Summary
Young Justiceis one of the most underrated DC animated series ever made, and many of its best episodes are well worth revisiting. Premiering in 2010,Young Justicewas the spiritual successor toanimated DC showslikeTeen TitansandStatic Shock.The series followed the adventures of teen heroes in the DC Universe in the organization known simply as The Team, a villainy-fighting force of heroic cadets operating under the supervision of the Justice League.
Young Justicewas a heavily serialized show, but still has plenty of episodes that can be easily rewatched on their own with little to no background information required. WhileYoung Justice’s time jumps between each seasoncan make things confusing in tracking the position of the overarching story upon a rewatch. However, it’s more than worth piecing together the trajectory of the narrative in order to re-live the show’s best narrative beats and action sequences.
10Secrets
Season 1, episode 18
Everyone loves a good “girls night” episode, and season 1, episode 18Secretsmore than delivers with this trope. After it comes out that Miss Martian and Superboy are dating, Artemis and Zatanna travel to New York for a fun night out. However, trouble follows the young heroines in the form of the cheesy villain, Harm. Meanwhile, Kid Flash, Superboy and Miss Martian endure a typical school Halloween party.
A rare relatively low-stakes episode in theYoung Justicecatalog,Secretsis notable for being written by the mind behind the originalYoung Justicecomic run, Peter David, and being the only episode to feature his original character Secret, who appears much more frequently in the source material. For being a refreshing slice-of-life episode featuring Zatanna, who was on The Team all too briefly, and for its novelty of staying closest to the series comic roots than any other episode, it’s no secret why this episode is so re-watchable.
9Auld Acquaintance
Season 1, episode 26
Young Justicehad a troubling development cycle, frequently on the verge of being canceled before having to switch networks twice. If there’s one upside toYoung Justice’s frequent cancelations, it’s that, like Matt Groening’sFuturama,the cartoon got incredibly good at writing season finales, never sure which would be their last. The series' first season finale,Auld Acquaintance, proved this, with a climactic battle between the Team and a possessed Justice League.
Being forced to fight their mentors, The Team faces some of their most challenging combat yet, with the episode getting in some rare screentime for the youthful heroes' more famous adult counterparts. It’s incredibly satisfying to see the team hold their own against the more experienced Justice League, with a well-animated fight that makes the season finale feel truly grand. The avalanche of narrative bomshells this episode drops does make it a little more difficult to enjoy on its own, but not overly so.
8Complications
Season 2, episode 16
One exciting aspect of The Team’s modus operandi that frequently set them apart from the Justice League was their penchant for undercover and stealth work. Working as the Justice League’s eliete strike force outside of the public eye,Young Justice’s cast frequently saw themselves deep behind enemy lines, either undercover or with elaborate stories proving their false allegiances. This made for some harrowing moments, as best shown off in the excellent episodeComplications.
With Aqualad feigning a loyalty to his supervillain father and Artemis working under the villain identity Tigress, The Team must work out a way to save the captured Miss Martian from Black Manta’s sub without blowing their teammates' cover. The delectable tension and dramatic irony present in this episode make it live up to its name, even keeping the viewer guessing as to Aqualad’s true feelings about his villainous heritage. Even if there’s a lot of set-up to work out prior to diving into this episode, it remains one of the series' best staples.
7Evolution
Season 3, episode 7
Sadly, season 3 ofYoung Justicewas largely seen as a massive step down from the heights of quality the previous seasons could ascend to, failing to land the same emotional and narrative impacts. That being said, season 3 isn’t without its own standout episodes, especially when they were capable of being largely self-contained. As the latest incarnation of the team begins training under Superboy, the series delves into the backstory of infamous DC villain Vandal Savage, setting up his future actions.
Young JusticedoesVandal Savage better than any other DC adaptation, chronicling his immortal rise from the neolithic era to modern-day villainy. Getting to see the new team step further into their hero roles is a nice palette cleanser interspersed within the epic saga, but Vandal Savage’s closing actions in th episode truly live up to his terrifying name. Though the episode might be difficult to enjoy without certain background knowledge, Savage’s origin is a captivating tale in and of itself.
6Misplaced
Season 1, episode 19
The magical supervillains that threatened the world towards the end of season 1 created some ofYoung Justice’s most engaging plotlines. When fan-favorite villain Klarion the Witch Boy and the other vile sorcerers cast a spell that forces every adult in the world to disappear, it’s up to The Team to manage the ensuing crisis on their own. It’s revealed that the adults were actually transported to their own world, separated from the children, with only one hero being able to travel between both – Billy Batson, a.k.a. Shazam.
