| “ | People can be bad, but people can be good too, and kind and compassionate. Behind the pain and the fear, it's all about love. People want to love and be loved. | ” |
— Courtney Whitmore to Henry King Jr.[src]
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Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore is the daughter of Sam Kurtis and Barbara Whitmore, the step-daughter of Pat Dugan, and the step-sister of Mike Dugan.
Whitmore discovered the Cosmic Staff in one of Dugan's boxes while arriving in Blue Valley and successfully ignited the light within the staff. She soon began to train with the staff behind Dugan's back and ignored his instructions not to tamper with it. As Dugan predicted, Whitmore attracted the attention of Brainwave, who thought that Whitmore was the new Starman and attacked her. Thankfully, Dugan was able to rescue Whitmore in his robotic armor and brought her to safety, before telling her the dangers of being a vigilante and the stories of the Justice Society of America.
Initially reluctant to bring her step-daughter into danger, Dugan had no choice but ask for Whitmore's help to investigate the Injustice Society of America's presence in Blue Valley while Whitmore began operating as Stargirl. After her confrontation with Icicle, Whitmore was traumatized by the death of Joey Zarick and was brought to the JSA Headquarters. Unbeknownst to Dugan, Whitmore stole Wildcat, Hourman, Doctor Mid-Nite, Green Lantern and Johnny Thunder's equipment, hoping to recreate the Golden Age team with her friends. The new JSA then battled Sportsmaster and Tigress until Dugan declared that he had no choice but to work with the teenagers against the ISA.
A year after defeating the ISA, Whitmore insisted in looking out for trouble despite her teammates' reluctance. Her actions as Stargirl soon backfired and resulted in her decline in academic performance, forcing her to attend summer school. However, the JSA soon discovered that the Shade had arrived in Blue Valley in search of the Black Diamond and battled Cindy Burman's Injustice Unlimited. The battle at Blue Valley High was halted when Shade demanded Cindy to hand out the diamond. Unfortunately, she ignored the demands and warnings and allowed Eclipso to takeover her body. Whitmore then accidentally destroyed the diamond and liberated Eclipso from imprisonment, releasing a threat that she had never faced before. Eclipso's manipulation soon led to the JSA slowly falling apart and forced Whitmore to pick up the broken pieces with Dugan, teaming up with former allies and enemies against The Devil in the Shadows.
Biography
| Note: | This section is a stub. Click the edit button to the right of the section title to expand it. |
Early Life
Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore[2] was born in 2004 in Valley Village, California to Barbara Whitmore and Sam Kurtis.[1]
On December 25, 2009, her father visited her for Christmas, where they sang Christmas carols such as "Frosty" and made a snowman out of styrofoam. He then gave her a locket that was given to him by his mother which had a picture of himself in it, so she would always remember him.[4]
On December 24, 2010, Whitmore and Barbara were waiting in their apartment for Sam to arrive, as he was meant to look after her while Barbara went to work. However, Sam did not arrive and Whitmore was left with their neighbor, Maggie Kramer, who looked after her until her mother returned. This led to Whitmore and Barbara believing that Kurtis had abandoned them.[1]
At some point after this, Whitmore became a blue belt in karate[1] and a student at Sherman High, where she joined the gymnastics team.[2]
In 2018, Barbara Whitmore returned to her hometown of Blue Valley, Nebraska to sell her mother's home. During this trip, she went to Richie's Diner, where she met Pat Dugan. The pair later got married at some point before 2020, with Dugan becoming Whitmore's step-father.[1]
Moving to Blue Valley
In 2020, Whitmore began to pack up the contents of her bedroom in preparation for the families move to Blue Valley when she came across a gift that she had got her father for Christmas ten years prior. She dusted the box off before placing it with the rest of her belongings, at which point Mary Kramer entered the room and the pair said their goodbyes. She then brought the boxes down to the moving van and the family got into Dugan's car, where Whitmore took one last look at her home before beginning the drive to Nebraska.
The family eventually arrived in Blue Valley to their new home, where Whitmore stared at a box in the moving van that was labelled as auto parts. They then decided to head into town to find somewhere to eat, where they come across the diner where Dugan and Barbara met. Whitmore then asked why Dugan was in Nebraska, to which he responded that he was looking for something.
