| “ | Whenever I've run into somebody like you, when I was growing up, back in the army, or today, makes me remember something about myself. I've got some bad in me too. | ” |
— Pat Dugan to Matt Harris[src]
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Patrick "Pat" Dugan[3] is a former soldier who became the vigilante known as Stripesy, the sidekick to the Star-Spangled Kid and a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory. After the team disbanded, Pemberton became the vigilante known as Starman and joined the Justice Society of America, bringing Dugan along as an unofficial member, who served alongside them until the team's members were murder by the Injustice Society of America. He also married Maggie Shaw and had a child named Mike Dugan during this period.
Years later, Pat was conducting a search for the Injustice Society when he met Barbara Whitmore, who he eventually married, becoming the step-father of Courtney Whitmore. After the family moved to Blue Valley, Dugan became the owner of the Pit Stop and Courtney discovered his prior vigilante activities, using the Cosmic Staff to become the vigilante known as Stargirl, and making Dugan her sidekick, this time using a giant robot called S.T.R.I.P.E.. He eventually became a member of the newly reformed Justice Society and fought alongside them in their battles against the Injustice Society and later Eclipso.
Biography[edit | hide | hide all]
Early Life[edit | hide]
| Note: | This section is a stub. Click the edit button to the right of the section title to expand it. |
Pat Dugan was born to an Dennis Dugan, a tank mechanic in the United States Army. He liked his father's occupation as it meant that he got to ride in a few tanks, but it also came with the downside that they would have to pack up and leave wherever they were living every year or two as his father was reassigned. This resulted in it being hard for him to maintain friendships growing up, as none of the people he met would reply to the letters he sent them, resulting in him coming to view his father as his best friend.[3] When he grew up, he eventually enlisted as a soldier himself, though this career was short-lived.[4]
Stripesy and the Star-Spangled Kid[edit | hide]
When Dugan was twenty years old, he was hired as a driver and mechanic by John and Gloria Pemberton, and he soon met their fifteen-year-old son, Sylvester Pemberton. When a group of criminals threatened Sylvester's parents, he put on a mask to stop them and Dugan assisted him, eventually resulting in Pemberton becoming the vigilante known as the Star-Spangled Kid and Dugan becoming his sidekick known as Stripesy.[3]
The pair quickly became the arch-enemies of The Needle, a supervillain who used a Needle Gun to perpetrate crimes, and the pair fought and defeated him several times, including once when he attempted to rob a bank.[5] Likewise, they also fought a supervillain known as Doctor Weerd in Civic City at one point, an event which was reported on by the Civic City News.[3]
For Pemberton's sixteenth birthday, Dugan sneaked into his bedroom and left him an engraved watch, as he knew that his parents would forget to gift him anything. After the watch was stolen by Hop Harrigan, Pemberton went to his parents to tell them about it, but soon discovered that they had no idea what he was talking about. After realizing that the gift was from Dugan, Pemberton managed to recover it the following day, and did not tell his friend that he knew it was from him until years later. At some point, Dugan also taught Pemberton how to drive, how to stand up for himself, and how to think for himself.[6]
Seven Soldiers of Victory[edit | hide]
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After operating on their own for a while, the pair eventually joined the Seven Soldiers of Victory, a superhero team responsible for saving numerous lives, cities, and even the entire planet on one occasion. Whilst on the team, they found themselves fighting against Dragon King on numerous occasions, once destroying a living weapon that he had designed to eradicate New York.[7]
They also faced numerous other villains during their time together, including Big Caesar, Professor Merlin, Red Dragon, The Dummy, and The Hand. After The Needle had augmented his powers so that he could fire needles from his body instead of relying on a gun, he threatened to blow up the Sherman Tower in order to lure Stripesy and the Star-Spangled Kid to him. Despite succeeding in attracting their attention, he was swiftly defeated and was subsequently sentenced to decades in prison.[5] At some point after this, the team disbanded, and its members lost contact with each other.[7]
Justice Society of America[edit | hide]
Years later, Pemberton found the Cosmic Staff, changed his codename to Starman, and became a member of the Justice Society of America. He brought Dugan along as his sidekick once again, making him an unofficial member responsible for cleaning the Starman Suit[3] and for maintaining the Star-Rocket Racer, a flying car which Dugan had created at some point.[8] During his time with the team, Dugan took a photograph of them together[3] and was given a Big Boy keychain by Ted Grant for good luck, as it was the closest thing he could find to a Stripesy action figure.[9]
The Devil in the Shadows[edit | hide]
Rebecca McNider's Funeral[edit | hide]
Following the Assassination of Rebecca McNider by Eclipso, Dugan attended her funeral, where he discussed what to do with numerous other members of the Justice Society. As they were conversing, Jay Garrick arrived to tell the team that he had discovered that Eclipso was brought back from Diablo Island by an explorer called Bruce Gordon, but he was soon interrupted by Charles McNider comforting his wife as she broke down crying.
