| “ | Eclipso is our king. The wrath of vengeance. The collector of souls. The heart of darkness. | ” |
— Eclipso's engraving[2]
| ||
Eclipso is a major antagonist in the The CW and DC Universe series, Stargirl.
He is a demonic entity of corruption and vengeance, trapped inside a black diamond. Brimming with a cold, terrifying darkness, he exploits the flaws of others, reveling in the impure and sinful, sadistically feeding off the dark side of humanity. Years after his defeat by the Golden Age Justice Society of America, Eclipso formed an alliance with Cindy Burman to take down the new JSA.
When he was released from his diamond, Eclipso betrayed Cindy and tortured the JSA with their worst fears. He planned to use Courtney and the Cosmic Staff to merge the Shadowlands with Earth to consume all of humanity. His dark plan culminated in a massive battle and his ultimate defeat.
Biography[]
The Shadowlands was created by the darkness within Humanity and gave birth to Eclipso, whose purpose was to feed on all the negative emotions that Humans felt. Being born from the evils of Humanity, Eclipso was classified as evil incarnate.[3]
Around 1820, two tribes on either side of Diablo Island fought for control of their home. One tribe summoned the evil entity of vengeance to weaponize against their enemies, sealing Eclipso inside a Black Diamond to weaponize him. Eclipso’s presence on the island eventually backfired. He preyed on the darkness of those who visited and consumed them once they embraced their darkness. Due to those who visited the island never returning, Diablo Island was removed from maps by 1832 to ensure no one suffered the same fate.
An explorer named Bruce Gordon rediscovered Diablo Island over a hundred years later, but when he arrived, everyone had been dead for decades. He found the Black Diamond and picked it up, which made him susceptible to the affects of Eclipso's powers.[4] He returned to the mainland and used Eclipso's influence to achieve fame as one of the greatest explorers in the world.
Eclipso taunts Bruce
Eventually, the price Bruce paid for fame and riches ruined the lives of his friends and colleagues. The mortal grew depressed and regretted his visit to the island. He blamed the dark entity for the damage done to those closest to him, but Eclipso rebuked this as it was Bruce's own desire for recognition that led to their suffering. It was far too late for Bruce to grow a conscience now, though Bruce remained steadfast in his decision to renounce Eclipso. Eclipso felt he was owed for the favors he'd granted Bruce and laughed at his weakness to give up the power by releasing the diamond.
His amusement turned to manipulation once again when Bruce pulled out a revolver and contemplated suicide. Eclipso promised to repair the damage and brought up Bruce's lost love, Nora. They could "get her back," if they killed her husband. Despite his fraudulence, every part of Nora would be his forever. He would even kill the man for Bruce. The only condition was that Bruce surrender complete control of his body to Eclipso. After much prodding a pushing, Bruce finally broke, dropped the gun and Eclipso took complete control over his body. At some point, Eclipso encountered and fought The Shade. While both survived, Eclipso left Shade fearing and despising the spiritual parasite.[5]
Eclipso used the form of Bruce as a ten-year-old boy to terrorize the world. Decades before 2020, he traveled to the small town of Melody Hills, Indiana to tempt his latest victim, Rebecca McNider. Rebecca was also the daughter of founding Justice Society of America member Dr. Charles McNider. Bruce approached Rebecca and introduced himself as someone who just moved there. After she introduced herself, "Bruce" asked if she's like to go to Susie's party across from them with him, but she said her mother forbade her. Looking around, Eclipso pointed out that her mother wasn't around to see her leave, and continued to tempt her to follow her impulses. His manipulation worked and two ran over to Susie's house. As they observed the party from behind the fence, Eclipso encouraged Rebecca to take one of the presents that were on the front porch while everyone was inside, since Susie already received enough, while Rebecca didn't get anything.
Rebecca stole a package and hid behind the bushes to open it. She found a doll inside, though Eclipso made it appear as deformed and dirty. He made its eyes glow red which scared the girl. He transformed his skin color into a reflection of what his true form and shamed her for stealing the doll. He raised the Black Diamond, called her a "bad girl" and engulfed her in purple light. The attacked killed Rebecca and Eclipso vanished.[6]
JSA members Green Lantern, Spectre, Hawkman and Hawkgirl faced Eclipso and lost, with Eclipso then vowing to come after the JSA’s families. After receiving information from the Shade that killing Eclipso’s host would send him back into the diamond, Starman, Wildcat, and Hourman decided to kill Bruce Gordon.
