It took nearly six years, but Young Justice has finally returned thanks to the new streaming service DC Universe.
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But after being away for so long, DC’s Earth-16 has gone through a ton of changes — including some superheroes abandoning the Justice League in the midst of hard times.
Warning: Spoilers for Young Justice: Outsiders below.
With the first three episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders now streaming, fans catch up with the League and their covert-ops team two years after the Season 2 finale. The League is still dealing with the fallout from the Reach invasion and the public’s shaken confidence in the superheroes.
We see that Lex Luthor and the Light have seized the opportunity to further tie up the league, with Luthor using his status as the Secretary-General of the United Nations to create more sanctions and red tape prohibiting the League’s response to international crises.
Kaldur’ahm, who now has the title of Aquaman and co-chairs the Justice League with Wonder Woman, tries to convince his fellow heroes to stay the course, but Batman bombards them when he announces his resignation from the League. Green Arrow follows suit, as well as Batman’s allies (chiming in via hologram) Batwoman, Plastic Man, Hardware, and Katana. Black Lightning, who recently suffered a traumatic experience while fighting on Rann, also leaves — though he makes it clear that he’s not following the others in joining, what he calls them, “Batman Incorporated.”
When the heroes leave the Justice League’s meeting hall, Batman gives a signal to his sidekicks and prompts Robin (Tim Drake), Spoiler, and Arrowette to join him. Robin’s friend Wonder Girl is shocked at their departure, especially when they leave without saying a word.
Black Canary chastises Green Arrow for bombarding the League, while The Flash, Captain Marvel, Dr. Fate, Red Tornado, Rocket, Zatanna, Wonder Woman, and Steel remain with the League.
Nightwing has already left the team and decided to reach out to Black Lightning in order to look into the reports of missing teenagers, which also relates to Jefferson Pierce’s own issues with heroism. He ultimately decides to join Nightwing’s current group of “Outsiders,” which also includes Artemis and Superboy.
But Superboy has also gone through some personal growth, settling into a life with Miss Martian. It looks like happiness is fleeting on Earth-16 in the DC Multiverse.
New episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders debut on DC Universe every Friday.
