STARGIRL Finds Its Starman in Joel McHale

We have more casting news from Stargirl and it’s a bit of an odd one. According to Variety, the show has cast Joel McHale as the golden age hero Sylvester Pemberton aka Starman for the DC Universe show. The role will apparently be a recurring one in the series.

So just who the heck is Starman? Well, he was a member of the Justice Society of America, a precursor to the Justice League. He wielded an anti-gravity weapon called the ‘cosmic staff’ and worked alongside his sidekick Stripesy. Turns out that Stripesy aka Pat Dugan is now the step father of Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl. How Stripsey ended up in possession of Starman’s staff will be a mystery surely explained in the series.

The show will focus on Whitmore as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to “stop the villains of the past”. She and these heroes will form the “very first” Justice Society of America. So given that the show says it will form the first Justice Society of America, what is Starman’s role in all of this? Were they just vigilante heroes of the past, never working with anyone? And with the casting of McHale, does that mean the role will be somewhat humorous?

When thinking about this series, I had never entertained the idea that Starman could be involved. The series focuses on Stargirl, so why would we go back to the past outside of setting up how Stripesy ended up with the staff? But the fact that the role will be recurring is really interesting. What else are they planning on doing with the character in relation to the show? Will we see flashbacks every once in a while ala Arrow? Or will his role be more involved, given that the “villains of the past” could be coming through to the present because of something he’s done in the past? Time travel confirmed? More questions that will have to wait for answers, but they’re intriguing!

What do you think of the casting news? Are you looking forward to the series even more now? Let us know! Be sure to come back to Geek Girl Authority for more DC TV news. Stargirl will debut on DC Universe sometime in 2019.