to put the staff away for good. Thankfully, the staff wasn’t having any of that.
Is the Staff Equal Opportunity?
Why the staff chooses Courtney to be its Stargirl is a mystery that isn’t answered in season one. Whether it’s answered in season two, only the writers know. However, there could be many reasons the staff chose Courtney. It could be that Pat Dugan has been the only person the staff has seen in a decade and it didn’t want to choose another man. Courtney Whitmore comes along and the staff determines it’s only fair to this time choose a girl.
That theory doesn’t seem likely. After all, the cosmic staff isn’t that simple. Another question that isn’t answered in season one is where the cosmic staff even originates.
Did Courtney Find the Staff, or Did the Staff Find Courtney?
It could be there’s more to know about the staff. After all, Courtney’s stepdad marrying her mom is a big coincidence in this whole puzzle. Or is it? Perhaps the cosmic staff actually found Courtney Whitmore and brought her stepdad and mom together for the sole purpose of creating the next superhero.
This would mean there is something special about Courtney Whitmore. It’s already been revealed that Starman isn’t her father, but could he be another relation? Obviously, Courtney has something in common with Staman, and the final episode of season one leaves viewers with a big clue.
The fact is, there is a reason the staff chose Courtney Whitmore to be the next greatest superhero. Fans will just have to wait and put together the small clues as they’re dropped in season two. If you haven’t yet watched Stargirl, the entire season one is available for your binging pleasure at The CW.