The next morning, Dugan drove Whitmore to Blue Valley High School in Starman's old car. During the ride, she was texting Mary about how much she missed her which Dugan noticed, and so he attempted to start a conversation with her about the value of friends, but Whitmore ignored him and continued texting. Once they arrived, Dugan wished her a good day, which only further annoyed Whitmore as she walked inside. She made her way to the office to have a photo taken for her school ID where she asked Mrs. Patterson about joining the gymnastic team only to be told that it no longer exists due to the extracurricular activities having been recalibrated by American Dream for optimal participation and that she should try out for cheerleading instead.
Whitmore then leaves the office into the hallway, where she is approached by Cindy Burman and Jenny Williams. Cindy suggested that Whitmore should join the cheerleading team as she is in need of a new second, but Whitmore rejects this offer and so Cindy walks away.
During her lunch period, Whitmore was looking for a seat when Paula Brooks approaches her and directs her to the "losers" table where she meets Beth Chapel, Rick Tyler and Yolanda Montez. Henry King Jr. then approached the table and began bullying Yolanda by calling her a slut and asking if she has any more pictures to share with them. Whitmore jumps in to defend Yolanda and so Henry takes her phone, which causes her to push him back and into a cafeteria lady. Principle Bowin notices this and takes Whitmore to detention, which causes her to miss the bus, so she has to walk home.[1]
Discovering the Cosmic Staff
Whitmore then walks home, past Richie Rock's Diner, where she is greeted by Barbara for dinner. Whitmore, Barbara and Dugan then have a conversation about what to do that evening before Whitmore tells Dugan to stop acting like her father and storms off to the basement. Once there, she kicks over a box of Dugan's stuff only to two pictures, one with him as Stripesy with the Star-Spangled Kid and the other a picture of the golden age Justice Society of America. She then notices a box with a glowing object inside of it and opens it to discover the Cosmic Staff, which she picks up and examines before it drags her to American Dream building, where she preforms a gymnastics routine before being flown to a drive-in theater.
She then noticed Henry King Jr., Brian Tanner Balloid and Travis Thomas harassing Josh Hamman by vandalizing his mother's car. Whitmore then decided to teach them a lesson by puncturing Henry's father's car with the cosmic staff, but is noticed by the boys and a fight ensued. The staff then proceeded to knock out all three opponents before firing a blast that blew up the car, which caused Whitmore to run away.
She returned to her home to put the staff back in the basement when she was confronted by Dugan, who told her that the staff was too dangerous to be outside of its crate. Whitmore asked for an explanation about the origin of the staff and Dugan explained to her how the JSA died to save the world ten years prior, with Whitmore coming to the conclusion that Starman must have been her father because her father never came to visit her on the exact same night. She then went upstairs to ask her mother if this was the case, but she was cut off by Barbara, explaining that her father was not a superhero and had abandoned them.
Whitmore then went to meet Dugan on the porch, where he told her more about his history within the JSA and how he met Starman, before asking her not to tell her mother. She agreed to keep his secret if he stayed out of her way, but was convinced otherwise by Pat.
She then went to bed, but was awoken by the cosmic staff opening her door. This caused her to scream, which was heard by Barbara, who yelled to ask if she was okay. Whitmore quickly put the staff under her bed before Barbara entered her room and asked what was the matter, with her saying that she couldn't sleep. They then had a conversation where Whitmore agreed to give Dugan a chance, which pleased Barbara, and they said goodnight.[1]
Fighting Brainwave
The staff then went to the window and when Whitmore grabbed hold of it, it flew her out of the window and to a rooftop near American Dream building, where she practiced with the staff further. She eventually jumped off the building and rode on the staff through the town and into the sky until she was hit by a tire, which knocked her off the staff and to the ground on a pile of tires at the Blue Valley Tire Factory.
She was then thrown into a fence and dragged towards the entrance by Brainwave's mental abilities. She ran into the building to get help but is instead dragged into the air and mentally interrogated by Brainwave about who she is, where she got the staff and why she attacked his son. He drags her closer towards him and continues to read her mind, at which point he discovers that she is thinking about her father. Whitmore asks the staff to do something, and it responds with striking Brainwave in the face. However, he landed on his feet and threw tires at her with his mind, which she dodged with her gymnastic skills before blasting him with a beam of energy from the cosmic staff.