Later on, as they were walking alone in the cemetery, Dugan asked Pemberton if he could be more involved with helping the team get justice for Rebecca, but he was soon interrupted after noticing The Shade lurking behind a nearby tree. Before Dugan had a chance to alert the other members of the Justice Society to his presence, Pemberton realized that The Shade was not there to fight, and so he walked over to talk to the villain, telling Dugan that he will discuss getting him more involved when he returned to JSA Headquarters. After noticing that the pair had vanished, Dugan ran over to the tree, but he could not determine where they had gone.[2]
The Fatal Vote[edit | hide]
Afterwards, he returned to JSA Headquarters and began working on the Star-Rocket Racer whilst waiting for Pemberton to return. When he finally did, Pemberton told Dugan that he had learned that Eclipso was an otherworldly creature with the ability to make nightmares come true and that he was possessing a host named Bruce Gordon against his will. He then stated that the only way to defeat the creature was to kill its host and to therefore once again imprison Eclipso within the Black Diamond, but he was soon convinced not to go down this path by Dugan as it was against the Justice Society's ethical code to kill anyone, let alone an innocent man.
After several of the most powerful members of the Justice Society failed to defeat Eclipso, a small group within the team, consisting of Hourman, Starman, The Flash, and Wildcat, were forced to vote on whether to kill his host after he had threatened to kill their families. As there was an even number of votes, they decided to let Dugan be the tie-breaker, and he voted against the idea alongside Garrick, though they were still outvoted as the other three voted in favour. While not wanting to do this, Dugan was forced by Pemberton to drive him to Gordon's Mansion, as he believed that this would allow the pair to come up with another solution as they usually did together. However, no such solution came, and Pemberton ended up killing Gordon regardless. After getting back in the car, Pemberton stated that Dugan was right that the Justice Society should never take a life, but that it was too late and that they needed to get the Black Diamond back to storage right away.[2]
Arriving back at JSA Headquarters, Dugan was packing up a box of his things from the garage when Pemberton came down to explain why he brought Dugan along with him to the murder. After a brief conversation, in which he finally revealed that he knew the watch he got for his sixteenth birthday was from him, Dugan forgave him and the two drank a beer together.[6] As a result of the Assassination of Bruce Gordon, the Justice Society drifted apart, though Dugan kept going to their headquarters on occasion hoping for someone else to be there.[2]
Interim Life[edit | hide]
At some point, Dugan was sent through a Temporal Vortex, which resulted in him being transported to the future,[5] and he began to rent an apartment at 1941 Siegel Way. He later married Maggie Shaw, and they had a child called Mike Dugan, though the pair later got divorced, leaving Dugan to raise the child alone.[10]
Fall of the Justice Society[edit | hide]
Battle of Los Angeles[edit | hide]
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After the reformation of the Injustice Society of America, the Justice Society reformed in turn to prevent them from enacting Project: New America. On December 24, 2010, the Justice Society were lured into a battle at an abandoned mansion in Los Angeles, but Dugan was left behind to prepare the Star-Rocket Racer for combat. While doing so, he was visited by Johnny Thunder, who had also been sidelined due to his inability to fully control the Thunderbolt, and offered to cheer him up by making some eggnog using his father's old recipe. However, the pair were interrupted by Wildcat, who had come to tell Thunder that he was needed as the Injustice Society had recruited Solomon Grundy. Dugan asked if he could accompany them, but Grant told him that Pemberton had insisted that he stay behind and that it was more important that he look out for his son. Disheartened, Dugan wished Thunder good luck, and he responded that they will have the eggnog together when he returns.[11]
