Justice League: Starman Returns & Stargirl Might be Close Behind

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Justice League #7 by Scott Snyder, Jim Cheung, Mark Morales, Walden Wong, and Tomeu Morey, on sale now.

The Justice League may have defeated the Legion of Doom, sent Umbrax back to his dimension and claimed the Totality as their own, but the group is left with a lot of unanswered questions. Unfortunately, the answers that are offered may be a little too costly.

There is Always a Price to Pay

Hawkgirl wants to know more about her Nth Metal wings, John Stewart is wondering how he was able to recreate his Green Lantern ring and Wonder Woman wants to understand how the Legion, the energies and the White Martians are connected. Martian Manhunter is prepared to return to Thanagar Prime in order to learn whatever he can.

The difficult part about their quest is that the Justice League actually holds all the answers in their collective hands, but they are too afraid to use it. The Totality is reported to be the energy source that created the DC Multiverse, and may hold all the secrets of the universe. However, the problem with ultimate knowledge is having to live with what you learn. They want to fix the damage that was done at the end of Dark Nights: Metal, but, as Martian Manhunter questions, can they really hope to harness this energy for the greater good?

What if the truth behind the existence of everything is as dark and cruel as they fear? What if doing good is wrong in the context of a universe created for evil? Just when they are left with many things to ponder, and new adventures to start, all the answers seemingly fall into their laps. Starman appears to the assembled group of heroes and offers them the answers they seek, but at a terrible price.

The Return of Starman

Nothing comes free in this life, and the Justice League is about to discover that pertains to answers as well. If the team wants to get to the bottom of the mysteries surrounding the Totality, they will have to pay a price. That means three of them will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to learn the truth.

Starman's dramatic entrance hearkens back to a comic trend of old that saw a figure declare on the cover that, in order to save the world, someone among them must die. This time, it means that three people will have to die, but will this final fate come to pass, or can there be another way to make it all work out in the end?

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Who Is The Starman of Justice League #7?']

If you're wondering who this version of Starman is, Will Payton was first introduced in 1988 before meeting his end in 1992. Fans have remembered him fondly over the years despite his very short tenure as a superhero. Up until now, Payton had not been seen in decades, but he did make a brief cameo appearance in Dark Nights: Metal #1.

The issue explained that Hawkman had recruited many heroes during his investigation of the Dark Multiverse. He worked with the Blackhawks, Red Tornado, the Challengers of the Unknown, the Metal Men and Starman, many of whom had not been seen in comics for years at that point. Now it would seem that Will Payton's Starman has made his triumphant return.

Every Starman Has Their Day

In DC Comics continuity, the legacy of Starman extends decades, both in-universe and in the real world. One interesting piece of this puzzle is the fact that Payton declares "I come from the past," possibly suggesting that he is still the Starman of the 1980s. Could this mean that Payton is still from the era he was first introduced in, even if it means everyone else has followed the sliding scale timeline of the DC Universe?

Take that possibility another step forward and it could mean that each successive Starman still exists in the era they were initially introduced. That means Ted Knight, the first to carry the name, would still be a member of the Justice Society of America during World War II. We have already seen confirmation of Ted Knight's existence; he is shown in Martian Manhunter's vision from Justice League #1, where he is being attacked by Lex Luthor. Given the fact that Ted appears young in this scene, it's likely that this takes place earlier in time.

Now that two heroes using the Starman name have shown up, it's only a matter of time before we see the others. For all we know, Mikaal Tomas is still from the 1970s, Prince Gavyn is from the '80s, Jack Knight is living in the '90s and perhaps even the time-traveling Thom Kallor is active in the mid-aughts. That leaves one last character of the Starman legacy still left unaccounted for, but Will Payton carries with him a major clue.

Stargirl and the Cosmic Staff

When the Starman from the past shows up in the Justice League's present, he comes sporting the Cosmic Staff. This item plays an important role in the history of the character's namesake. Ted Knight used the Cosmic Rod to fight crime in the 1940s, but in modern times the device is reinvented as the Cosmic Staff, which is primarily used by Jack Knight during James Robinson and Tony Harris' Starman series.

Following his retirement from fighting crime, Jack hands the device down to Courtney Whitmore, who honors the legacy of Starman by becoming Stargirl. She has held the mantle ever since, and is due to receive her own television series on the DC Universe streaming platform. While Courtney has not been seen in several years, by reintroducing the Cosmic Staff the minds behind DC Comics knows exactly what they're doing.

Stargirl fans can't see that weapon and not think of the character. Reintroducing her would also be a perfect way to line the comics up with the new show, so wherever this storyline ends up going, fans can expect the return of Courtney Whitmore in the near future.