DC has a long history on TV. The comic book publisher has been giving studios the green light to use its characters since the 1950s. However, it didn’t feel like the powers that be were taking things seriously until the late ’90s, when Batman: The Animated Series hit the small screen. While the Dark Knight was heading into campier territory with the Joel Schumacher movies, his animated show allowed him to be his true self, taking down bad guys without the use of credit cards. Batman: The Animated Series was such a success that it spawned an entire franchise, the DC Animated Universe.
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Running for well over a decade and spanning several shows and movies, the DCAU introduced an entire generation to the Justice League. The franchise ran its course, though, so DC pivoted to something different. Young Justice began airing in 2010 on Cartoon Network, focusing on a young group of heroes. However, despite the show being a hit early on, it ran into its fair share of roadblocks, including one of its own making.
Young Justice Killed Off Its Best Character
Young Justice introduces a world full of superheroes. The Justice League is already active, and many of its members already have sidekicks. A few of the young heroes get the idea that they’re about to head to the big leagues, but the rug gets pulled out from under them, forcing them to take matters into their own hands. Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, and Miss Martian start the Team, an offshoot of the Justice League that goes on its own missions. The Team finds a lot of success early on, taking down Vandal Savage and saving their mentors from the villain’s mind control. The time jump in Young Justice Season 2 means a lot of the group’s big wins happen off-screen, but when they return, they’re better than ever.
All of Earth’s heroes find themselves up against the Reach, a dangerous cosmic force that wants to destroy the planet. They place Magnetic Field Disruptors all over the world, forcing the Justice League and Team to divvy up the duties. The heroes manage to get rid of all but one MFD, which the Flash and Impulse are working on at the North Pole. However, the device’s power is too much for them to handle, forcing another speedster, Wally West, to lend a hand. Wally is always the life of the party, but he’s ready to give up his hero gig by the end of Season 2. He would rather live a normal life with Artemis than continue beating up bag guys. Unfortunately, he never gets the chance because the magnetic field from the MFD kills Wally, leaving his friends and family heartbroken.
Wally West Never Got a Second Chance on Young Justice
Despite having a passionate fan base, Young Justice was canceled after its second season. There was no hope of Wally West returning until the DC Universe streaming service gave the show a second chance. While Young Justice got two more seasons to continue its story, despite fan campaigns, Wally never returned. He showed up as a hallucination a couple of times and appeared as a vision in front of Artemis when she messed with magic, but that was it. Wally never got to hang out with his good friends Nightwing and Aqualad again, and he didn’t get to grow old with Artemis. It was a tragic end for a selfless hero who deserved far better.
The only light at the end of the tunnel is that James Gunn’s DC Universe offers the chance to do Wally right. Since Barry Allen was the DC Extended Universe’s Flash, his protégé could take the reins this time around and finally become a member of the Justice League. The DCU’s version of Wally will surely be different than the one in Young Justice, but fans of the character will take what they can at this point. After all, despite being every bit the hero that his mentor is, it always feels like Kid Flash gets the short end of the stick.
Young Justice is streaming on HBO Max.
Were you upset about Wally West’s death in Young Justice? Would you like to see the character appear in the DCU? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
