The superhero mogul DC has been publishing comic books since the 1930s. Since then, there have been countless movies, television shows, merchandise and more. Most recently, the DC Universe introduced Courtney Whitmore to the silver screen in their joint venture with CW, Stargirl. The show follows a run-of-the-mill high school sophomore who discovers that her stepdad used to battle evildoers as a member of the Justice Society of America.

If you’re new to the DC Universe in 2020, there’s a wealth of information about the DC heroes to catch up on. Shows like Supergirl, The Flash and Black Lightning attempt to create a linear plotline from hundreds of interconnected worlds, characters and stories that span almost eight decades. So if you’re joining the fandom with Stargirl, you will likely run into certain DC terms that might not look familiar. This article will summarize some of the most common terms you may come across while trying to learn more about executive producer Geoff Johns‘ Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl. 

One of the most common queries regarding Stargirl surrounds her involvement with the “Arrowverse.” CW began their foray into the DC Universe with Arrow in 2012. The shows that followed, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman and Superman & Lois all take place in the Arrowverse.

There are countless fan theories on whether or not Courtney Whitmore has a place in the Arrowverse. When perusing these theories, you will likely hear a lot about the “Crisis on Infinite Earth,” as well as the “Multiverse.” Here’s a quick crash course on these two common terms.

Crisis on Infinite Earth

For the past few years, shows in the Arrowverse have come together for an annual crossover event. The “Crisis on Infinite Earth” crossover event occurred in 2019 and took place over the span of five episodes. At the end of the final “Crisis” episode, the heroes banded together to stop Anti-Monitor from destroying reality. Their actions resulted in a full reboot of the entire Arrowverse, thereby affecting all subsequent episodes of the series.

Why does this matter for Stargirl? In the comic books. Stargirl does not live on the same Earth as the rest of the Arrowverse heroes. This made the idea of a crossover episode unlikely.

However, “Crisis” introduced the idea of the “multiverse,” which would allow Stargirl, who lives on Earth-2, to visit the Arrowverse heroes who live on Earth-Prime. Additionally, Stargirl made a cameo in Episode 5 of “Crisis,” further opening up the possibility that these heroes exist within the same multiverse.

Multiverse

Multiverses are very popular in comic book lingo because they give writers the freedom to explore different avenues and “what-ifs.” Well-known superheroes can die, defeat villains and band with other heroes without fully affecting the continuity of the comics. The DC Multiverse features hundreds, if not thousands, of other versions of Earth. The Arrowverse is no different. Before the “Crisis on Infinite Earth” episode aired, the majority of the shows occur on Earth-1 (Arrow, The Flash, Vixen, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman) and Earth-38 (Supergirl).

However, hundreds of additional Earths existed to find a home for every DC movie or television show ever made. For example, Earth-F is home to the Superman characters from the 1940 television show and Earth-66 is home to the characters from the 1966 Batman television show.

After “Crisis on Infinite Earth,” the multiverse was simplified and currently only seven Earths remain (including Stargirl‘s Earth-2). The current Arrowverse heroes have no concept of the multiverse, but all that could all change in Stargirl‘s second season.

There has been no confirmed air date for Season 2 of Stargirl, but it will be blasting onto the CW and DC Universe streaming platform sometime in 2021.