'Stargirl' Episode 2: Will Brainwave Jr follow in his father's footsteps or become a hero?
'Stargirl' picked up pace in its second episode. Apart from fashioning a superhero costume for herself, Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) had a run-in with the sinister Brainwave (Christopher James Baker) from the Injustice Society of America. Just as he is about to kill her step-father Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), Stargirl steps in to save the day, and almost dies in the process.
She manages to grab hold of her Cosmic Staff in time and hit back at Brainwave paralyzing him. At the end of the episode, Brainwave lies unconscious in hospital, with his son Henry, looking at him. Will Henry (Jake Austin Walker) find out what happened to his father? And if he did, what will he do next?
Henry and Brainwave share a very strained relationship, as we got to see in the episode. Brainwave ticks him off for Henry's fight with Courtney at school and finds it hard to believe "that a girl" could humiliate him like that. At present, Henry doesn't have too many defining characteristics, apart from being a certified school bully with the classic varsity jacket, to show he is a jock.
While we don't know how the rest of Henry's story will play out, in the comics, he decides to use his powers for good, rather than evil. Fun fact: He is the son of Mary Pemberton, who is the sister of Sylvester Pemberton aka Starman. For a while, he carries on the good work of his uncle and joins his superhero team, going by the name of Brainwave Jr.
After his father dies, the powers begin to take a toll on him and later becomes a villain. He takes on the mantle of Brainwave, just like his father. Years later, he joins the Legion of Doom and causes havoc and riots. He also attempted to control his ex-girlfriend Jade, the daughter of the original Green Lantern. However, the development of Henry's character in the comics keeps changing, from heroic to villainous, a mix between the two, but essentially, a hero.
Will the DC show follow the comic storyline or adapt it differently? 'Stargirl' airs on The CW on Tuesdays at 8 pm.
