DC's Stargirl, or simply Stargirl, is an American superhero television series created by Geoff Johns that premiered on streaming service DC Universe. It is based on the DC Comics superhero Courtney Whitmore created by Johns and Lee Moder. The series follows high school student Courtney Whitmore who discovers the cosmic staff and becomes the inspiration for a new generation of superheroes who become the Justice Society of America.
This page lists the characters that appear in this show.
Overview Legend = Main cast (credited) = Recurring cast (4+) = Guest cast (1–3)
CharacterPortrayed bySeasons123 Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl Brec Bassinger colspan="3" Yolanda Montez / Wildcat II Yvette Monreal colspan="3" Beth Chapel / Doctor Mid-Nite II Anjelika Washington colspan="3" Rick Tyler / Hourman II Cameron Gellman colspan="3" Mike Dugan Trae Romano colspan="3" Henry King Jr. Jake Austin Walker colspan="2" Cindy Burman / Shiv Meg DeLacy colspan="3" Jordan Mahkent / Icicle Neil Jackson Henry King Sr. / Brainwave Christopher James Baker colspan="2" Barbara Whitmore Amy Smart colspan="3" Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E. Luke Wilson colspan="3" Cameron Mahkent Hunter Sansone colspan="3" Eclipso Nick Tarabay Lawrence "Crusher" Crock / Sportsmaster Neil Hopkins Paula Brooks / Tigress Joy Osmanski Sylvester Pemberton / Starman and Gerard Shugel / Ultra-Humanite Joel McHale Jakeem Williams / Jakeem Thunder Alkoya Brunson
Main characters Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl
Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore (portrayed by Brec Bassinger; Maizie Smith as a child) is a high school student from Los Angeles who finds a powerful weapon, the Cosmic Staff and becomes the superheroine Stargirl. As Stargirl, she also becomes the leader of the second incarnation of the Justice Society of America (JSA).
Courtney was born and raised in Valley Village, California, to a single working mother, Barbara Whitmore. Barbara had an ongoing relationship with Sam Kurtis, though he was constantly in and out of their lives from the time Courtney was born. Courtney herself only met Sam a handful of times, but still cared deeply for him. When she was four, Sam Kurtis gifted her one of the lockets his mother had given him. He placed a photo of himself in the locket so Courtney would also have him with her. They spent Christmas together in a slew of fun and childlike games. She cherished the locket and wore it well into her teen years.
A year later on Christmas Eve 2010, Sam was scheduled to meet a now five-year-old Courtney to celebrate the holidays, but he never arrived and vanished that night and the Whitmores never saw or heard from him again. A distraught Courtney waited for Sam all night with a special gift for him. Barbara dedicated nearly two years looking for Sam for the sake of their daughter, but eventually gave up. Courtney persevered and became a gymnast, began practicing martial arts where she learned incredible fighting skills, and reached at least a blue belt. She was also very advanced in her gymnast career, being the best on her team at Sherman High. She had a strong circle of friends in California.
In 2020, a now fifteen-year-old Courtney packs her room in California to travel across the country with her new step-father, Pat Dugan, and stepbrother Mike Dugan, to Blue Valley, Nebraska, where her mother has secured a new job. The move is against Courtney's wishes but she does her best to try and get along with Pat for her mother's sake.
Her first day at Blue Valley High is met with obstacles as she makes an enemy of mean girl Cindy Burman and is ostracized to the loser table by Paula Brooks, forced to sit with the talkative Beth Chapel, social outcast Yolanda Montez, and delinquent Rick Harris. After standing up for Yolanda against a cruel jock named Henry King Jr. who she shoved into a passing lunch lady, Courtney is dragged away by Principal Anaya Bowin who also scolds Cindy for using a profanity on Courtney in her presence. She returns to her new house where Mike has plans with his friends while she is having trouble fitting in. Her annoyance over the day and Pat trying to bond with her causes her to snap that he is not her father. She runs to the basement where her anger turns to curiosity when she finds boxes of superhero paraphernalia in Pat's things. She learns from a series of photographs that Pat was a hero named Stripesey, the famed Starman's sidekick, and a member of the JSA. She also finds a magical staff that glows in her presence. When she picks it up, the staff whirs to life and displays its larger-than-life attributes. The staff has a mind of its own and takes her on a nightly adventure, where she learns that the staff grants her powers such as flight, cosmic blasts, and allows her to perform gymnastics feats. The staff brings her to a drive-in where she once again encounters Henry Jr, this time he is heckling other movie watchers. To teach him a lesson she attempts to poke holes in his tires but the staff, wanting more, shoots a cosmic blast at the car causing it to blow up. She engages in a fight with Henry and barely wins before flying back to her home. She is confronted by a worried Pat who tells her about his life as a sidekick, and that his best friend Starman, Sylvester Pemberton, was murdered during a fight. He explains that the staff only ever worked for Starman, prompting Courtney to see a resemblance between her father and Starman. Now believing that she is Starman's daughter and that this is her destiny, she convinces Pat to help her be a hero.
Things take a turn for Courtney when the staff takes her on a bonding exercise that results in an unpleasant meeting with Brainwave. She is rescued by Pat, who operates a massive robot called S.T.R.I.P.E. He once again warns her of the dangers of being a hero and how Brainwave was responsible for the deaths of many Justice Society members, though it was Icicle who ultimately killed Starman. She learns about surviving member Rex Tyler, who operated as Hourman, and how Rex was murdered a few years after the Justice Society were defeated. Pat stresses the importance of keeping her identity a secret to protect her loved ones. She decides to steal Starman's old suit and turns it into a suit fit for herself.
Ten years after the series events, Courtney begins operating as Starwoman.
Yolanda Montez / Wildcat
Yolanda Montez (portrayed by Yvette Monreal) is a once popular student at Blue Valley High until a scandal made her an outcast and a disgrace to her Catholic parents. A skilled boxer, she becomes one of Courtney's friends and a member of the new Justice Society as Wildcat.
Yolanda Montez was born and raised in Blue Valley, Nebraska, to a conservative and religious family. Yolanda attended Blue Valley High School, where she was popular and attentive with big dreams. She had attended church with her family and was voted most outgoing at BVHS alongside her football-playing boyfriend, Henry King Jr.. In 2019, she ran for class president and was supported by her doting parents, grandmother and younger cousin. She had been in a relationship with Henry King Jr. for quite sometime and believed they were serious. Her classmate and presidential rival, Cindy Burman was jealous of Yolanda's relationship with Henry.
One night, Henry asked Yolanda to send him revealing photos of herself. She was initially hesitant but eventually did send him a topless photo. The next day, Henry showed off the images to his friends while Yolanda discussed things with principal Bowin. Cindy grabbed Henry's phone long enough to see the messages, though he quickly grabbed it back. At the school assembly, Cindy sent the pictures of Yolanda to the entire student body and faculty. Yolanda was publicly humiliated. Her relationship with Henry fell apart and her so-called religious parents started to treat Yolanda quite badly for no clear reason at all. She was grounded, until Maria and Juan said otherwise, and her phone privileges taken away. They stopped bringing her to church and delusion claim that Yolanda had disgraced the Montez family's so-called name. At school, she was dubbed the school slut.
In the first season, Yolanda, Rick Tyler and Beth Chapel are suddenly joined by Courtney Whitmore at lunch. Courtney introduces herself and Beth warmly responds while Yolanda continues to ignore Courtney's presence. When Courtney tries to converse with the group Yolanda stays silent along with everyone else. Beth informs Courtney that the people at the table are not friends and are losers. Yolanda merely looks up at Beth and barely reacts when Rick sulks out of the cafeteria. The trio is soon joined by Henry King Jr. and two of his football friends. Two boys lean on the table to Yolanda's left, while Henry leans close to Yolanda's right. She leans away from Henry, visibly uncomfortable. Henry tauntingly asks her if she has any new pictures of herself that she would like to share with them. Courtney tells him to leave Yolanda alone, much to Yolanda's surprise. Yolanda incredulously witnesses a struggle between Courtney and Henry that results in principal Bowen dragging Courtney away to deal with her.
Montez later takes up Grant's former costumed identity of Wildcat, at the request of Stargirl, to help rebuild the JSA. After forgiving Henry before he was killed by his father Brainwave, Montez would later avenge him by killing the latter.
Ten years later, Yolanda is still in the JSA.
Beth Chapel / Doctor Mid-Nite
Beth Chapel (portrayed by Anjelika Washington) is a social reject and nerd who becomes one of Courtney's friends and a member of the new JSA as the new Doctor Mid-Nite.
Beth was born on May 15, 2004, in Omaha General Hospital to Bridget and James Chapel. She primarily grew up in Blue Valley, Nebraska, and was very close to her parents. Beth grew up and eventually attended Blue Valley High, which is when her parents expressed a desire to return to their lives. This proved difficult for Beth, so she threw herself into schoolwork and created the BVHS teachers appreciation club, though she is the only member. She quickly became an outcast despite her talkative and outgoing personality, but often participated in school events despite being relatively friendless.
In the first season, Beth, Rick Tyler and Beth Chapel are suddenly joined by Courtney Whitmore at lunch. Courtney introduces herself and Beth warmly responds. When Courtney tries to converse with the group Beth stays silent along with everyone else. Beth tells her that the people at the table are not friends with each other or anyone else and they're basically the Loser Table. She hardly reacts to Rick abruptly leaving or Henry King's aggressive behavior with Yolanda and the incident that followed. The next day, Beth video conferences with her mom at lunch and cues in her father. She excitedly gets her father to join the "family lunch", only to be informed by him that he's busy. Bridget's colleague, Dr. Henry King Sr., stops by and waves hi to Beth, taking a seat at his desk behind Dr. Chapel. She asks her daughter who the girl sitting next to her, and Beth introduces Courtney to her. Beth tells Bridget she'll see Courtney at the open house, and their video call ends. Beth tells Courtney her parents were the best and Courtney gives her an awkward smile. At the open house that night, Beth excitedly tells her parents about her teachers and is seen socializing alongside her parents.
She later obtains the Charles McNider's goggles, befriends its A.I. which she nicknames "Chuck", becomes the new Doctor Mid-Nite, and joins Stargirl's JSA.