The Demon was confronted by the JSA at Bruce's castle, where Starman delivered the fatal blow that killed Bruce and returned Eclipso to the diamond. As Starman returned to Stripsey's car, he placed the diamond in a box for safety.[5]
At some point, William Zarick, also known by his villainous counterpart The Wizard, came into possession of the diamond containing Eclipso. It can be assumed that The Wizard knew what Eclipso was and what he was capable of, as he hid it in his storage unit in Blue Valley, Nebraska and never touched it.[7]
Series[]
Season 1[]
Cindy finds Eclipso
Decades later, Cindy Burman visits former Injustice Society of America member William Zarick's storage unit and begins to tear it apart looking for the black diamond. She eventually finds the box containing the diamond and shines her flashlight on it, illuminating it blue. Finally free, Eclipso sinisterly laughed as Cindy commented on seeing him inside his prison.[7]
Season 2[]
In the present day, Cindy visits the Injustice Society's former headquarters and removes the diamond from her purse, a purple hue emitting from the stone. A deep voice comes from the diamond, stating that he's ready to serve her. She agrees but they have some recruiting to do first.[6]
Cindy returns to her house to find Bobbie Burman celebrating her freedom. Cindy is saddened that her mother changed the locks on the house and holds up the black diamond. As the diamond glows, Bobbie's left eye turns black and glows in response. Throughout the next day, Bobbie is haunted by Eclipso's voice telling her she won't ever escape Cindy. Eclipso taunts that she almost had her old life back before Cindy came back and ruined her chances of freedom. She holds up a knife and sees a reflection of images from before her abduction in the blade. Eclipso appears in the reflection and tells Bobbie to kill Cindy as it's the only way she'll ever be free of the girl. Her eye glows black in response. That night, Bobbie attacks Cindy when she gets home, despite knowing that Cindy is much more powerful than her. Eclipso takes control of Cindy’s body and conjures up a diamond. He calls Bobbie sinful and corrupted. He pulls Bobbie's life essence into the diamond and then her whole body, until nothing remains but a pile of ash. Cindy fights free from Eclipso’s hold and he remarks that he had to take control to protect her. She protests that she can protect herself. She asks what he did to Bobbie and he admits that he fed off Bobbie's hatred, desperation, and corrupt soul. Cindy tells him that she's in control and threatens to put him back in the box if he doesn't behave. He concedes that he's only here to serve. Cindy emotionally states that she didn't want Bobbie to die.[8]
In the days the follow, Cindy prepares to recruit members for her new team Injustice Unlimited. She scolds Eclipso for his recent murder, but he believes her lingering trauma from the death of her biological mother is the reason she's upset. He projects a hallucination of Cindy's mother but she forces him to send it away. She threatens to throw his stone in the deepest ocean if he ever tries something like that again. Eclipso submits that he's there to serve her. He then conjures a version of the Injustice Unlimited where the ISA portrait is, assuring her that their goals are the same. That afternoon, Cindy uses Eclipso to make Artemis hallucinate S.W.A.T. agents preparing to assassinate her parents who had recently escaped prison. Artemis lashes out and attacks who she believes are S.W.A.T. agents, though in reality, she attacks Brian Tanner Balloid and Courtney Whitmore.
