Stargirl scores Arrowverse crossover as old-school Flash Jay Garrick zooms into S2

When Stargirl heads back to The CW this spring for its sophomore season, Courtney Whitmore won’t just be coming back to defend Earth-2.  She’ll also be making her official debut as part of the ever-expanding Arrowverse, thanks to a reported crossover that’ll bridge the distance between worlds with a speedy, old-school DC character.

Yep, The Flash is reportedly set to race to Stargirl’s side in Season 2, though we’re not talking about Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen. With Crisis on Infinite Earths making whole new planets worth of room for more much-needed superheroes, Arrowverse veteran John Wesley Shipp is set to speed onto the Stargirl set for a guest appearance that, via Entertainment Weekly, will serve as the fledgling series' first official link to The CW’s wider DC universe.

The CW

Shipp, who played Barry Allen back in the 1990s for CBS’ two-season series run of The Flash, will appear in the 9th episode of the upcoming season, though he’ll reportedly be reprising his more recent Arrowverse appearance as Jay Garrick — DC’s most senior version of the lightning-fast hero. The specific circumstances of Garrick’s arrival in Stargirl's evolving story haven’t been revealed yet. But given the show's high-school setting, Garrick’s traditional role in DC lore as a mentor to younger heroes makes his crossover to Earth-2 seem like a natural fit.

EW reports that Garrick’s appearance will come “in a pivotal flashback episode” that frames “the Golden Age Flash as a member of Earth-2's Justice Society of America,” adding (via an official statement from The CW) that the milestone Arrowverse crossover will “officially bring Stargirl [Brec Bassinger] into CW's post-Crisis CWverse alongside The Flash, Superman & Lois, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Supergirl, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.”

Call it a hunch, but we’re guessing it’ll only be the first character crossover of many more, once Stargirl's story beats start linking up with the rest of the post-Crisis Arrowverse.

Of course, Shipp’s wayback CBS role, as well as his turn as the Scarlet Speedster at The CW the past few years, aren’t his only Flash outings. His first Arrowverse appearance came all the way back in Season 1 of The Flash, where he showed up in a recurring role as Barry’s father, Henry Allen. He's since resurfaced as alt-universe Flash, aka the older hero Garrick, several times since.

Stargirl comics creator and series EP Geoff Johns teased at last year’s NYCC that Courtney’s superhero support crew was set to grow bigger in Season 2, saying “Stargirl needs her team, and her team needs her.” While there’re certain to be more surprises in store as Season 2 kicks off this spring, at least we now know that one of the biggest, most supportive heroes of all will be joining the new JSA (if only for a moment) to lend a speedy hand.

Watch for Stargirl to head back to class when Season 2, which hasn’t been given a firm premiere date, debuts this spring at The CW.