'Stargirl' Episode 13: Why is there a conspiracy on Earth-2 to hide the existence of superheroes?
Spoilers for 'Stargirl' Season 1 Episode 13 'Stars & STRIPE'
Though Stargirl (Brec Bassinger) and the Justice Society have largely worked in the shadows and the underground of Blue Valley, we finally saw them all step out into the bright light of day. They were seen saving America by the hundreds, destroying gigantic brainwashing satellites and bringing Icicle (Neil Jackson) to justice, all in full costume. It should have been their global debut as a superhero team, bringing the JSA back into the public eye.
However, after Icicle was taken out and the threat of the Injustice Society dealt with, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) says that "they" are going to say that the brainwashing that took over all of Central America was nothing but an earthquake. Sure enough, in the very next scene, we see that the media is reporting the events of the day as an earthquake — one that did no damage, caused no harm, and apparently was responsible for the temporary paralyzation of millions of adults all at once.
In an era of social media, the fact that the ISA's attempted brainwashing of millions of people is swept under the rug stretches all boundaries of believability. We saw a whole crowd of people personally witness Stargirl destroy the ISA's satellite and the brainwashing was so widespread that it is impossible that nobody noticed that it happened or that they could have related it to an earthquake. Something strange is afoot, and a cover up this massive implies one thing — there is a nationwide conspiracy on Earth-2 to hide the existence of superheroes.
Why this would need to be done in the first place is what's baffling. The original JSA was a team of world-renowned, public superheroes — we see Yolanda Montez (Yvette Monreal) looking up the original Wildcat's history online. The world knows that superheroes once existed — but PR about their return is what is being squashed. While superheroes are celebrated, discussed or even feared on Earth-Prime in the multiverse of the Arrowverse, Stargirl's world — designated Earth-2 — doesn't appear to have any other superheroes in the present-day worth mentioning. Stargirl herself isn't even known in her own town — and someone is working to make sure it stays that way.
Of course, this could be the Government's attempt at keeping the country from panicking. The fact that there was no defense against a threat that nearly killed millions of people is something that would put those millions in a permanent state of fear that would change America forever. On the other hand, these kinds of threats are common in a superhero universe and the public by and large seems to be able to deal with it with the knowledge that the world has superheroes to protect them.
This won't be the first time that the JSA's battles will spill onto public streets — they are not shadow operatives whose priority is to operate in secret. Eventually, the JSA is going to make themselves known to the world. That, or we find out who has been suppressing the knowledge of superheroes' existence on Earth-2. Some secrets, however, are just too big to be kept hidden, especially when they're about someone who shines as bright as Stargirl.
All episodes of 'Stargirl' are available to stream on DC Universe.