Why 'Stargirl' is the perfect show to reintroduce the Justice Society of America
In the comics, Stargirl starts out with legacy ties to the Seven Soldiers of Victory - through her stepfather, Pat Dugan, and through her of adaptation of the Star-Spangled Kid's uniform when she took up the mantle of a superhero. Over the years, though, her ties grew much stronger to another group - the Justice Society of America. It is the latter that's being featured on the upcoming DC Universe show, and 'Stargirl' is the perfect show to feature a team whose time has come.
There have been many attempts to get a live-action Justice Society to the screen. 'Smallville' featured a version of the team, as did 'Legends of Tomorrow' - both with their own versions of Stargirl, interestingly enough - but the 'Stargirl' TV series might be the one chance to make it stick. Not the original team, perhaps, given that they are all murdered by villains years before the events of the show, but the apparent new one formed by Stargirl (Brec Bassinger) and her stepfather Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) featuring the next generation of superheroes.
The Justice Society has always been about legacy. They were the very first superhero team in all of comics, and they set a standard that holds up to this day. Their role in the DC Universe grew to be from its first heroes to the next generation's mentors, a generation that Stargirl was very much a part of. The current era of superhero blockbusters seem to swing between dark, gritty heroes and wise-cracking, light-hearted fun ones, but very few of them set the kind of standards that the Justice Society of America inspired.
In the focus put into making heroes either relatable or dark and tortured, there was very little room left for heroes to look up to.
In the very first pages of a new JSA series, Stargirl's co-creator Geoff Johns put across, quite succinctly, what made the Justice Society unique from all other superhero teams.
The JSA don't just form a moral compass as leaders of the superhero community - they provide a family to its members, and that is very much in keeping with the kind of show 'Stargirl' appears to be aiming to be. Found family is a running theme through most superhero comics, and one that, with the exception of 'Shazam' and 'Doom Patrol,' one that's been relatively underserved area in most superhero films and television series. It's past time that was rectified, and 'Stargirl' seems like the show to do it.
The legacy of the past, hope for the future, and the comfort and strength found in the family - these are themes that will be at the heart of 'Stargirl,' and that were always at the heart of the Justice Society, too. Live-action superhero shows no longer need to try to justify themselves as cool, or dark, to lure audiences in - it's time for some good old-fashioned superheroism, courtesy of the JSA.
'Stargirl' premieres on DC Universe on May 11.
