Stargirl just finished its run on The CW, but the show's ending hinted that another Arrowverse spin-off might be in the works. However, a disappointing update has emerged.
Stargirl was one of the victims of The CW's recent cancellation spree of DC superhero shows. The Brec Bassinger-led series was enjoying its three-season run, but its highly-teased Season 4 was eventually axed midway through its current run.
Despite that, Bassinger revealed that the finale that aired on December 7 featured an alternate ending, pointing out that it featured "a lot of beautiful closure" for the Arrowverse series.
Still, the finale offered something promising that fans may never see (at least for now).
New Details About Stargirl’s Spin-off Series Revealed
Stargirl Season 2 introduced Jennie-Lynn Hayden, the daughter of Green Lantern Alan Scott, and her search for her twin brother, Todd.
Following her quick departure in the show's sophomore run, Season 3 continued her storyline with the two-part "Infinity Inc." arc. In the pair of episodes, Richard Swift, aka Injustice Society traitor The Shade, transported Courtney Whitmore and Pat Dugan to the Helix Institute for Youth Rehabilitation, where Jennie had tracked her brother, Todd.
It was then revealed that Todd had shadows-based powers, which Jennie (and the team) eventually helped him control. In DC Comics, Todd is a hero known as Obsidian.
At the end of the two-part story, Pat convinced The Shade to mentor Todd and Jennie to fine-tune their powers. The new Green Lantern agreed, but first, the group needed to track down Sandy Hawkins (Sandman's nephew) in New York.
This two-part story was meant to lay the groundwork for an Infinity Inc. spin-off series at The CW, of which Stargirl creator Geoff Johns shared with TV Line what the show could've been about:
“Yes, I think there was a great show in Infinity Inc, with The Shade and Jade hunting down the remaining family members — the sons and daughters and nephews and nieces — of the original JSA, those who were born with power that didn’t yet unlock it.”
Johns pointed out that the spin-off would've illustrated “a really interesting difference between Courtney’s JSA and what Jennie’s JSA would’ve been.”
As Johns noted, the Infinity Inc. spin-off show would have revolved around “characters that were born with powers that had to learn how to handle this power they inherited.”
This is vastly different from Stargirl's setup, as Courtney's JSA was comprised of individuals "who became superheroes through artifacts and not necessarily a bloodline."
The Stargirl showrunner was also excited about the prospect of showcasing The Shade as a mentor, noting that it "would've been something fun" to see the villain in a new light:
“I think there would’ve been something fun about watching The Shade as a villain trying to reform himself by recreating a new superhero team. There would’ve been something really compelling about that as a show.”
How The Infinity Inc. Would've Expanded Stargirl & the Arrowverse
It's unfortunate that the supposed Stargirl spin-off series centered around Infinity Inc. was scrapped by The CW, mainly because it would've expanded the lore of the Justice Society of America (JSA) and the Arrowverse in general.
Stargirl's finale hinted that there is still much to explore about the JSA, with John Wesley Shipp's Jay Garrick The Flash series appearing out of nowhere to recruit The Shade for another mission. The Infinity Inc. spin-off show would've shown more of the history of the JSA since it tackled the remaining family members of the original team.
This would also mean that the team's ties to Jay Garrick would've been thoroughly explained, and it may also have connections to the Arrowverse's Multiverse and, ultimately, to Grant Gustin's Flash.
If Season 4 wasn't scrapped by The CW, Stargirl and Infinity Inc. may have ended up with a crossover event similar to how the main Arrowverse shows did in the past years.
Having a spin-off presented so much potential with endless storytelling opportunities, but sadly, plans were axed. Hopefully, a new network or streaming service will pick up Stargirl for another season, especially after the "Never the End" tagline at the finale.
All episodes of Stargirl Season 3 are available on The CW app.
