Young Justice is a Warner Bros. animated show created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, who were initially reluctant to create the show. To set the show apart from Teen Titans, the creators came up with a unique hook, as Weisman explained (via Slash Film):
Brandon suggested making the new show about the Justice League’s covert ops team: ‘Make it a spy series first. A teen drama second. A superhero show third.’ Suddenly, it felt like we had a fresh approach.
The point of the show was for superheroes to operate as a covert ops team, and it appeared to have worked successfully.
Young Justice’s Winning Formula Was Going Beyond Superheroes
In the series premiere, sidekicks Robin (Jesse McCartney), Aqualad (Khary Payton, who’d been Cyborg on Titans), and Kid Flash (Jason Spisak) convince their mentors on the Justice League that they’re ready for more responsibility. So, their mentors assign them to a secret team, one that’ll handle covert missions too delicate for famous heroes like the Justice League.
This is why they’re just called “the Team” — their whole purpose is to be discreet, so no “fancy name
Young Justice is the title of the series, NOT the name of the Team, which is simply called “The Team.” As it’s not a public team, there’s no need for a fancy name.
Here are some key details of the show.
Right from the get-go, we see the show launch into full espionage mode, with the titans off to multiple locations and performing secretive measures against their adversaries.
In episode 4, “Dropzone,” the Team has to infiltrate Santa Prisca, the island nation ruled by Bane (Danny Trejo). In episode 6, “Infiltrator,” the Team must guard a scientist being targeted for assassination by the League of Shadows. Episode 11, “Terrors,” sees Miss Martian (Danica McKellar) and Superboy (Nolan North) go undercover in Belle Reve prison.
There’s also a whole arc about a secret mole on the Team during Young Justice Season 1, which is as “spy thriller” as a show can get. Season 2 builds on that with a running subplot of Aqualad being undercover in the criminal organization run by his father, super-villain Black Manta (Payton).
The show concluded its fourth and final season in 2022, leaving fans wanting more.
Does the Future of DC Animation Include Young Justice?
The fifth season of Young Justice is currently in limbo, as streaming service HBO Max has neither announced nor cancelled another season. Following the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery, Young Justice was sidelined as it was deemed not a high priority for the studio.
Right now, DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are focused on building a new slate of stories and heroes for the DCU, including the DCU animated shows for the first chapter titled Gods and Monsters.
For fans wanting more of the story, a follow-up six-issue comic book series, Young Justice: Targets, was released in 2022 that continued the final season’s events and is considered canon.
The show still has a loyal fanbase, with many turning the show into a future cult classic. Time will tell if we get a new James Gunn version or a continuation of the old show.
What’s your opinion on Young Justice? Let us know in the comments.
Young Justice is currently streaming on HBO Max in the U.S.
