‘Young Justice: Outsiders’ Returns in July

‘Young Justice’ returned for its much anticipated third season earlier this year, and the season will continue in July.  So far, 13 episodes have been released, and 13 more are to come. The former cult following of this show on Cartoon Network turned into a ravenous fandom that has elevated ‘Young Justice’ in the public eye to high praises, and the buzz cannot be given to a more deserving animated series.

Curiously, ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’ has one thematic element that served as a cliffhanger from season tw0: ‘Prepare the Anti-Life Equation’. What does this mean, exactly? If you’re a longtime follower of ‘Young Justice’ and/or a DC comic book fan, this can only mean one thing: Darkseid is coming. That’s right. One of the biggest baddies of the DC Universe is invading ‘Young Justice’. Curiously, the tagline, ‘Prepare the Anti-Live Equation’ also represents the beginning letter for the title of each of the 13 episodes for ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’. Mind-blowing, right?

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So, what can we expecting from the second half of the season? A few scenarios come to mind, and I’ll be giving my predictions here based on what we know so far from the first 13 episodes. Of course, to understand what I think will happen, you have to watch the first 13 episodes. What are you waiting for? Catch up already. Done? Good. Now pay attention, your Anti-Life depends on it.

Firstly, and probably most obviously, Darkseid makes an appearance.  He is the big baddie here and his alliance with Vandal Savage and The Light is at the forefront of ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’. As previously revealed, the goal is for Darkseid and Vandal Savage to duke it out for ruler of the universe. I honestly don’t know how this is going to happen, and there is the case of the Justice League and Young Justice members to foil this eventual showdown. The duel might not happen, but that doesn’t mean the Lord of Apocalypse won’t show himself. G. Gordon Godfrey (as a reporter) and Granny Goodness (aka Gretchen Goode) are already both on Earth. These are known comic book minions of the Lord of Apocalypse. You know in your bones that Darkseid IS coming.

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Secondly,  there is a setup to a classic comic book story, ‘The Judas Contract’. Tara Markov has been rescued by Young Justice, and later she was revealed to be aiding Deathstroke, member of The Light. The stage is set. In a nutshell, Tara will betray Young Justice, but will die in the end. She’ll befriend everybody being Brion Markov aka Geo-Force’s sister, but she will turn out to be Deathstroke’s spy. As a comic book enthusiast, I had a feeling this is where it was all heading.

This will be a sad moment, and I’m counting on the writers to create enough emotional buildup to that moment.

To balance everything out, I also think Cassandra, Vandal Savage’s daughter, will betray Vandal and The Light. In the comics, Cassandra is also known as Scandal Savage, and is part of the anti-hero group, ‘Secret Six’. Unlike Tara, the buildup is already there. She appears to be the heir apparent to Vandal. She knows the inner workings of his network. This is enough of a setup for her to turn on her father and join the heroes of Young Justice.

Then there is that masked warrior that Dick Grayson aka Nightwing fought earlier in the season. When faced with Ra’s Al Ghul, Dick fought a well-trained ninja assassin wearing a mask. He appears to have lost his memory. Who could this be?  Why is his memory sketchy? My guess is this is Jason Todd, one of the newer Robins. In the comic books, he was murdered by the Joker. His loss of memory could be the after effect of being revived in a Lazarus Pit. This is the same pit that grants Ra’s his immortality. It’s a sneaky introduction, but I think this is Jason. Whether he transforms into Red Hood (Yey!) is something that a lot of fans will be hoping to happen.

Lastly, I expect the return of Wally West aka Kid Flash. Wally ‘died’ after saving the world from destruction after season two. He disappeared. There was no body. He’s a speedster. There is enough reason to believe that he is alive and just trapped in the Speed Force, the place where speedsters get their power. This actually happened in the comics, though under different circumstances. Come on. This is bound to happen. Is there a better way to end the season than to bring back Wally West from oblivion?

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Expect ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’ to continue with the same great animation and storytelling it has been known to provide. It’s no longer a secret. As far as an animated series goes, this one is a must-watch for everyone. It has enough of the comic book references to keep comic book fans happy while providing more to entice a broader audience without alienating them. Don’t take my word for it.  Watch it for yourself. Be ready for a superhero cartoon like no other as ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’ returns in July.