This creative premise is one of the most ingenious uses of the character Shazam in any DC adaptation, revealing his secret of actually being a kid for the first time inYoung Justice’s universe. Seeing The Team attempt to comfort the world’s abandoned children with varying degrees of success is also endlessly entertaining, making this episode a great choice for the odd rewatch of a single episode. That being said, the idea could’ve easily taken up an entire season, and it’s a shame the arc ofMisplacedis crunched into a single episode.
5Agendas
Season 1, episode 22
While theJustice League has no shortage of animated appearances, their incarnations inYoung Justiceend up being some of the most compelling despite the show not focusing on them as a whole. In the aftermath of the reveal that Shazam is just a kid, the Justice League meets to discuss internal matters and determine who should be allowed to stay a member. Meanwhile, Superboy returns to Project Cadmus to investigate the rumors of a new Superman clone being created.
Agendashas some of the most heart-wrenching dramatic beats in all ofYoung Justice, poignant moments that work well enough on their own with no context. Batman’s heartbreaking statements to the rest of the Justice League regarding teen heroes are among the best dialogue exchanges in the entire show, and seeing Superboy once again confront his traumatizing past shows just how far his character has come.Agendasmight not be the most action-packed or exciting episode compared to others, but is deserving of being seen again on its own merits.
4Terrors
Season 1, episode 11
It’s true that the undercover missions of The Team create some of the most intense moments inYoung Justice, but the concept of undercover heroes can just as easily turn to comedy in the right hands. Enter season 1, episode 11Terrors, in which Superboy and Miss Martian disguise themselves as the supervillain sibling duo, the Terror Twins, to infiltrate the Belle Reve superhuman prison. Superboy and Miss Martian’s romantic feelings for one another are put to the test as the two struggle to maintain their disguises.
Young Justicedidn’t always do a great job of carrying the romance between Superboy and Miss Martian, butTerrorshas the two at their best, bickering through their mission until their mutual annoyance blossoms into their first kiss. The hilarious confusion of sympathetic super-criminal Icicle Jr. seeing the Tuppence twins passionately kiss each other is among the best comedic beats in the entire series. While it’s marred by what the Superboy and Miss Martian romance would turn into,Terrorsis a criminally fun bottle episode.
3Coldhearted
Season 1, episode 20
With such a large ensemble cast, it was rare thatYoung Justicewas able to devote focus to a single character for an extended period of time. When it was rarely able to, however, it often resulted in the best episodes of the series, as is the case with the fan-favorite episode, season 1’sColdhearted.Focusing on Kid Flash, the episode takes place on Wally West’s birthday as he’s given a mission suited to his unique talents – Run across the country to deliver a still-beating heart to the ten-year-old Queen of Latvia for emergency surgery.
What makesColdheartedso great is its focus on Wally West’s internal conflict. Kid Flash has to reconcile his selfish impulses and disillusionment with his current position in life with the importance of the mission, which will prevent the supervillain Count Vertigo from gaining alarming political power. A unique story that onlyYoung Justicecould tell,Coldheartedis an amazing self-contained narrative that showcases thepotential ofYoung Justicein the DC universe.
2Humanity
Season 1, episode 15
The hunt for a mole among The Team was one of the most looming threats over the largely un-serialized first season ofYoung Justice.It’s this paranoia that colors the team’s first meeting of Zatanna, the magical heroine who spends tragically limited time with The Team before graduating to the Justice League. In her debut appearance, Zatanna helps the team surreptitiously track down the android Red Tornado without the approval of the adult heroes.
The idea of a mission that The Team goes on on their own volition without the express approval of the adults is exciting enough, but the addition of a new recruit that the old member to instantly get into trouble with the idea only makes the tension all the more entertaining.Humanityfeatures some great moments, from Red Tornado’s redemption to Zatanna’s disbelief at The Team having a telepathic conversation right in front of her. It isn’t the most consequential episode to the story, but that only makes it easier to enjoy on a stand-alone rewatch.
1Private Security
Season 3, episode 4
For the most part, the most easily rewatchable episodes ofYoung Justicetake place in season 1, before the show became overly-serialized. But shockingly enough, the sing easiest episode to return to is deep within the depths ofYoung Justice: Outsiders,season 3, episode 4Private Security.Nightwing sets out to uncover a meta-human trafficking ring, enlisting some help from old friends, Will, Roy, and Jim Harper.
Getting to see what the Speedy trio have been up to in the years since their edgy years as Red Arrow and Arsenal is a true treat, with the adorable family dynamic between Roy and his clones being a stark contrast to their earlier strife. The adventure they go on with Nightwing is refreshingly low-stakes compared to the rest of laterYoung Justice, though the B-plot with Zatanna andDoctor Fatekeeps things from getting too emotionless. For any fan ofYoung Justice,Private Securityis an easy pick to rewatch at any time.