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Despite being told not to get involved, Dugan ignored this and made his way to the battle in the Star-Rocket Racer, radioing Starman to inform him. After hearing Pemberton being attacked, Dugan slammed through the gates of the mansion and made his way to the entrance, seeing Green Lantern being blasted through the roof and Wildcat being defenestrated, before making his way to the door. Once inside, he witnessed a battle between Hourman and Tigress, which ended after The Wizard blasted him in the back, and Doctor Mid-Nite being dragged away by The Shade. He was then accosted by The Wizard, but was saved by Starman, who proceeded to beat The Gambler, Tigress, Sportsmaster, and Brainwave, before being impaled by a shard of ice fired by Icicle. Pemberton told Dugan to pull the shard out and was then helped to the car, but the pair were pursued by Solomon Grundy, who managed to damaged it enough to crash-land in a nearby forest. Dugan then helped Pemberton out of the car and offered to take him to a hospital, but it was too late, and Pemberton died after telling Dugan to find a successor to carry on his legacy.[3]
Aftermath[edit | hide]
Following the battle, Dugan was the only person to attend Pemberton's funeral,[12] and he personally kept several pieces of equipment belonging to the fallen hero, including the Cosmic Staff and the Starman suit. Likewise, he collected the equipment of his other fallen comrades and placed them on display at the JSA Headquarters.[9] He later built a giant robot to help the thought-to-be only other survivor of the battle, Rex Tyler, fight the Injustice Society, but Tyler refused his help as he wanted to do it alone.[13] In 2011, Tyler and his wife were being pursued by the Injustice Society, and so he decided to send the remaining Justice Society artifacts to Dugan, immediately prior to his murder by Solomon Grundy.[14]
In 2018, Dugan decided to follow Tyler's research across the country, eventually finding himself in Blue Valley and concluding that he had hit a dead end. While there, he found himself in Richie Rock's Diner, where he ordered the banana split at the same time as Barbara Whitmore. After talking for a while about each other's lives, the waitress informs them that there is only one banana split left, and so the two decided to share it.[15] Following this, the pair got married and Dugan became the step-father of Courtney Whitmore.[3]
Moving to Blue Valley[edit | hide]
The Cosmic Staff[edit | hide]
| Note: | This section is a stub. Click the edit button to the right of the section title to expand it. |
Saving Courtney[edit | hide]
Icicle's Attacks[edit | hide]
Mysteries[edit | hide]
The First Mission[edit | hide]
Teamwork[edit | hide]
Secrets[edit | hide]
An Old Friend[edit | hide]
Final Showdown[edit | hide]
The Darkness Within[edit | hide]
Trusting Zeek[edit | hide]
Meeting Jennie[edit | hide]
Old Friends[edit | hide]
Prelude[edit | hide]
Unlimited[edit | hide]
Patience[edit | hide]
Grundy's Return[edit | hide]
Haunts[edit | hide]
Road Trip[edit | hide]
The Shadows[edit | hide]
Justice Society United[edit | hide]
Good, Bad and Evil[edit | hide]
Yellowstone[edit | hide]
Murder Mystery[edit | hide]
Starman and S.T.R.I.P.E.[edit | hide]
Suspects[edit | hide]
Wrong Message[edit | hide]
Maniacs[edit | hide]
Meeting the Mahkents[edit | hide]
Helix[edit | hide]
Into the Shadowlands[edit | hide]
Blue Valley Infiltrated[edit | hide]
Missing Children[edit | hide]
Death of the Crocks[edit | hide]
Destiny[edit | hide]
Battle for the Cosmic Staff[edit | hide]
JSA Adventures[edit | hide]
Starman's Legacy[edit | hide]
Ten Years Later[edit | hide]
Powers and Abilities[edit | hide]
Powers[edit | hide]
- S.T.R.I.P.E. Capabilities: Dugan uses a giant robot capable of preforming several superheroic feats whilst operating as a vigilante.[13]
- Advanced Durability: S.T.R.I.P.E. is extremely durable and is able to withstand attacks from stronger opponents which would likely kill Dugan if not wearing it.[16]
- Fist Detachment: S.T.R.I.P.E.'s fist can be detached and can fly across great distances, being powerful enough to send opponents flying across a room.[9]
- Flight: S.T.R.I.P.E. is able to fly and levitate using thrusters on its back. Additionally, it is able to carry a person on its back whilst in flight.[13]
- Heads Up Display (HUD): S.T.R.I.P.E. has a heads-up display which allows its user to see their surroundings and communicate with teammates.[13]
- Superhuman Strength: S.T.R.I.P.E. is able to preform feats of superhuman strength, allowing its user to lift several tons and fight much strong opponents, such as Solomon Grundy.[16]
- Weaponry: S.T.R.I.P.E. has a variety of built-in weapons, including a buzz-saw, flamethrower, grappling hooks, missiles, and a taser.[8]
Abilities[edit | hide]
