Who Is The Villain In Stargirl Season 2?

Over the course of "Stargirl's" first season, Blue Valley's premier superheroine faced no shortage of fearsome opponents. From the machinations of the Icicle and Brainwave to the combined forces of the Injustice Society of America, the heroine and her allies have stood tall against just about the worst their Earth has had to throw at them. But by the season finale, we received some hints that even more trouble is on the horizon: a group of villains that might give the ISA a run for their money.

With Season 2 of "Stargirl" set to debut on August 10, the series is set to pick up the plot threads left hanging in the Season 1 finale, including the revelation that there will be not one, but two potential big bads: The Shade, as portrayed by actor Jonathan Cake, and Eclipso, who will be played by Nick Tarabay. Tarabay is no stranger to the Arrowverse, having previously portrayed Captain Boomerang. But just who is Eclipso, exactly?

Eclipso originally began as one of the many characters DC Comics debuted during the 1950s and 1960s. In the wake of "SHOWCASE" #4 In 1956, the superheroes of DC Comics became popular again after a long period of relative dormancy. As a result, the company began throwing out ideas for new characters and concepts to part kids from their hard-earned allowances. Making his debut in issue #61 of "House of Secrets," Eclipso was touted as "Hero and Villain In One Man!"

In "House of Secrets" #61, we're introduced to scientist Bruce Gordon, who, while attempting to study a solar eclipse, is attacked by a sorcerer named Morphir. Gordon manages to survive the encounter, but is scratched by a mysterious black diamond Morphir was wielding as a weapon. Gordon soon realizes he's been cursed, as whenever there's an eclipse (or other obstruction of the sun's rays), he's transformed into the villainous Eclipso. A blue circle would appear on the upper right side of his face, and he would gain powers of flight, enhanced strength, and the ability to channel the dark energy of the black diamond. 

Gordon and Eclipso would be DC's latter-day Jekyll and Hyde for many years, appearing in a number of stories as a recurring villain, albeit not an exceptionally popular one. It would be in the grim and gritty '90s that Eclipso would receive a significant boost in both power and threat level, and move from the minors to the majors of supervillainy.

In 1992, DC Comics released "Eclipso: The Darkness Within," a multi-title crossover event wherein it was revealed that Eclipso was not, in fact, Bruce Gordon's evil half, but an ancient demon that had been bound to a large mystical diamond called "The Heart of Darkness." The diamond had been cut down into multiple copies over the years and through them, Eclipso could possess anyone who experienced extreme hatred or anger. Using the diamonds, Eclipso possessed a number of heroes and villains over the course of the crossover in a bid to absorb their powers into himself and destroy the Earth.

The heroes (led by Bruce Gordon) defeat him, but this led to Eclipso receiving his own spin-off title in the wake of the event. Over the course of the series and in a crossover with another DC character, the Spectre, we learned the true origin of Eclipso. And it's quite literally biblical.

The Spectre is James Corrigan, a murdered cop who became bound with the Wrath of God and charged to confront evil. In the course of a storyline in "The Spectre," we come to learn that the Spectre was not the original avatar of God's fury. Eclipso was the force charged by God to flood the world when Noah built his ark, but after some time, Eclipso began to view wrath as revenge, and eventually was cast down from his position and bound to the Heart of Darkness as punishment. This has led to an animosity between the Spectre and Eclipso that has endured for countless centuries.

Eclipso has proven to be one of the more malleable characters from DC comics, whose potential ranges from Jekyll and Hyde-style threat to a body-snatching demon who could threaten the entire world. While it's not certain which version we're likely to see in "Stargirl," neither should be dismissed lightly. Between Eclipso and the Shade, it's safe to say dark times are coming to Blue Valley.