Although Stargirl is not specifically billed as a family of superheroes, it rapidly becomes one when you take a closer look at all of the family ties in the series. There are a lot of family relations and references throughout the first season.
This is nothing new to Geoff Johns. Many of his comics have groups functioning as families, real-life family ties, or actual character family members in them.
Courtney’s Family
Courtney Whitmore is Stargirl, and it is no surprise that her family is one of the most prominent in the series. Since she is a teenager, it is to be expected.
Her mother, stepfather and stepbrother all make an appearance. As it turns out, her stepfather is Patrick Dugan Starman’s sidekick, S.T.R.I.P.E. the robot, and Stripesy from the original Starman comics.
Her family even includes the family dog Max. Max is a loveable English Bulldog and is referenced and seen in many of the first season’s episodes.
Rick and Rex Tyler
In this version, the original Hourman, Rex Tyler, is replaced by his son Rick Tyler. There is an interesting parallel with this father and son pair.
Rex is one of the more calm and responsible members of the original Justice Society of America. The hourglass he creates only gives someone super strength for an hour a day. Although this might seem wildly impractical, there is solid reasoning behind it. He saw the danger of having the strength all of the time and believed that it would corrupt someone.
Rex, on the other hand, is a classic bad boy with little or no self-control. He repeatedly shows people his irresponsible behavior and lack of restraint. In one such incident, he uses the hourglass to intimidate his friends.
Cindy and Ito
Although it is hard to imagine, supervillains have families too. Cindy is the daughter of one of the main supervillains in the Stargirl series. Dr. Ito, who is also the Dragon King in this iteration, is also Cindy’s father.
It can be said that he was instrumental in making his daughter into the villain Shiv. Her powers come from his experimentation rather than simple genetics.
Henry Jr. and Brainwave
Henry Jr. is by far the most glaring supervillain son and father pairing. Henry Sr. is one of the main villains and expects his son to follow in his footsteps.
It is somewhat confusing because Henry Jr. is not a bad guy and seems to start on the hero’s path until his father’s mind takes him over. Although the series is not great at explaining this, it is evident by his encounters with Yolanda, also known as Wildcat.
Barbara and Courtney
Barbara, Courtney’s mother and Courtney herself are nods to real people who are important to Johns. Barabara is named after Geoff’s real-life mother, and Courtney is named after his sister.
The Justice Society Family
Both the new and the old Justice Society of America view themselves as a family rather than a team. Each member accepts the others as they are. Meetings, photos, and other events are a family atmosphere. This is a pervasive representation throughout the comics and other television programs.</p>
The first season of Stargirl demonstrates Johns’ love for family and interconnection. Hopefully, the family ties in the first season continue to grow into the second.
