The wait is finally nearing its end when it comes to the third season of Young Justice. DC has taken its time to bring us the show in the form of a whole new streaming service next year. This is going to lead to new possibilities for the show, which we are all sure to binge watch, while hopefully giving us the ability to go back and watch the former seasons (they are leaving Netflix very soon). The third season will be 26 episodes just like season one, so the plot will have time to develop and breathe.

RELATED: Young Justice: 8 Characters We Need To See In S3 (And 7 We Don’t)

Since so much time has passed since the last episodes of season two, there have been lots of theories about what will come next. At SDCC, many issues were addressed by the creators in various interviews and images that were hosted during the convention. We’re going to examine the conclusions we came away with from those discussions. We know of some of the key players, both new and old, and we also have a few good ideas of who the villains of the series will be. There are also some intriguing new dynamics due to the characters being used in the new season. So let’s take an in depth look at Young Justice season three.

15 KNOW: IT HAS THE SAME CREATORS INVOLVED

One of the biggest positives of the return of Young Justice is that the same writers and animators are still a part of the show. The vision of the show thus far and themes that were present in the first season were something unique to comic book cartoons. There is also very clearly a plan for the characters, as well as some missing time from the five years between seasons 1 and 2. Fans of the show should be relieved to know that it will continue with its tone.

There are going to be some differences in that there will likely be much more flexibility when it comes to how far writers can go with some of the concepts. With no more network suits bearing down on them about merchandise and making sure the content is kid-friendly, we may just get the best version of Young Justice to date.

14 HOPE: A LOOK BACK AT THE PAST

The writers revealed during an interview that they kept index cards of every character they have introduced on the show and a detailed timeline featuring the history of those characters. This is what allows them to show flashbacks such as the one during season one with Red Tornado and the Justice Society.

There is a real opportunity to show the backstory of some of these characters and the heroes who inspired them. For many DC fans, history is one of the most intriguing aspects of the DC Universe. Imagine seeing the transition between the JSA and JLA, or maybe even having one of those classic Thanksgiving dinners between all of the teams, including the younger members.  With no constraints on what could be used, it could be Young Justice gold.

13 KNOW: LAUNCHING THE DC STREAMING SERVICE

The monthly streaming service has become a large part of people’s budgets in many aspects of life. From Netflix to all things Amazon among many others, for a monthly hit on your credit card you have massive access to content that you don’t own. It makes perfect sense for DC to capitalize on this with their extensive catalog of media. We still don’t know the full extent of what will be offered, but we know Young Justice plays a key role in getting it started.

Along with the live action Titans series, these two shows will be what are used to generate interest and potential early subscriptions to the service. This should ensure content on these shows that has that “must see” quality and will get buzz going for the service. If you want to watch Young Justice, you are likely to be on board right away.

12 HOPE: THE RETURN OF WALLY WEST

Let’s face it, bringing Wally West back worked wonderfully to provide the emotional impact that Rebirth needed in the comics. So why not use that approach with Young Justice as well? The final act of his character on season two involved adding his speed to the other Flashes to help stop the magnetic field disruptor, leading him to be struck by the chrysalis that was drawing the energy away. Wally slowly disappeared, seemingly gone for good.

Since Wally was an original member of the team and has been a constant on the show with strong bonds formed with multiple characters, his return would have a great impact. Jason Spisak, the voice actor for Wally, teased a potential return in a tweet involving his work on the Teen Titans: A Judas Contract animated film. It should be built up slowly to give it the maximum emotional impact.

11 KNOW: MULTIPLE NEW CHARACTERS AND ROLES

For long-time DC fans, watching Young Justice has been a pleasure because they do an outstanding job of introducing so many great DC characters while still maintaining the focus on a smaller group as the emotional core of the show. It appears that there are multiple characters stepping up into new roles for season three.

The promotional images for season shows Static Shock, who was introduced as a runaway in season two. There will also be the full introduction of Stephanie Brown, who briefly appeared in season two as a captive of the Reach, making her Spoiler debut. Meanwhile, Bart Allen is graduating to the Kid Flash role. We'll even get to see Cissie King as Arrowette, a comic book Young Justice favorite, after being teased very subtly in season one. It should all make for some great new drama for the cast.

10 HOPE: MORE LEGACY EPISODES

Since the creators have been able to blend together the details of the timeline they have created for the series so well to this point, it would make perfect sense to have some more character-focused episodes in the same vein as “Bloodlines” in season two. The episode introduced Bart Allen as Impulse from the future and had him teaming with Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and Wally West to give us the entire Flash family in action.

This could be done with characters like Batman, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake since we already have a solid foundation with them. There is plenty more to explore in terms of Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl that could make for another awesome female focused episode. These types of episodes give a little breather from the overall plot while making us fall in love with the characters even more.

9 KNOW: MORE MATURE THEMES

Perhaps the biggest benefit of getting away from the constraints of Cartoon Network is that the creators can fully tell their stories. The theme of season three, which is called “Outsiders,” is going to involve meta-human trafficking. This is clearly a very dark, but extremely relevant concept that is an organic growth of the world the creators have established on the show.

Now that there is knowledge of these beings existing with powers, there will obviously people who emerge that want to take advantage of that power. The conversations and actions of characters involving this type of fear and how to address it should lead to episodes that resonate on a level beyond the average superhero cartoon. Betrayal and large supervillain team-ups have been a big part of events so far, and this will allow consequences to ramp up to a whole new level.

