'Stargirl' Episode 12 can't help but slip one quick Virtuoso origin story into its two-part finale
Spoilers for 'Stargirl' Season 1 Episode 12 'Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part 1'
'Stargirl' has introduced a lot of characters for its first season and it has done so at a fast pace. In one way or another, it's introduced origins at the rate of at least one per episode - some, like 'Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite,' even introduced two at once. Last episode, we saw the origin of the Shining Knight (Mark Ashworth), despite how ancillary he is to the story overall and especially to the story being told that episode. The series can't seem to help itself from introducing one origin story after another and even as its finale begins, 'Stargirl' slips in one more.
The Injustice Society's children have always been candidates for villainy. None, perhaps, so extreme as Cindy Burman (Meg DeLacy), but while none of them were specifically altered on a genetic level to grow up to be the bad guys, there was always the chance that they would take up their parents' villainous legacies. This episode, Isaac Bowin (Max Frantz) may have started his journey to do just that - though, possibly, with a tuba instead of a violin.
We've already talked about how Anaya Bowin (Hina Khan) - or Virtuoso - subverts the traditional comic book origins of the Fiddler by being a South Asian woman. Another manner in which her story subverts the original is that Isaac Bowin - who, in the comics, was the original Fiddler - is in this universe Anaya's son. While we don't know a lot about who his father was and whether or not Isaac was named after him, this episode, we learn a little bit more about Isaac's father's backstory.
In a heart-to-heart with her son, Anaya learns that Isaac was bullied for his love of the tuba. She tells him his own father was also bullied for his love of the violin. Then, breaking her own rule about the ISA keeping their kids in the dark about their villainy, Anaya tells Isaac that his father murdered those who tried to bully him with the bow of his violin and was never bullied again. Whether it's stress or whether it's because the ISA are that much closer to brainwashing the heartland of America, Anaya seems perfectly fine with grooming her son towards a life of evil and Isaac, instead of appearing shocked, gives his tuba a significant look.
Later, in the episode, Anaya is killed by Sportsmaster (Neil Hopkins) and Tigress (Joy Osmanski) for the egregious crime of telling them they were unfit parents. Her body is left in Stargirl's (Brec Bassinger) home. While we do not see what happens to Anaya afterward, Isaac's only living parent is now dead and once he finds out, he is likely to be out for revenge. The question is whether he will be going after Sportsmaster and Tigress or after Stargirl herself, but before that, there's an even bigger question that needs to be answered. Is Isaac Bowin's weapon of choice the violin or the tuba?
The next episode of 'Stargirl' airs August 10 on DC Universe and August 11 on The CW.