Meanwhile, Courtney learns from former ISA member The Shade, that Eclipso murder Dr. Charles McNider/Dr. Mid-Nite's ten-year-old daughter Rebecca. Determined to learn more about the ominous villain, Courtney and the JSA do research the old-fashioned way; through books. They learn that the diamond itself is from Diablo Island, a now-forgotten island in the Pacific Ocean. It was removed from maps by 1832, as those who visited never returned. According to legend, there were two waring tribes living on either side of the island. One tribe summoned an evil entity of vengeance trapping it inside the black diamond.[4]
When Cindy fails to recruit Cameron Mahkent into her new team, she purposefully bumps into Blue Valley High art teacher Paul Deisinger. Deisinger suddenly starts hearing Eclipso’s voice in his head claiming to be his muse. Paul beings to experience a bad cough and ends his class early, only to discover he's coughing up paint. Eclipso covers Paul's eyes in a paint-tinted film which inspires Paul as he sees what he needs to paint. He is then forced into painting the black diamond all over the walls of the art room. When the JSA tracks the recent storms caused by Eclipso’s power to its epicenter at the school, they are shocked to discover the art rooms walls covered in paint. The paintings around the room are of a black diamond. Stargirl is horrified when a horrific face protrudes from the wall before spiraling up the wall in a tentacle of black paint. The group is overcome by painted images of their fears and regrets, the images overcoming their minds as their eyes glaze over. Stargirl is unaffected and confronts a possessed Deisinger covered in an organic paint like substance. Stargirl is able to free him by using the light of the cosmic staff to overcome Eclipso’s darkness.[9]
The Justice Society of America fights against Injustice Unlimited in the cafeteria of Blue Valley High School, a fight that leaves the Injustice Unlimited depleted. Shiv demands they continue fighting, but her team is depleted. Shiv decides to do this herself and removes The Black Diamond, holding it up menacingly. Suddenly, The Shade arrives in a wall of shadows that surrounds the JSA and protects them from the light of the diamond. Shade warns Cindy that she has no idea of the power inside the diamond. She knows what she's doing but he scoffs that if she knew what it truly was she wouldn't be using it in a petty teenage rivalry. He instructs her to give him the diamond, triggering Eclipso to take control of Cindy's body, much to her screams to stop. As Shade battles with Eclipso, Stargirl takes charge and attacks using the Cosmic Staff, against Shade's warnings. Eclipso relishes in the incoming attack. When the staff touches the diamond, it causes the diamond to shatter and Eclipso is set free. The blast causes everyone to fall to the ground, and Eclipso rises in his true form.
Cindy realizes Eclipso tricked her and tries to attack him. Eclipso grabs Cindy's wrists, and sneers that they used each other. He tears out one of Cindy's blades from her wrist and throws it at Isaac Bowin, impaling him in the stomach, then throws Cindy against the wall. Eclipso approaches Isaac and relished in the impurities that he senses. Eclipso then absorbs Isaac's soul, turning his body into ash. Cindy gets back up, and demands Eclipso remember that she's the only reason he's here. She threatens that she should have kept him in the box she found him and starts to attack. Eclipso causally throws a piece of the shattered diamond at Cindy's feet, and it opens a black portal that pulls Cindy into it. The Shade antagonizes and attacks Eclipso, who walks through Shade's shadow wall, angrily reminding Shade that his powers come from Eclipso's homeland. He impales Shade with his claws, calling him human, before throwing him aside into the air. Shade teleports away as a result. Stargirl then attacks Eclipso with the Cosmic staff. He grabs hold of the staff and while it appears to hurt him, he drains the staff of its light and pushes Courtney to the ground. Eclipso then runs out into the night in an animalistic way, disappearing once he's outdoors. As he stalks the streets of Blue Valley, Eclipso feels the impurities around him. He then transforms into the ten-year-old form of Bruce Gordon as he stands on main street, holding his arms out as he laughs creepily.[10]
Now in the form of a seemingly harmless little boy, Eclipso visits Richie's Diner on July 3rd, where he watches a rude customer harass Yolanda and Maria. Maria's eye glows purple as Eclipso's hold takes affect, and she pours hot coffee on the customer's shoulder, scalding the pain in intense pain. Maria is sent home for the day despite needing the income to care for her ill mother. Yolanda watches the scene unfold and turns to see the ten-year-old boy, bending over to say that was pretty scary. The boy merely nods and Yolanda gets a lollipop for the boy, with Eclipso accepting the gesture with a smile. Yolanda looks away for a moment to watch Maria leave, and by the time she looks back, Eclipso is gone. Throughout the day, Yolanda experiences hallucinations of Brainwave and her dead ex-boyfriend. Yolanda believes it is punishment for the role she played in Brainwave's death, that the telepath is haunting her or has managed to transfer his conscious mind into hers. Courtney, however, believes that Eclipso is behind the torment. Either way, Yolanda retires as Wildcat, leaving the JSA down a member. That night, Bruce stands outside Beth Chapel's house and stares at her window, marking her as his next target.[11]
Eclipso begins his wave of attacks on the JSA by targeting Beth and Rick Tyler. On July 4th, Rick continues to feed a hiding Solomon Grundy in the woods near Blue Valley. He begins to grow closer to the creature, and when he leaves the woods, he hears over the radio that the town has started a manhunt for the bear in the woods. Trucks with hunters begin to fill the streets. Rick panics and grabs the hourglass before running into the woods after Grundy. He calls Pat and Courtney to franticly tell them that he needs their help protecting Grundy. He stops running at the sight of two hunters - one who is injured. They are frightened as the thing in the woods isn't a bear but some kind of creature, and with the ten-year-old girl missing from her parents backyard, the hunters are more determined than ever to kill the beast. Rick runs to the riverbank where he finds Grundy standing by the river, his hands covered in blood, the body of the young girl floating in the water. Rick screams that he's a monster and is going to kill him. He pursues Grundy while Pat and Courtney try to help the girl, only for her to open her eyes and vanish with a menacing laugh. The girl was the body of Rebecca McNider. Courtney and Pat realize that Eclipso is behind this and track Rick to the Harris farm, where they find Rick pounding on Grundy. Courtney tries to get him to stop but he's intent on killing the creature, throwing Grundy into the truck so Rick can continue his assaults'. Courtney blasts Rick with a weakened Cosmic Staff, yelling that it isn't Grundy. Rick stands and is horrified as he realizes his assaults were against his human uncle Matt Harris, who is leaning against the truck unconscious and covered in blood. Rick is overcome with emotion as he rips the hourglass off his neck and drops it on the ground. The artifact shatters and the powder inside lands in a pile. Rick is taken into police custody while Courtney and Pat are left powerless to help him or Matt.
Simultaneously, Beth deals with the emotional ramifications of her parents potential divorce. Beth's parents arrive home early from work with food to talk with her about their impending divorce. Things start off okay, with the couple completing each other's sentences and thoughts. But things begin to take a dark turn as Bridget admits that she and James drifted apart because of Beth. Beth is hurt by the revelations and looks down at her sandwich, which is crawling with worms. She pushes it off the table and is reprimanded by her parents for her behavior. Beth runs to Courtney's house where she sees Eclipso in the form of a young Bruce Gordon. Eclipso holds Dr. Mid-Nite's goggles and accuses Beth of stealing them. He taunts her over the fact that no one chose her to be Dr. Mid-Nite, not even her own parents. Beth demands he give the goggles back, but Eclipso runs off with them. Beth chases Eclipso through the house and when he suddenly appears behind her, she realizes his true identity as Eclipso and not Bruce.
As Eclipso continues to taunt Beth, he tries to make her doubt herself, and throws out a racist insult. Beth calls him out on it, and Eclipso roars, sealing Beth in the closet. He opens the closet and she falls into the JSA headquarters where Starman, Wildcat, and Hourman reject her. Eclipso taunts that she's the only thing that doesn't fit - she's the wrong age, wrong gender, and even the wrong color. As Eclipso taunts Beth from the shadows for being afraid, Beth asks him why he she's the one hiding then, and asks him what he is scared of. This prompts Eclipso to emerge in his true form as he yells that he is scared of nothing. He grabs Beth and continues to taunt her to make her afraid. Beth snaps that she chose herself and yanks the goggles from Eclipso's claws. She tells him that she chose herself and she loves being black. She puts on the goggles, causing Eclipso to vanish. Beth realizes she's still in her home, and wonders when she came home. Charles McNider contacts Beth through the goggles and explains that she never left her home - it was all an illusion created by Eclipso. He warns her not to take off the goggles as it will allow her to see through Eclipso's illusions. When talking with her mom, Beth also realizes her initial talk with parents was part of Eclipso's mind games, and they never blamed her for their divorce.[12]
Eclipso targeted the Whitmore-Dugan family next. He tormented Pat Dugan with visions of Rebecca McNider's funeral, and later, an adult Bruce Gordon who threatens to shoot at Pat. Eclipso made Barbara Whitmore believe her car stalled and froze over with a hallucination of Jordan Mahkent having returned to harm her and her family. She was able to shake free of the illusions with help from The Shade, who convinced her that it wasn't real. Eclipso also tormented Pat's son Mike Dugan with a vision of Jordan's son, Cameron Mahkent. using cryokinetic powers like his father to try and kill Mike in revenge for his father's accidental death at Mike's hand. In the vision, Cameron kills Mike's dog Buddy in front of him for retribution. Courtney pulls Mike out of his vision by placing his hand on the Cosmic Staff, an act she repeats with a hallucinating Pat. That night, Pat ultimately confessed to Courtney that the JSA killed Bruce to try and stop Eclipso. The secret served as a betrayal for Courtney who had trusted Pat to tell her everything. The family erupted into an argument while Eclipso watched from the outside as a young Bruce Gordon, laughing gleefully at the chaos he created.[5]
After Jennie-Lynn Hayden used the power of the Green Lantern ring to fuse the black diamond together, Eclipso appeared in his true form and retrieved it, as the fixed diamond served as a summons for Eclipso. Pat tried to hit him with a wrench, but Eclipso knocked him into a column with ease. Courtney tried to fight back with the Cosmic staff, but it was still too weak. Jennie blasted Eclipso with the ring and succeeded in stalling him, but she was eventually knocked to the side. He then told Courtney "to the shadows with you", and threw the diamond at Courtney's feet. A black vortex appeared under her feet and formed tentacles that latched onto her wrists and ankle. She was ultimately sucked into the vortex while Eclipso vanished, leaving Pat and Jennie behind.[13]
With Courtney in The Shadowlands, Eclipso has full access to her mind and tries to implant illusions that will play off her dark side. When his first few attempts with illusions failed, Eclipso intervenes himself. He takes control of The Shadowlands to ask Courtney if she wants to play a game. In the form of a young Bruce, he shows her Yolanda, broken and alone on her bed because Courtney recruited her into the JSA. Courtney refuses to play his game and tries to escape the illusion, but he pulls her into another. This time, he shows her Rick in a jail cell. He taunts that the monster is in a cage now because of her. She snaps back that this is Eclipso's doing, not hers. He realizes her true feelings towards him and tries to bait her into admitting her hatred for him. She refuses and tries to leave again, this time, walking into an illusion of the Whitmore-Dugan House.
Eclipso, as Bruce, appears on the steps and gloats over having hurt her family, friends, and everyone she cares for. He compliments her locket as he knows it came from her estranged father. She claims she's past the hurt he inflicted, but Eclipso knows that isn't the truth. In fact, he knows she feels the same way about both Sam and himself. After all, they both hurt Courtney in similar ways. He continues to goad Courtney while asking how she truly feels about him. Each time stepping closer and closer to her, until she finally admits in a whisper that she hates him. He gives her a twisted smile and vanishes.[3]
As the JSA prepares for their fight against Eclipso, Beth and Dr. McNider join forces. They plan to use the goggles to find Eclipso, but need a bigger server as they need more computing power to find him. She takes him to The American Dream since the ISA's headquarters are located beneath the building and should provide the power they need. When they arrive, they unknowingly walk into a trap laid by Eclipso. Bruce smirks at McNider as he hopes that he isn't still mad that Eclipso killed his daughter, clearly trying to bait him. Beth steps forward to say she's already sent a trouble alert to the rest of the team. He is happy as his plan to find the darkness within Courtney only works if they're all together. Simultaneously, Jennie is inflicted with residue from the portal to The Shadowlands, which gave her visions of Eclipso's true plan - to control both light and darkness. She saw him possess Courtney's body, wield the Cosmic Staff, and kill all of her friends and family.[14]
The JSA and Cindy confront Eclipso in his Bruce disguise, who conjures up illusions of Ted Grant, a young Cindy, and Pat. While Pat fights his doppelgänger, Cindy fights her younger self, and Yolanda fights Ted Grant; Courtney keeps trying to blast Eclipso, who keeps vanishing. Eclipso confesses to Courtney his plan to merge the Shadowlands and the earth so that he can feed on all of humanity's darkness at once and become a god. Eclipso also reveals he has Beth's parents trapped in a shadowy illusion that'll lead to them killing each other. Beth uses her goggles see Eclipso in his true form coming up behind Courtney. Courtney blasts him, and all the illusions disappear, including the Bruce one. Cindy, Courtney, and Yolanda then battle Eclipso. As Eclipso continued to fend off the JSA, he is attacked by the Mike piloting S.T.R.I.P.E., and Jakeem sending the Thunderbolt at him. Eclipso overpowers the Thunderbolt and flings it back at S.T.R.I.P.E, causing it to short circuit. Eclipso is confronted by a powerless Rick who calls on Solomon Grundy to fight Eclipso.
After a brief struggle, Eclipso blasts a hole through Grundy, killing him, and knocks Rick to the ground unconscious. Eclipso then grabs Pat and takes him hostage. Courtney demands Eclipso let him go, but Eclipso threatens to kill Pat if she doesn't tell him how she truly feels about him. Eclipso goads Courtney until she screams out that she hates him.
Eclipso grabs Courtney, turns into pure darkness and possesses her. Eclipso now controls both darkness and light (via the Cosmic Staff), and begins to merge the Shadowlands and the earth. Cindy and Yolanda try to get the staff away from Courtney, but fail until "Starman", the original owner of the staff shows up. He helps Courtney fight off Eclipso's influence, throwing him from her body.
Eclipso is then cornered by all of his enemies and the Crock family, who have come to help. He is then blasted by the Cosmic Staff (wielded by Courtney and "Sylvester"), the Green Lantern Ring (wielded by Jennie), and the Thunderbolt on Jakeem's orders. Eclipso is ultimately turned into toast, which is what Jakeem had inadvertently ordered the Thunderbolt to do. Jakeem then picks up Eclipso in his burnt toast form, and Yolanda asks what they should do with him. Rick says to put him someplace safe.[15]
Personality[]
Described as pure evil with no regard for life, Eclipso is the most dangerous foe the Justice Society of America has ever faced. As an extra-dimensional demon, he brims with a darkness that he brings to everyone he comes into contact with. He manipulates, controls, and kills anyone he deems sinful. As an entity of vengeance, Eclipso searches for those who have done wrong so that he can punish them by slowly corrupting their minds until they either harm themselves or others. He is patient in the way that only someone untouched by time could be; he waits for the perfect opportunity to strike or enact his plan. He has also been shown to kill children without hesitation to get what he wants. Eclipso's irreverent cruelty extended far enough for him to throw racist barbs at Beth in an attempt to undermine her confidence.
Physical Appearance[]
Eclipso is an essence trapped inside a small diamond that appeared to be blue in Cindy's flashlight. When Cindy first picked it up it seemed to be a diamond with a black center, however, when she called it "Eclipso" a blue mist appeared inside the diamond. When he assumes control of Cindy's body, half of her face turns black with veins sprawling across the other side. Her eyes turned blood red.
In his natural form, Eclipso is of human semblance with gray skin that is marred with scars and indents from his many wars. He has hooked ears and a large nose. His most striking facial features are his bright red eyes, which are paired with a sinister smirk. He wears an ancient tunic with battle-armored shoulders, has large pieces of leather wrapped around his arms, and burgundy gloves. The leather on his arms stretches down over his knuckles, and certain pieces have runic symbols engraved on them. He wears gold rings on all ten fingers. The front of his tunic is textured in a wave but also appears slightly shredded. Around his neck, he wears a large amulet with a stone setting. Over his head is a burgundy hood.
Powers[]
| “ | Everything that I've done, hurting you and your family, throwing you into the Shadowlands, the assault tonight. All to help the darkness within you grow, one thread of hatred is all I needed. I've got my hooks in you now, because you have chosen to embrace the darkness. | ” |
— Eclipso to Courtney about his powers in "Summer School: Chapter Thirteen"
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- Soul Absorption: Eclipso consumes corrupted or troubled souls, and with each soul, his powers grow stronger. He seeks out a target and then inhales their soul through his mouth, relishing on the essences that he has consumed. This leaves his victims as piles of ash.
- Darkness Detection: Eclipso can sense the inner darkness within souls of people brought into his presence, allowing him to identify which targets to feed on.
- Hypnosis: Eclipso has the ability to hypnotize his victims when the diamond is raised to the wielders right eye. The glow from the diamond places his victims in a deep trance, making them highly suggestible. This allows Eclipso to directly influence their minds. He was able to use this ability this without the diamond, as he did to the Richie's Diner waitress, Maria. However, after being freed from the diamond, this hypnotic ability is no longer his primary power.
- Telepathy: Eclipso has telepathic abilities that he uses to influence, control, and manipulate his victims. His telepathic powers appear to be stronger than those of Brainwave’s as shown when he was influencing the minds of several people at once all without being anywhere near them, whereas Brainwave had to be within the person’s proximity.
- Mental Illusion Casting: Once his victims have been placed under his influence, Eclipso can use telepathy to create, shape and manipulate his victims minds to see what he wants them to see. These mental illusions can be used as distractions, causing the target to lash out or feel inclined to act in a way they normally wouldn't. For example, Eclipso made Artemis Crock believe that S.W.A.T. agents were about to murder her parents, which triggered Artemis to react aggressively and attack one of the agents. The agent was actually a surprised Courtney Whitmore. When his hallucinations pass, his victims are left confused as to what happened or why they acted that way. He can use this power on multiple people at once, driving a group of his enemies to suffer the mental hallucinations of their worst nightmares. These hallucinations appear as real as anything else and are not limited to the visual, but vanish the second he's finished with them. He also uses this power to project a less threatening version of himself in the form of a young Bruce Gordon. The child appearance gives his enemies pause and allows him to move undetected.
- Subliminal Messaging: Eclipso has the unique ability to implant his thoughts into another person, making them believe the thoughts they are having are their own. Once he implants his messaging, he can manipulate how the victim sees their surroundings to better force the victim to act out his will.
- Fear Projection: The ability to sense the greatest fear of someone and make them believe their fears are coming true. Eclipso used this power on Bobbie Burman, preying on her fear that she would never escape Cindy. He also sensed the fears of Wildcat, Hourman, and Doctor Mid-Nite to carefully select the right mental hallucinations to make them suffer.
- Possession: Eclipso has the power to possess humans. When Cindy became threatened by Bobbie Burman, he possessed Cindy and killed Bobbie. When Eclipso’s powers grew, he could possess people without the need of the Black Diamond, such as Paul Deisinger. During the JSA's final battle against Eclipso, he forced Courtney to say out loud that she hates him, thereby embracing her inner darkness and allowing Eclipso to get his hooks in her and possess her body, which also allowed him to wield the Cosmic Staff.
- Dark Energy Manipulation: Eclipso can generate and manipulate blasts of dark energy, as he did at The American Dream when he charged at the JSA and blasted them back with a shockwave. He also did this to blast a hole through Solomon Grundy, killing the beast.
- Superhuman Strength: Eclipso has superhuman strength that allows him to inflict serious damage on others, beyond the scope of normal strength. He tore one of Shiv's retractable wrist blades out of her body, and lifted her off her feet with ease. He also caught the cosmic staff in mid-air with no difficulty, and threw the Shade a considerable distance. Eclipso's offhanded backhand flung Rick with enough force against a column that it actually broke one of the boy's ribs, when none of Artemis' attacks, whom Rick fought beforehand, seemed to deliver. When Pat tried to attack him, he sent him flying into a wall just by lightly hitting him. Eclipso later kicked a concrete cupola off The American Dream's roof. He was even able to block an attack from Solomon Grundy, and send the giant beast flying by hitting it away.
- Superhuman Speed: He has the ability to move at an inhuman speed. This was first seen when he escaped BVHS on all fours, smashing through the cafeteria doors in the process. He used this ability again when he scaled The American Dream building.
- Superhuman Durability: Eclipso's durability against otherwise lethal attacks is one of his greater attributes, allowing him to stay alive in otherwise deadly situations. He survived a full attack by S.T.R.I.P.E., multiple blasts by the Cosmic Staff, and blasts from Jennie's ring. He was also relatively unphased by a giant chainsaw tearing at his body, showing that he is not only durable, but also heals at an accelerated rate. He also survived multiple lacerations by Wildcat, Shiv and Solomon Grundy.
- Teleportation: Eclipso is able to teleport from one place to another through unknown means. When Jennie-Lynn Hayden reconstituted the black diamond with the power of her ring, it summoned Eclipso. He immediately vanished in a puff of smoke when he threw the diamond at Courtney's feet and sent her to the Shadowlands. He also teleported around The American Dream to confuse the JSA when they came for him, and finally, when he crossed a great distance to choke Courtney. He seems able to vanish and reappear in the blink of an eye.
- Weather Manipulation: While not an entirely conscious power, Eclipso's very presence brings out the darkness in others and the area that he inhabits. Blue Valley, Nebraska suffered an usually dreary Summer due to Eclipso's presence. They were the only city in the state to have such weather. The JSA were ultimately able to track Eclipso, while he was inside the diamond, through the electrical interference his presence caused. Once he was released, however, he was no longer capable of being tracked this way. However, his presence still forced the residents into stormy weather.
- Astronomical Manipulation: When Eclipso was freed from the black diamond, a lunar eclipse appeared in the sky that many residents of Blue Valley witnessed. The eclipse ended when Eclipso fled following his confrontation with the JSA and The Shade. Another lunar eclipse appeared the night Eclipso attempted to merge the earth with the Shadowlands. It is unknown if the lunar eclipse was a conscious action on Eclipso's part.
Abilities[]
- Master Martial Artist: Eclipso is a highly skilled fighter, as he easily defeated every member of the original and new JSA in unarmed combat, while his opponents had weapons.
Weaknesses[]
- Light: Because Eclipso is a being of darkness and despair, the counter opposite of his powers is light. The light from the Cosmic Staff physically annoyed Eclipso and left him in a weakened state. This weakness was present again when Jennie-Lynn Hayden used her green energy to push Eclipso backward. Similar to the staff, Eclipso was affected by the light but pushed through the light to knock Jennie aside. The lightning of Thunderbolt also was able to exploit this, visibly affecting Eclipso more than most attacks and leaving him heavily sighing shortly after their brief fight. Thunderbolt was also one of the three people fighting Eclipso considered one who "commands the light".
- Thunderbolt: Although it was a team effort, Thunderbolt was the one who took down Eclipso in the end by turning him into toast; showing that despite how powerful Eclipso is, he’s still susceptible to the reality warping powers of the Thunderbolt.
Appearances[]
| Stargirl | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ★ | ||||||||||||
| Season 2 | ★ | ★ | M | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
| Season 3 | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M |
Notes and Trivia[]
- Eclipso has a starring role in Season 2 of Stargirl, though the role is held by four different actors; Meg DeLacy, Milo Stein, Nick Tarabay, and Brec Bassinger.
- This is the first time that Eclipso appears in any live action media.
- The Black Diamond contained Eclipso until it was shattered by the Cosmic Staff, ruining The Shade's plan to throw it in the deepest and darkest part of the ocean.
- Those who are under the effects of Eclipso are recognizable by either a purple glow in their right eye, or half their face being eclipsed in darkness.
- Eclipso has shown some characteristics of an animal. When he was freed from the diamond, he not only smelled the air like a wolf picking up a scent, but when he escaped the school, he fled on all fours.
- He also has a few similarities with Freddy Krueger from the horror series A Nightmare on Elm Street. They are both dark powerful killers with horrid disfigured skin who sadistically torment the innocent of a town (the children of Springwood for Freddy, the young heroes of Blue Valley for Eclipso) and become more powerful by consuming the souls of their victims. Additionally, both of them wear distinctive hats and are connected in some capacity to mysterious dimensions eerily similar to the real world.
- Unlike Freddy, Eclipso has full access to his abilities in the real world though he is forced to rely on a host while being trapped inside the black diamond.
- Eclipso served as the main antagonist of Season 2 of Stargirl.
Comic Comparisons[]
- Eclipso was the first incarnation of the Spirit of Wrath who went rogue. Sealed inside the Heart of Darkness, he could possess those that came into contact with it, most famously Bruce Gordon.
- Eclipso is the spirit of God's wrath who fell to become an agent of chaos. He possesses others to carry out his nefarious deeds.
- Eclipso is responsible for the deaths of Yolanda Montez and Beth Chapel. After Eclipso killed Yolanda, Alexander "Alex" Montez gathered the 1000 shards of the black diamond in order to destroy Eclipso to avenge his cousin.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Beth remarks that they didn't kill Eclipso, but did change his physical form to something non-threatening, while Pat said that Eclipso has been destroyed. However, when the Thunderbolt explained the rules of wishes he could grant, he stated that he can't grant wishes for someone to die. Thus, reinforcing the implication that Eclipso is still alive.
- ↑ The wording engraved on his cloak and suit were translated by the concept artist and can be found here
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Summer School: Chapter Eleven"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Summer School: Chapter Four"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Summer School: Chapter Nine"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Summer School: Chapter One"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Two"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Five"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Six"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Seven"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Eight"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Ten"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Twelve"
- ↑ "Summer School: Chapter Thirteen"











































