Reports say that Thunderbolt’s original wielder Johnny Thunder may pop into Blue Valley…
As we draw closer to the premiere of Stargirl Season 2, we’re beginning to get new reports of other characters we never thought we’d see. One of those is Johnny Thunder, a friend of Pat Dugan and an MIA member of the original Justice Society of America lineup. The report from Stargirl.TV says that he will be played by Ethan Embry whom we know from Once Upon Time.
We’ve known for a while that Thunderbolt’s second wielder, Jakeem will be popping up in Season 2 to take on the infamous laughing pink pen. Currently, we don’t know how he’s going to factor into the story outside of being a friend of Mike Dugan, whose dad knew the original wielder of Thunderbolt. If this report is true, then it will have to explain where Johnny Thunder was during the fight with the Injustice Society which was seen in the pilot episode.
In the most recent trailer, Thunderbolt pops up and scares the absolute hell out of Mike.
So, something will have to have happened for Thunderbolt’s wielder to change. Given the way Pat spoke in Season 1, Johnny Thunder is dead. This is how the pink pen containing Thunderbolt ended up at the Justice Society Headquarters. That is until Courtney stole it.
We’re also going to be meeting Jay Garrick in episode 9 which we assume will be almost entirely a flashback. The end of season 1 teased the return of Sylvester Pemberton aka Starman which has us rubbing our hands together. Now, we have to stress that Johnny Thunder popping up is only a report at the moment. While Stargirl.TV is usually correct, we like to wait for an official confirmation.
How Could The Original Wielder Of Thunderbolt Be Used?
There is a hundred ways Johnny Thunder could be used if he does appear. Here’s a just a handful of ideas:
- Fakes his death at Brainwave’s hands and goes into hiding like the Tylers (Rick’s parents) did.
- Willingly gave up Thunderbolt before his death, knowing someone worthy would someday replace him.
- Appears in episode 9 alongside Jay Garrick.
- Is frequently mentioned by Pat as he and the new Justice Society train Jakeem to use the pen and summon Thunderbolt.
- Could appear at the beginning of an episode which then transitions over to Jakeem learning how to wield Thunderbolt.
- An origin as to why Thunderbolt is housed in a pink pen.
- Mike picks up the pen and Thunderbolt thinks it’s Johnny Thunder but realises it’s not.
It is essential that Johnny Thunder play some kind of role in Jakeem’s superhero awakening. Look at how Ted Grant was an inspiration to Yolanda when she started boxing. Rick’s dad, Rex was Hourman II’s motivation to avenge his and Wendi’s deaths. Courtney believed Sylvester Pemberton was her dad so she wanted to take down the people who killed him. Lastly, Beth became friendly with the AI of Doctor Charles McNider which gave her encouragement to become Doctor Mid-Nite.
The same will likely occur for Jennie with her own father who is Alan Scott, making her yet another legacy. Going back to Jakeem and Johnny Thunder, it would be awesome if there was an interaction between them for some reason. Though, we don’t expect one because he is meant to be dead and hopefully, this will be confirmed come Season 2.
When we have an update on the Johnny Thunder situation, we’ll be sure to share what we know here.
More Stargirl Season 2 Content Coming Soon…
As we’re only six weeks away from Stargirl Season 2, you’ll be seeing a lot more content going up starting with this post. The next one will be a field guide to Eclipso and The Shade. I will also be doing a playlist of the music as I did for Season 1. There will also be a 101 Facts list as well like I did before. This time it will be up after the finale airs and not months later. There is so much I want to do for this coming season but I will wait until the episodes air before I do anything.
