In 2012, Cartoon Network aired the season finale of "Young Justice". The series follows the iconic DC Comics sidekicks (Robin, Kid-Flash, Superboy etc.) as they go on covert operations, uncovering information that the Justice League cannot. The series was praised by critics and fans it's grounded approach to the superhero world. With each season following an overarching plot structure while taking the time to get to know each of the characters and their problems. The series ran from 2010-2012, ending on a cliffhanger ending. The ending caused a huge outcry with fans for the abrupt cancellation left so many unanswered questions. Many individuals have speculated over the years of the exact cause of the cancelation. Some thought it was toy sales, others believed Cartoon Network was starting to phase out their action cartoons, as the age of action cartoons was starting to die down. Whatever the reason, people were not happy.
While many television shows and cartoons are canceled by networks, "Young Justice" was special to a lot of people. A campaign was launched over the years online with the hashtag #RenewYoungJustice that sparked a whole chain of events. For years, fans tried to show Warner Bros. that they wanted Young Justice back. Many fans with Netflix accounts made the series trending on Netflix for months. Greg Wiseman and Brandon Vietti, the series creators, took to Twitter to ask people to purchase the DVDs. Eventually, it was announced in late 2017, that "Young Justice" season three would be happening. The new season would launch on the new DC Comics streaming service, "DC Universe" with a full 26 episode season. And now after months of campaigning, the series is finally here with premiering the first three episodes of season three on January 4th, 2019.
Season three picks up two years after the events of season two with the new series title: "Young Justice: Outsiders." The original members of the Young Justice team have all continued to conduct superhero business but on their own accords. A new international crisis has occurred as metahuman trafficking has plagued the world. Children are being abducted from their families and tested for a gene that gives them superpowers. Those who test positive are experimented on and used as pawns for crimes across the world. The Justice League has tried to intervene but cannot due to Lex Luthor becoming head of the United Nations and blocking any proposal for the Justice League to intervene in any sovereign nation, even for humanitarian reasons. This prompts the Dark Knight himself, Batman, to step down with the Justice League and conduct his own secret ops team with the assistance of Nightwing, Robin, Green Arrow, and others.
Without going into spoilers, seeing as the series is an overarching arch that builds off the original two seasons, the overall tone is much more serious. The series does not become dark for the sake of being dark but deals with much more adult situations. The writers acknowledge that the same children who watched the season two finale all those years ago are now much older and can handle the more serious plot. The charm of the original seasons is still there, with excellently written dialogue and character drama. It feels like we picked up right where we left off with the original series.
Each episode we are introduced to the side characters of the past and we take a peak of what is going on in their lives now. For example, in season one, it was questioned if Atlantis would be a member of the United Nations. Now seven years later in the show, Garth (A side character from season 1) is now an ambassador for the UN. I love little details like that because it helps build this unique world. And again, the series is very serious. People give comic books flack because they have been depicted as childish for years. Well, this series is far from childish and really hammers in the serious tones of a regular drama.
It is just incredible to witness the hard work of campaigning for change has gotten us for the last couple of years. Both in entertainment and in politics, we as a society are not standing by and letting the people up top boss us around without us having a say on the matter. And it is truly inspiring to know that we all have a voice and that if we work hard enough, we can make a difference. I cannot wait for next Friday's new episodes of "Young Justice: Outsiders." If you haven't seen the first two seasons yet I highly recommend it. Trust me you will not be whelmed (that's an inside joke for the series).
