I thought Young Justice and its second season Young Justice: Invasion were among the best superhero animated shows of all time, but it was unceremoniously canceled even though Invasion ended in a cliffhanger. I was among the legion of passionate fans that clamored for Warner Bros. to allow the creative team to continue. Those prayers were answered with the launch of the DC Universe streaming service. The show returned for a third season, Young Justice: Outsiders.
And it SUCKED. I wound up hate-watching the entire season. Then, DC Universe was scrapped as the streaming wars amped up, and an expensive service that only offered mostly old shows and movies based on DC Comics (and not even ALL of them) was found pretty unappealing. But most of the original programs were ported over to the more inclusive and expansive HBO Max and that included Young Justice.
The fourth season, Young Justice: Phantoms, carries on the story, with the focus zeroing in on the (surviving) main cast members from Season One– Dick Grayson/Nightwing, Aqualad/Aquaman, Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis/Tigress, Zatanna, and Rocket. But the twist is that these characters each had their own storylines, although romantic couple, Superboy and Miss Martian shared theirs.
This season was split in two, with the first batch of episodes releasing in fall/winter of last year. The first, showcasing Miss Martian and Superboy (with Beast Boy’s storyline playing out over the entire first half), was… kind of a drag. I didn’t enjoy it. But the second, featuring Artemis/Tigress, was great! A return to form! And the third story arc, featuring Zatanna was also pretty darn good! But the first half of the season wrapped up just before Christmas and the show went on hiatus as Peacemaker became HBO Max’s DC original series for a while.
That means that Nightwing’s, Aquaman’s, and Rocket’s stories are still yet to unfold. With Peacemaker wrapping up, it looks as though Young Justice is due to return “this spring.”
Check out the new teaser trailer below:
Aquaman’s storyline seems to involve an open revolt in Atlantis which is seen crumbling. (Atlantis also played a part in Zatanna’s storyline which is likely connected… I mean everything on this show is connected which is part of what makes it great! Minus Outsiders.) The previous Aquaman, Arthur Curry, and his wife, Mera, are seen watching as the city they govern is destroyed. Are they somehow responsible? How can the new Aquaman, Kaldur’ahm, literally turn the tide?
Rocket’s storyline may be the last of them, as she is seen in the company of members of the New Gods, characters who have factored into this show’s story in multiple episodes in the past. She is also shown in the presence of Ma’alefa’ak, Miss Martian’s extremist brother who played a large role in the first arc of the season. The show will likely circle back around to him and his machinations.
Not much is shown of Nightwing, so we’ll just have to wait and see what his storyline has to offer.
Young Justice was created by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman (based on a DC Comic of the same name), who continue to craft the series. The cast features Jesse McCartney as Dick Grayson/Nightwing, Khary Payton as Kaldur’ahm/Aquaman, Nolan North as Superboy, Danica McKellar as M’gann M’orzz/Miss Martian, Stephanie Lemelin, Lacey Chabert as Zatanna Zatara, and Denise Boutte as Raquel Ervin/Rocket. There are a lot more characters and actors, of course, but they are the focus of this season.
What do you think of Young Justice: Phantoms so far? What do you hope to see in Part 2?
