Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stargirl series finale “Chapter Thirteen: The Reckoning.” Read at your own risk!
Stargirl took its final bow at The CW, but not before resolving the big plot twist that Sylvester was actually a vessel for the Ultra-Humanite. Once that was resolved, the series took the chance to tie off a few loose ends and then jumped ten years into the future for what seemed like a scene that would serve as the perfect ending to three seasons of adventure. Then Jay Garrick came barging in from a portal and revealed to The Shade that he needed the JSA, and viewers saw an end card that read “Never The End.” That message could be a little confusing to some, so it’s a good thing creator Geoff Johns explained the finale’s emotional last message.
To make things clear right from the jump, Stargirl is still cancelled. With that said, the adventures continue as far as Geoff Johns is concerned, as he explained to TVLine the meaning of “Never The End” and why he went with that over “The End”:
It means a lot. In the world of the story it means that the JSA goes on forever. And these wonderful characters have great lives and their adventures continue. We were just able to present you with a handful of the early years. But they went on to become the world’s greatest superheroes. And then in the world of the viewers, it’s never the end because there are always the memories we have. There are always these episodes you can watch again. There are always these characters you fell in love with; they will always exist. And then it refers to the relationships we made creating the show, with the cast and the crew and the writers and the post-[production] team. I made my best friends making this show. It’s been the most amazing part of my career. And we all still talk and hang out and see each other, and that’s incredibly rare. Also, we wanted to be uplifting. And 'Never the End' is so much more uplifting than just ‘The End.’
That’s the kind of passionate response that should make any superhero fan sad to see this series end. With that said, Geoff Johns is absolutely right that there’s nothing stopping fans from rewatching Stargirl, made all the easier for those with an HBO Max subscription.
And while the prospects for Stargirl making a return aren’t great at the moment, the idea that things are “Never The End” for the JSA means that the adventures can continue down the road, even if not necessarily in another TV show. Comics, audiobooks, a podcast, and maybe even something in virtual reality could happen. "Never The End" means no limits to the imagination.
Although it may be a tad upsetting to see Stargirl go out with Geoff Johns’ inspirational message that Brec Bassinger’s character and others can go on forever, at least it had a chance to wrap things up as best it could. Legends of Tomorrow didn’t get that opportunity, and now fans can only look back at the ending in which the Legends were arrested.
Stargirl instead went with the series finale that kept the door open for new adventures but also doled out enough information to confirm the JSA is doing well in the future and became some of the greatest heroes the world has ever known. Oh, and Rick and Beth were going to get married, which was pretty exciting to hear!
Back in the show’s normal timeline, Stargirl revealed Ultra-Humanite was functionally brain-dead. Pat and Courtney decided to keep Sylvester’s body on life support in the event they ever found his real brain down the line. It was then revealed that Sylvester’s brain was still intact and stashed away in a remote location unknown to the heroes. Kind of creepy, but ultimately good to know he could return if there ever is a follow-up adventure. After all, the end card said, “Never The End.”
Stargirl is done at The CW, not too long before the last Arrowverse show standing returns for its last round of episodes. The ninth and final season of The Flash is on the way with the premiere on Wednesday, February 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Here’s hoping it’ll have just as satisfying a finale as Stargirl, which could be hard considering it already aired its original idea for a finale.