- High-Level Intellect: Dugan is a highly intelligent individual, being a skilled engineer capable of creating advanced machinery and weapons such as S.T.R.I.P.E..[3]
- Cooking: Dugan is a somewhat skilled cook, as he is known to make pancakes for his family in the morning.[8]
- Detection: Dugan is a somewhat knowledgeable detective, being able to track Jennie-Lynn Hayden to Civic City.[6]
- Driving: Dugan was a professional driver for the Pemberton family and as such is a proficient driver, being able to successfully outmaneuver Solomon Grundy in the Star-Rocket Racer.[3]
- Engineering: Dugan is a highly skilled mechanic and engineer and as such was able to create S.T.R.I.P.E.[13] and the Star-Rocket Racer.[8]
- Peak Physical Condition: Dugan is in peak physical condition following completion of a cardiovascular wellness program he was put on by Larry Crock.[13]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Dugan is skilled in hand-to-hand combat and as such is able to hold his own against much more skilled opponents such as Sportsmaster.[17]
Equipment[edit | hide]
Current Equipment[edit | hide]
- Justice Society Artifacts: Dugan owns many artifacts left to him following the deaths of the Justice Society of America. These include a map of the United States and police files on the members of the Injustice Society of America.[3]
- S.T.R.I.P.E.: Dugan created a fifteen-foot mechanized robot which he uses whilst operating as a vigilante.[3]
- S.T.R.I.P.E. Controller: Dugan uses a controller to activate S.T.R.I.P.E. and place it on autopilot.[17]
- Star-Rocket Racer: Dugan created a flying car known as the Star-Rocket Racer, which he utilized whilst acting as Starman's sidekick.[3]
- Stripesy Suit: Dugan previously wore a white and red striped costume whilst operating as Stripesy.[3]
Former Equipment[edit | hide]
- Justice Society Artifacts: While still owning many Justice Society artifacts, some of them have since been given to other heroes.[3]
- Cosmic Staff: Dugan previously owned the Cosmic Staff for ten years after Starman's death. It was later given to Courtney Whitmore, who used it to become the vigilante known as Stargirl.[3]
- Rex Tyler's Journal: Dugan previously owned the journal of Rex Tyler for nine years after his death. It was later given to his son, Rick Tyler.[16]
- Starman Suit: Dugan previously owned Starman's suit for ten years after his death. It was later repurposed by Courtney Whitmore into the Stargirl Suit.[3]
Appearances[edit | hide]
Gallery[edit | hide]
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Civilian
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S.T.R.I.P.E.
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Stripesy (Golden Age)
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Stripesy (Modern Age)
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Chuck analyzing Dugan's vitals
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Dugan in Sir Justin's hallucination
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Promotional Images[edit | hide]
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DC Universe Poster
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Character Portrait (Civilian)
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Character Portrait (S.T.R.I.P.E.)
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"He's not a sidekick anymore"
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Season 2 Character Portrait
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"The JSA are back in action!"
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"Keep Your Friends Close But Your Frenemies Closer"
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References[edit | hide]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shiv Part Two
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Summer School: Chapter Nine
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 Stargirl
- ↑ Summer School: Chapter Twelve
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Road Trip
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Summer School: Chapter Ten
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Brainwave
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Summer School: Chapter Two
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Icicle
- ↑ Summer School: Chapter One
- ↑ Summer School: Chapter Three
- ↑ Chapter Two: The Suspects
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 S.T.R.I.P.E.
- ↑ Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite
- ↑ Brainwave Jr.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One
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