Whitmore then ran out of the factory where she was confronted by a large robot which knocked her to the ground. She got up and pointed the staff at it before Dugan revealed that he was controlling the robot.[1]
After she realizes it is Dugan, Whitmore does not trust him, telling him to stay away from her. Dugan convinces her to trust her, and she lets him get her out of there and somewhere safe. Once back at Dugan's garage, Whitmore's hands are shaking and tells the staff to just give her a minute. After Whitmore calms down a bit, Dugan asks who attacked her, Whitmore gives her description, and says he threw tires at her with his eyes. Dugan explains it was with his mind, and that his name was Brainwave, and he was a member of the group that killed the JSA, the ISA. Whitmore asks if he killed her dad. Dugan tells her Starman was not her dad, and that brainwave killed many JSA members that night, but that it was their leader, Icicle, who killed Starman. Dugan later explains he built the robot out of old car parts
After Dugan inadvertently inspired Whitmore to get a suit for herself as Stargirl, Whitmore took Starman's suit to school. Once at school, she re-purposed it to fit herself, and in the process destroyed the sewing lab.
At Blue Valley High's open house, Whitmore and Dugan know that Brainwave will undoubtedly show up there. They search for him during the open house, while at the same time, Brainwave is searching for them. Once Whitmore sees Brainwave, and thinks about it, Brainwave hears her thoughts and is able to find her. During their confrontation at the open house, Brainwave reads Whitmore's made and discovers she believes Starman is her father. He also discovers her real name, and about her mother. He threatens to kill her mother unless Whitmore meets him at midnight with the cosmic staff. Once Brainwave leaves Whitmore, she races to find Dugan, and tells him what Brainwave said. Dugan makes up an excuse to tell Barbara, and gets her to leave the open house, and go home.
Once back home, Dugan instructs Whitmore not to go to face Brainwave, that he would, and if he was not home in the morning to get her mother and Mike, and leave Blue Valley forever. After Dugan goes to face Brainwave, Whitmore has a talk with her mother, who mentions how much she cares for Dugan, which convinces Whitmore to go and face Brainwave and protect Pat. Once she makes this decision, she puts on her suit for the first time, and jumps off onto the staff. As Dugan is quickly losing the battle with Brainwave, Whitmore arrives, and knocks Brainwave back with an energy wave from the staff. After dodging multiple attacks from Brainwave, Whitmore gets hit by one, and loose reach of her staff. When Dugan turns on his headlights, and temporarily blind Brainwave, Whitmore uses the staff against Brainwave's mind, which ends up frying his mind and putting him into a coma.
After the battle with brainwave, Dugan and Whitmore return to the garage, where Dugan expresses that he lost confidence in himself, and that he was of no help, that she save him. Whitmore then tells him that the staff chose her, and she chooses him. She then comes up with a better code name for Dugan then "Stripesy", she comes up with "S.T.R.I.P.E.", an acronym standing for "Subatomic Technical Robot Internet Dugan Enhancer".[5]
Icicle's Attacks
Recruitment
Wildcat
Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite
The First Mission
ISA Strikes
Teamwork
Shiv
Recruiting Brainwave Jr.
