WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Stargirl Season 2, Episode 6, "Summer School: Chapter Six," which aired Tuesday on the CW.

Stargirl's latest episode featured an all-out brawl between the Justice Society of America and Cindy Burman's newly formed Injustice Society. Consisting of Cindy, Artemis Crock and Isaac Bowen, the villainous legacies were outnumbered by Beth, Courtney, Yolanda and Rick, quickly finding themselves on the back foot. Cindy made use of the Black Diamond -- a gem containing the energy of the evil Eclipso -- to even the odds. However, this gem was shattered in the ensuing conflict, releasing Eclipso. Quickly dispatching Cindy and Isaac, Eclipso was only briefly held up by The Shade, the last remaining member of the original Injustice Society.

The Shade first appeared at the end of Stargirl Season 1, showing up in Blue Valley to clean up the mess left by his previous teammates. A little more insight into his specific motivation is given in Season 2. Going by the name Richard Swift, The Shade poses as a "collector of the old and curious" in an attempt to locate the Black Diamond. His efforts are for naught, but he serves as a minor antagonist for the team throughout the first half of the season. This culminates in his encounter with Eclipso at the end of Episode 6, where the malevolent force strides through his shadowy attacks with ease, stating "[The Shade's] powers come from [his] home." He then eviscerates Swift, stabbing him  before tossing him to the ground in a burst of mist.

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stargirl the shade

This represents a significant divergence from Eclipso's original backstory in the comics, which cast him as the original force of divine vengeance, an incarnation of God's wrath. Stargirl instead seems to suggest he comes from a place of darkness, one connected to The Shade's ability to manipulate shadows. This location was seen briefly earlier in the season, when Beth managed to reconnect her goggles to Doctor Mid-Nite. The doctor was shown in a silhouetted world composed of the same shadows The Shade draws upon, suggesting he was sent there instead of being killed, like the JSA thought.

The Shade pops up once more before the end of the episode, reappearing inside the American Dream's headquarters before disappearing once more. It's unlikely the villain is dead, as Stargirl has spent a significant amount of time  on a character who hasn't otherwise done much. Swift has menaced the JSA and helped reveal the truth of Eclipso's horror to Courtney, but that's about it. His position as a secondary antagonist only works if he sticks around, and his "death" wasn't framed as in any way final.

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There's multiple different routes Stargirl could take for the character in the second half of the season. It's possible his injuries are serious enough that he's lost the ability to hold onto his physical form, and that he'll spend most of his time as a disincorporated mass of darkness. This unusual physiology would line up with his introduction earlier in the season, which involved Pat pointing out that he doesn't age even when in human form. It would also let the Stargirl's writers trot him back out for brief periods of time when he manages to pull together his physical form. He could be an occasional source of help for the JSA, while still clearing the villainous stage to let them focus on their fight against Eclipso.

It's also possible Swift was sent to that same shadow-dimension he originally sent Doctor Mid-Nite to, only able to reappear briefly before being pulled back. This would let Stargirl pursue the loose thread presented by Mid-Nite's brief cameo earlier in the season, while also giving the opportunity for some one-on-one scenes between the doctor and his murderer. These would humanize The Shade somewhat, as the pair worked together to find an escape from their mutual prison. In either case it's clear Stargirl isn't done with The Shade, and he's sure to turn up again as the JSA's reluctant ally in new episodes, which air on the CW Tuesdays at 8/7c.

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