The CW’s Stargirl has added Jim Gaffigan to the growing list of new cast members joining the series for its second season. The comedian will provide the voice for the DC Comics superhero known as Thunderbolt, a genie and former member of the Justice Society of America.
In the first season of Stargirl, Courtney Whitmore ventures to the Justice Society of America headquarters to steal artifacts hoping they can be used as part of her plan to reform the superhero team. Included in the collection of items she sought was a pink pen that her stepfather, Pat Dugan, frequently warned against using and described as a dangerous weapon. Undeterred, Whitmore attempts to grab the pen only for it to produce an electrical charge that causes the item to laugh at her, which surprises the young heroine but doesn’t prevent her from placing it in her bag.
Entertainment Weekly reports the pen storyline will pay off when Stargirl brings Thunderbolt to life through a combination of CG and Gaffigan’s voice. Per the official description of the character, Thunderbolt will share his comic book counterpart’s ability to grant wishes. Unfortunately, fulfilling the desires of wish-makers often causes more trouble for them despite Thunderbolt’s heart being in the right place. While the pink jinn may be a fun-loving being on the outside, he also harbors the wounds of losing close friends over the course of his long life, including former JSA member Johnny Thunder.
In the comics, Thunderbolt is the 5th dimension jinn named Yz who resides in a pen given to Thunder. Together they embarked on many adventures and even thwarted the world-dominating ambitions of the Badhnesians by summoning Superman. However, Thunder’s control over Thunderbolt began to weaken during their time with the Justice Society and he eventually lost track of the pen that housed his friend shortly after developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The pen eventually came into the possession of a young African American boy named Jakeem Williams, who became Thunderbolt’s new companion and a member of the JSA.
While the first season of Stargirl debuted new episodes on DC Universe before airing them on The CW the next day, the network will now serve as the exclusive home of the series for its second season. DC Universe, on other hand, is in the midst of transitioning from a video-on-demand streaming service to a digital comics subscription service.
However, Stargirl won’t be joined by its former DC Universe contemporaries, including Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn, on The CW. Those shows will instead move to HBO Max for their upcoming seasons.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
