What Does Stargirl's Costume Tell Us About the Justice Society on DC's Legends of Tomorrow?

Though it was only onscreen for a few moments, Stargirl's costume for DC's Legends of Tomorrow may [...]

By Russ Burlingame

jsofa-26 copy

Though it was only onscreen for a few moments, Stargirl's costume for DC's Legends of Tomorrow may have given us a significant clue as to how The CW will handle the Justice Society of America when they show up in the second season of the show.

Seen swinging her Cosmic Staff at some Nazis, Stargirl appears to be wearing actual tights in the 30-second TV spot where she's first featured. While her mask and gloves appear to be some kind of rubberized or polymer substance, the notion of a CW superhero wearing plain ol' spandex (or whatever the World War II equivalent of it is, since Spandex was invented in 1958) is kind of unprecedented.

Dating back to Smallville and carrying through Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow, the ideal superhero outfit seems to be vinyl or leather. That's how Stargirl looked when Britt Irvin played her on Smallville, and how other members of the Justice Society -- including Doctor Fate, who played a significant role in the episode "Absolute Justice" -- dressed as well.

Of course, colorful leather, vinyl, or plastic costumes would likely be an anachronism if, as increasingly seems to be the case, the Justice Society of America are functioning during World War II, before many of those things were invented and/or commonplace. We've seen attempts in the past to be somewhat historically-accurate when the team went to the Old West or to Ancient Egypt; could Stargirl's wardrobe (which also features long sleeves and, unless I missed it, a full shirt rather than a halter top, which might be indicative of clothing meant to be less objectionable in the '40s) not only be a reflection on Stargirl but on the creative direction of the show and the overall look of the Justice Society?

Hourman-JSA
(Photo: The CW/Warner Bros. Television)

When Rex Tyler, Hourman, showed up in the finale of Legends of Tomorrow's first season, as seen above, he didn't have much in the way of a costume to give us any ideas. It seemed to be black leather, which could have been something from any modern era. The fact that he had been on board a timeship moments before also meant that his clothes could have been from anywhere or anywhen. But so far, we haven't seen Obsidian or Dr. Mid-Nite, the other two previously-announced JSA members, who might provide some insight as to the overall look and feel of the team.

Season Two of DC's Legends of Tomorrow will team the crew of the Waverider with the Justice Society of America. Headquartered during World War II but traveling through time, the group will face off with the Legion of Doom -- Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough, the Arrow Season 4 villain), Eobard Thawne (Matthew Letscher, The Flash's Season 1 villain), Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman, who never leaves Arrow for more than a couple of episodes), and Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller, who appeared in the first seasons of both The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow).

The series will debut on October 13 and will air on The CW at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Thursdays.

Trending Now: