Sometimes the best part about superhero movies and TV shows is the villains. Stargirl, created and produced by Geoff Johns, is full of fantastic superheroes and villains alike. In season one, which aired last year, Brainwave is one of the main evildoers Stargirl and company face. Learn more about Brainwave/Henry King Sr. below.
Who is Henry King Sr.?
Henry King Sr. is a neurosurgeon at the local hospital in Blue Valley, and he is the father of Henry King Jr., a student at Blue Valley High. After Henry King Sr. learns from his son that his car was blown up by some kind of staff, he gets out his old gear from his Brainwave days.
Henry King Sr. gave himself psionic powers by performing a series of experiments on himself after his institution deemed they were too dangerous to perform on others. They eventually gave him the ability to read other’s thoughts, which also gave him intense migraines. He later realized that he also has the ability to control other people’s minds and manipulate what they see and think.
He struggles after hearing other people’s thoughts all day, as he realizes that other people think horrible things all the time. He goes so far as to say that, “People are monsters. I hate them,” and he finds some relief in killing others.
Who is Brainwave?
Brainwave is Henry King Sr.’s alter ego, and he wears a dark green suit when he takes on this persona. He uses the powers that he acquired from past experiments to harm and kill others. His telepathy powers help him hear what other people think, and his mentokinesis abilities let him manipulate other people’s realities.
He can also make others hallucinate, and inflict pain just by focusing. He can defend himself with a force field and capture even more power from other people. Henry Sr. believes that killing others makes his powers stronger, which is part of his motivation for ending other people’s lives.
Brainwave is a part of the Injustice Society of America.
What is the ISA?
The Injustice Society of America, or ISA, is a group of supervillains that seek to wreak havoc on Blue Valley and the world at large. The ISA also contains other villains like Dragon King, Icicle, and Soloman Grundy, and they are largely responsible for killing several members of the Justice Society of America ten years earlier.
The ISA was brought together by Icicle, as he sought to remake the United States of America through his program, Project New America. The project’s goal was to control the minds of millions of people and force them to adopt their belief system, stripping them of free will. The claim is that this program would eliminate climate change and reduce other societal problems, but about 25 million people would die in the process.
Where to Watch ‘Stargirl’
You can watch Stargirl for free on The CW website, or you can stream it on HBO Max or YouTube TV with a paid membership. There is also the option to purchase individual episodes or entire seasons on Amazon, Google Play, and Apple TV.