8 HOPE: DAMIAN ASSERTING HIS DOMINANCE

Many people looked at the image released at SDCC and saw a Robin in a hood, which likely brought to mind the current Robin, Damian Wayne. It was confirmed that the Robin in the image is still Tim Drake with some updates to his costume, so the question remains when and if we will get to see Damian on Young Justice.

It seems like a forgone conclusion that the character fits everything about the show perfectly. We’ve seen Ra’s Al Ghul, and we have had multiple characters in the role of Robin. His character would be a perfect bomb to throw in a team that is getting along well, making characters frustrated at his arrogance and his vibe of being the predestined leader. He could be introduced subtly through a flashback and brought back as a young man to make a major impact.

7 KNOW: MORE DIVERSITY IN THE LINEUP

Young Justice has never struggled in the diversity department. The show has maintained a solid balance of female characters, and characters of various backgrounds. The show has not shied away from relationships between characters and the creators have hinted that there are already gay characters on the show as well. Similar to their comic book counterparts, this could be a reference to Aqualad or Thirteen, but that has neither been confirmed nor denied.

Season three will also feature new female members and the addition of Static Shock, another character that was part of the historic Milestone imprint for DC Comics, joining Icon and Rocket. The show gives people of many backgrounds a chance to identify with great characters on a consistent basis, which is one of the best parts of comics in general.

6 HOPE: WE’LL MEET AQUAMAN AND MERA’S CHILD

A forgotten plot thread from season one of Young Justice was the fact that Mera was expecting Aquaman’s child. This is an especially interesting thing to see develop considering the way that things played out in comics, when the baby was murdered by Black Manta in a story line that went far darker than most books of the time. The show has a chance to reveal a grown up child of Arthur and Mera, perhaps even one that has grown into a hero themselves.

The writers made a point to bring up their child in an interview, so they clearly have not forgotten this development. Some fans have speculated that Ocean Master was ousted from the Light, the group of supervillains who tormented the team, due to murdering the child, but it was never stated. Could their offspring be a new version of Aquagirl?

5 KNOW: KIRBY INFLUENCE WILL CONTINUE

The Fourth World creations of Jack Kirby hold a special place in the history of DC Comics. Many of the concepts were strange and complicated, but there is also a foundation there that most modern creators see as something that can be developed and added to for even greater stories. Interviews indicate that the creators of Young Justice are big fans of these characters as well.

We saw an example of this in season one when the Forever People showed up, and then we saw Glorious Godfrey show up as a talking head in season two. The well of characters to draw from here is incredible and the types of stories that this opens an avenue toward is also something to look forward to as viewers. There was also the matter of somebody meeting with Vandal Savage at the end of season two to cover as well.

4 HOPE: A BIG THROWDOWN WITH DARKSEID

As far as DC villains go, they don’t really get any bigger than Darkseid, leader of Apokolips. He is a god and his power levels are massive. At the end of season two, we saw Vandal Savage of the Light meet up with Darkseid and allude to things going as planned, not truly being sure what the plan actually was. This is highly likely to tie into the meta-human trafficking in season three and eventually the heroes will figure out who Darkseid is.

We can’t be sure exactly how this all will play out, but we can assume that this would be a major rite of passage for the young heroes involved. It could lead to another casualty when the team is going against an enemy of this magnitude. The audience may have to be patient to find out what Darkseid and Vandal Savage are up to in season three.

3 KNOW: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

Magic has been an aspect of Young Justice throughout the show’s first two seasons. Characters like Dr. Fate and Zatanna have been the focus on occasion and their spotlights have been high points for the series thus far. Another strength of the show has been its ability to find the best parts of a character and bring them to the forefront efficiently to make the character matter and viewers invested.

Traci Thirteen is a character that has a relatively short history in comics. What we know is that she has magical powers that come from her ancestry, and that she has previously had relationships with Blue Beetle and Natasha Irons. Either of those could be a part of season three, and it seemed that the creators were emphasizing Thirteen’s character as being one to watch for when things kick off.

2 HOPE: TIM AND STEPHANIE SITTING IN A TREE…

Two of the characters in the team’s initial season three image were Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown. Many long-time comic readers will be sure to make a love connection between the two as another in a long line of romances that have made the character interactions on the show such fun to watch.

It will be interesting to see how much of Stephanie’s background is explored, considering she is the daughter of a formal low-level villain called Cluemaster. Also worth exploring will be just how connected that makes her to Gotham and the other Batman family members that are part of the Young Justice cast. Tim hasn’t had a romantic interest yet, and he seems to have aged a bit in the art shown for season three. Here’s to hoping we see Robin and Spoiler together again.

1 KNOW: BLACK LIGHTNING HAS A LARGER ROLE

A tidbit that hasn’t gotten a lot of press coverage since SDCC is the fact that there was an image of some of the older members of the team in new black stealth costumes. Most people thought they knew who everybody in that picture was, but most people likely assumed that one of them had to be founding member Aqualad.

However, that assumption was incorrect, and the writers confirmed in an interview that was actually Jefferson Pierce, better known as Black Lightning, who is now the star of an upcoming CW series as well. The fact that he is with characters like Dick Grayson, Conner Kent and Artemis Crock in that image indicates that when these characters go undercover again, they may have a different Justice League mentor helping them deal with the threats that are presented.

What are you hoping for in Young Justice season three?  Let us know in the comments.