Golden Age of Heroes (Earth-2: Post-Crisis)

"I know you remember those times, Dugan, back when the days seemed filled with golden wonder. When at any moment, along would come another new costume or power as this or that mystery man made their first appearance. Exciting... unless you were a criminal, of course. Then it was painful."

- Needle to Pat Dugan

The Golden Age is a period of time when the United States of America was full of notable heroes, including the Justice Society of America, All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters, and the Seven Soldiers of Victory.

The Golden Age concluded with the slaughter of the Justice Society of America on December 24, 2010, with the victory of the Injustice Society of America.

Birth of the Justice Society
In 1941, Dr. Charles McNider developed a pair of goggles that allowed him to see despite his blindness. Using this technology, McNider became the vigilante, Doctor Mid-Nite, and subsequently founded the superhero team, the Justice Society of America. The Justice Society soon became an inspiration for many aspiring heroes, and multiple similar teams were formed over the years.

Fall of the Seven Soldiers
After fighting Dragon King's Living Weapon, the Seven Soldiers of Victory went their separate ways and scattered across the country. However, the Shining Knight did not rest, instead fought against Dragon King alone with his defeat leading to his loss of memories.

The Devil in the Shadows
Decades later, while fighting Eclipso, McNider's daughter was brutally slaughtered and led the Justice Society of a vengeful path. The team did a voting session, with Hourman, Wildcat and Starman agreeing to assassinate Bruce Gordon, Eclipso's host, while The Flash and Stripesy were against the idea. The Justice Society ultimately murdered Gordon in cold blood, with the disagreement within its members pushing the entire team to fall apart.

Battle of Los Angeles
On December 24, 2010, the Justice Society reunited once more against the Injustice Society in Los Angeles. During the battle, due to the team's separation years prior, had the lower hand in the battle, with the Injustice Society successfully defeating many members of the team. In the battle, almost the entirety of the Justice Society were slaughtered, leaving only Hourman and Stripesy alive. With many heroes killed in action and the villains going into hiding, the Golden Age concluded, with only a small fraction of humanity remembering the efforts and legacy of those that defended them.

Legacy of the Heroes
After the Battle of Los Angeles, Stripesy retrieved his fallen teammates' weapons, gadgets and costumes, putting them on display at the JSA Headquarters. Hootie, Doctor Mid-Nite's owl sidekick, then stood in the hall for years, hoping his partner to return and not knowing that he had already been killed. Stripesy personally kept the costume of Starman, his partner, and the Cosmic Staff.

A New Generation
Ten years after the Golden Age ended, Stripesy's step-daughter, Courtney Whitmore, discovered the staff and suit kept in a crate in their house. Whitmore was able to create a bond with the Cosmic Staff, something that could only be done by Starman in the past. Whitmore then utilized the Cosmic Staff and became Stargirl, fighting alongside his step-father against the Injustice Society's villainous schemes in Blue Valley. Whitmore later stole the gadgets and weapons from the JSA Headquarters during a visit, and reformed the Justice Society with Yolanda Montez, Beth Chapel and Rick Tyler (the latter being the son of the original Hourman).

Project: New America
Hiding within plain sight, the Injustice Society plotted a scheme to improve the lives of many Americans using Brainwave's manipulative abilities. The scheme was ultimately foiled by Whitmore's new Justice Society, with the assistance of the Shining Knight and her family.

Survivors of the Battle
Despite many believing the entirety of the Justice Society was slaughtered in the Battle of Los Angeles, Hourman and Doctor Mid-Nite in fact survived the battle. The former later followed the traces of the Injustice Society and sent notes to Stripesy, mere hours before his death in the hands of Solomon Grundy. The latter was in fact dragged to the Shadowlands by the The Shade, who was unable to locate him following the battle. Thankfully, he was able to escape the Shadowlands alongside Whitmore and Cindy Burman during a conflict with Eclipso, and subsequently retired from vigilantism.

Starman, however, was killed and later resurrected. Thanks to the newfound bond between Whitmore and the Cosmic Staff, it also woke up the bond between Pemberton and the staff, resurrecting Pemberton in his grave. Pemberton later dug himself out of his own grave and attempted to search for the staff and his partner, Pat Dugan.