'Stargirl' Episode 12: The Injustice Society's grand evil scheme steals a major plot device from the 'X-Men'
Spoilers for 'Stargirl' Season 1 Episode 12 'Stars & STRIPE' Part 1
The Injustice Society shows no scruples when it comes to bringing about their American Dream. They will kill, coerce, steal and commit all manner of other crimes in order to bring their perfect vision of the new world to life — and, as it turns out, they're not above stealing ideas from other franchises, either. On the latest episode of 'Stargirl,' we discover that the ISA's entire plan hinges on a device that's stolen straight from the 'X-Men' movies and they're not even trying to hide it.
Throughout the season, the Injustice Society has been teasing a device built by the Dragon King (Nelson Lee) that is meant to amplify the mental powers of Brainwave (Christopher James Baker) in order to brainwash most of central America. In 'Stars & STRIPE Part 1', we see this device for the very first time — and it looks identical to the one used by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart/James McAvoy) in 'X-Men'. Great minds think alike, apparently, especially if they're telepaths. If you have to create a machine that is capable of boosting the mental capabilities of a powerful telepath, then no matter what superhero universe you're in, it has to look like Cerebro.
There are some subtle differences — the machine that Brainwave uses is more green than Cerebro's cold metallic blue. Brainwave doesn't wear a helmet, he has two electrical nodes attached to his forehead. What's more, the process of using the machine appears to put a much greater strain on Brainwave than it ever did any of the telepaths who used Cerebro — but then again, it's the first time that the Dragon King has ever used the machine.
This particular version of Cerebro was first made popular in the 'X-Men' films from the early 2000s, which also featured a ramp in a large, empty, circular room. Professor X largely used the device to keep track of and discover new mutants, although the device was nearly used to shut off the minds of every single human in another version of Cerebro in 'X-Men 2'. In whatever form it takes, however, Cerebro has been used to amplify telepathic powers for decades now, and is an iconic Marvel machine. The Injustice Society has no qualms about copyright infringement, it would appear — showing that their law-breaking ways truly know no boundaries.
The next episode of 'Stargirl' airs on August 10 on DC Universe and August 11 on The CW.