Barbara Whitmore. Mother. Stepmother. Wife. Superhero Team Mama. Here’s why we love her!
With Stargirl now wrapped up for Season 1, we thought would revisit some of our favourite things about superhero mama, Barbara Whitmore. We’ll look at her strong sense of acceptance when it comes to stepson, Mike and how she comes to sees her daughter, Courtney as the hero she was always destined to become.
[Please note: This article contains spoilers for Stargirl Season 1]
The New Husband And Stepson
Barbara first meets Pat while finalising a deal to sell her mother’s house in Blue Valley, two years before the main events of Season 1. Their first interaction is in the diner in where they end up sharing a banana split. In the two years that pass, they form a romantic relationship and even get acquainted with each other’s kids.
Eventually, they marry with Barbara becoming stepmother to Mike and Pat becoming stepfather to Courtney, Barb’s teenage daughter.
Barbara adores her husband and comes to love being step-mama to Mike. When her stepson’s school holds a science fair, she goes in Pat’s place as he’s busy dealing with Courtney. Despite having a meeting, she makes time to be there and is impressed with his creativity and the hard work he put into his chocolate syrup volcano.
When she goes on her business trip with Jordan Mahkent the night Courtney is severely injured by Cindy, she warmly thanks Mike for the snack pack he gives her.
Being married to Pat was meant to be easy, but little did Mama Whitmore realise, her husband was hiding a massive secret from her; he was once a superhero’s sidekick. Also, she was unaware that Courtney had become involved in super heroics too. However, she came to accept their choice and even tag teamed with Beth to infiltrate the American Dream.
Mama To Courtney
Barbara has always been very close to her daughter. Having raised her only child on her own for so long, it has given her a chance to bond with her and allows Courtney to accomplish her goals.
She supported her in her sports accomplishments. We’re not sure if this is Barbara being a proud mama or she’s just gloating about her daughter’s goals. Whatever the case, we’re all for it!
However, when she discovered Courtney and Pat’s superhero secret, she was less than thrilled. She discovered she’d be lied to and the whole thing with her ex, Sam Kurtis showing up didn’t help matters.
In the end, Barbara has become a support to Courtney in the short time she has been in the know about the JSA.
Superhero Team Mama
As the only JSA parent in the know, Barbara has gladly taken on the role of superhero team mama. Despite Pat not wanting her or Mike involved, she makes the excellent point that the others do heroic stuff and they’re teenagers. She then joins Doctor Mid-Nite and her pal Chuck (her beloved goggles) in trying to out-hack the Gambler. This is when her mind is taken over.
However, she is seen at Christmas about six weeks later helping Beth in making cookies. It’s likely in this time she has become like a mother to the other JSA members. She has come to think of them as part of the family and embraces them as such. After all, Pat already sees them as his own. If we’re honest, he’d want to honour Rex (Rick’s dad) and Ted (Yolanda’s predecessor) to look out their successors.
How Could Barbara Be Developed More In Season 2?
Given that Mama Barb is the wife of a former sidekick, mother to a superhero and step-mama to a sidekick legacy. There is so much stuff they could do with Barbara. In the comics, she and Pat have a daughter together, Patricia, half-sister to Courtney and Mike. Honestly, we were hoping the finale revealed she was pregnant but it didn’t happen. However, there is space for her to become like Joe and Cecile on The Flash where they dish out advice.
We know she’s had a bit of screen time with Beth, but what about Rick and Yolanda? We’ll probably get more with them during Season 2 which would be super nice. She could be their shoulder to lean on given what they did in ‘Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E Part Two’. There’s even a chance she might play a bigger role in the team dynamic.
Since Jordan is gone, Barbara doesn’t have a job. She might become a stay-at-home parent. Or, she might get a new one where she’s not being crushed on by a supervillain.
Potential Mama Whitmore Plotlines Going Forward
There’s three potential plotlines we would love to see play out with Mama Barbara next season. These include:
- Potential Pregnancy – We’ve mentioned this before, but in the comics, Barbara and Pat have a daughter together, Patricia, named after her father making her the younger half-sister to Courtney and Mike. There might be a chance for that to be fleshed out.
- Love Triangle between Barb, Pat, and Sylvester – Now, this might be a bit of a stretch, but what if Mama Whitmore ended up in a love triangle with husband Pat and his best friend, Sylvester.
- Spying at the American Dream – What if there’s more to the American Dream than just being a cover for Project: New America? What if someone takes over from Jordan like the Shade? Perhaps Barbara serves as a JSA spy to get Intel the team need to uncover the new threat.
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