Father's Return
Final Showdown
Summer School
Looking Out for Trouble
Five months after Christmas, Whitmore led her team and went on patrol for 7 days a week. However, her team attempted to take a break as they thought they were protecting a town that did not need protection at the time. Whitmore then returned to home, reading through Golden Age JSA files. Unfortunately, she was found by Pat and was questioned over staying up all night.[6]
Before leaving school, Dugan and Barbara revealed their upcoming trip to Yellowstone National Park, with Whitmore refusing to go as she persisted in protecting Blue Valley. On the way to school, Whitmore talked to Yolanda about the latter's murder of Brainwave, telling her that she did not witness the incident and should not give her opinion.[6]
She then went to school and had lunch while listening to Artemis' conversation with her friends. Out of fear, Whitmore assaulted Artemis and nearly injured her, with the latter showing that she was merely returning the stick to Jerome. Principal Sherman quickly entered the cafeteria and brought her away to his office. Whitmore then sat with her parents and understood that she failed history and English final exams, assigned to summer school and no longer able to go on a trip. Dugan talked to her and reminded her of finding a balance on being a superhero and a civilian, grounding her of being Stargirl for 2 weeks.[6]
Later that night, Whitmore heard noises on the lower level and took the Cosmic Staff to check out the source. A green light glowed in the dark, revealing a person stealing the Power Battery. They then fought each other, using their respective artifacts and causing damage all over the house. Dugan, Barbara and Mike entered the room, with Whitmore telling them that it was merely a misunderstanding, which she encountered for the second time in the day.[6]
Stargirl and Jade
The Shade
The Devil in the Shadows
Prelude
Unlimited
The Darkness Within
No More Wildcat
Grundy's Return
Cold Summer
Road Trip
Into the Shadows
Justice Society United
Good, Bad and Evil
Yellowstone
Murder Mystery
Heroes and Villains
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Powers via the Cosmic Staff: The Cosmic Staff gives Whitmore numerous powers.[1]
- Flight: Whitmore can fly and levitate using the Cosmic Staff.[1]
- Forcefield Generation: When Whitmore held the Cosmic Staff against Brainwave's forehead, the staff generated a forcefield and lifted light objects upwards, eventually imploding and putting King in a coma.[5]
- Stellarkinesis: Whitmore can create and manipulate stellar energy to use against her opponents.[5]
- Photokinesis: Whitmore can use the energy generated by the cosmic staff to temporarily blind and distract people.[7]
Abilities
- Peak of Human Physical Condition: Whitmore is at peak human condition due to being a former gymnast and can preform many maneuvers such as flips and aerials with ease.[7]
- Acrobatics: Whitmore is a highly skilled acrobat due to her time on the gymnastics team in Los Angeles.[1]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Whitmore is a highly skilled martial artist, she was a blue belt in karate from a young age[1] and was able to effectively fight members of the Injustice Society of America such as Sportsmaster and Tigress.[8]
- Staff Fighting: Whitmore is an effective staff fighter both with the cosmic staff as shown in both of her fights with Brainwave[1][5] and with other weapons, such as Sportsmaster's baseball bat.[8]
- Tailoring: Whitmore knows how to sew, as shown when she created the Stargirl Suit from the Starman Suit.[5]
Equipment
Current Equipment
- Cosmic Staff: Whitmore uses the Cosmic Staff, a weapon invented by Ted Knight that gives her abilities such as flight and energy manipulation.[5]
- Stargirl Suit: Whitmore created and wears a protective suit whilst operating at Stargirl.[5]
Appearances
| Appearances | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five | Appears |
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Stargirl | Appears |
|
S.T.R.I.P.E. | Appears |
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Icicle | Appears |
|
Wildcat | Appears |
|
Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite | Appears |
|
The Justice Society | Appears |
|
Shiv Part One | Appears |
|
Shiv Part Two | Appears |
|
Brainwave | Appears |
|
Brainwave Jr. | Appears |
|
Shining Knight | Appears |
|
Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One | Appears |
|
Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter One | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Two | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Three | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Four | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Five | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Six | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Seven | Appears |
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Summer School: Chapter Eight | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Nine | Appears |
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Summer School: Chapter Ten | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Eleven | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Twelve | Appears |
|
Summer School: Chapter Thirteen | Appears |
 |
Road Trip | Appears |
|
Chapter One: The Murder | Appears |
Notes
- Whitmore was on her school's gymnastics team in Los Angeles.[1] The following is the list of Whitmore's awards:[9]
- 1st Place Floor 2017 Heart of a Champion
- 1st Place Bars 2018 State Championships
- 1st Place Vault 2018 Region 1 Championships
- 1st Place Balance Beam 2018 Long Beach Open
Gallery
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Courtney Whitmore
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Stargirl
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Vigilante Suit
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Five Years Old
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Eclipso possessing Whitmore
Promotional Images
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"A New Generation of Justice"
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Character Portrait (Civilian)
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Character Portrait (Stargirl)
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"She's just getting started."
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"#RENEWED"
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"Real Heroes Wear Masks"
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Season 2 Character Portrait
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"The JSA are back in action!"
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"#RENEWED"
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"Keep Your Friends Close But Your Frenemies Closer"
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References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Stargirl
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite
- ↑ Summer School: Chapter Three
- ↑ Shining Knight
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 S.T.R.I.P.E.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Summer School: Chapter One
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Icicle
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Justice Society
- ↑ Summer School: Chapter Eleven
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