Welcome to Shadowland, Courtney Whitmore. At DC FanDome, The CW unleashed a special sneak-peek from "Summer School: Chapter Eleven," the next episode of Stargirl.
The promo picks up right where "Chapter Ten" left off, with Eclipso banishing Courtney to the Shadowland after a surprise confrontation. Devastated, Pat Dugan and Jennie-Lynn Hayden return to Blue Valley, where they break the terrible news to Barbara, Mike and Beth.
But hope is not lost. As revealed by the trailer, Courtney survived her trip to the Shadowland -- and she's not the only one. Within this entirely black-and-white world, she runs right into Cindy "Shiv" Burman, who was sent there in "Chapter Six" earlier in the season.
"You think that everything is black and white," Cindy chides Courtney, as the trailer reveals the return of several major Season 1 villains: Dragon King, The Fiddler, Fiddler's son Isaac and more. All the while, Eclipso taunts both Cindy and Courtney using the form of a young Bruce Gordon to remind them of their greatest failures.
Fortunately, Courtney and Cindy aren't the only ones trapped in the Shadowland. Toward the end of the trailer, Courtney finds herself pulled into a place that looks exactly like the Hall of Justice's garage. Stunned, she looks up and gasps, "Dr. Mid-Nite?", only for the camera to pull back and reveal Charles McNider himself. However, it is unclear if this is actually McNider in the flesh -- or if it's just another one of Eclipso's tricks, designed to rob her of any hope for escape.
Notably, Beth has been in semi-contact with McNider throughout Season 2. In her attempts to fix Dr. Mid-Nite's goggles, which were broken by Icicle in Season 1, she appeared to inadvertently make contact with McNider himself. As recently as in "Chapter Ten," he even helped Beth realize The Shade's true plans to restore his powers, even at the cost of strengthening Eclipso. As such, it seems he has truly been stuck in the Shadowland since the Injustice Society attacked the Hall of Justice all those years ago.
According to the official episode description for "Summer School: Chapter Eleven,"
After a frightening encounter leaves Courtney's life hanging in the balance, the team band together to determine their next steps.
Stargirl airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.