It's hard to believe that Young Justice finished it's 3rd season last month, let alone it getting a 3rd season at all. During the late 2000s - early 2010s, a lot of beloved animated comic books shows sadly got the ax. Whether it be because of licensing issues or networks moving towards 11-minute shorts, it was sad to see shows like Young Justice go away. However, thanks to the rise of streaming service revivals and fan support, more and more shows are coming back in new, more mature ways, and that's especially true with Young Justice.
So, now that all episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders are available for streaming, we decided to pick 10 of our favorite episodes of the latest season of this fan-favorite show. We'll be issuing a spoiler alert for those who haven't caught up.
10 Private Security
Kicking off this list is one of the more light-hearted episodes of the series. When Nightwing needs the help of Will Harper on a job, it turns out to be a packaged deal as Arsenal and Guardian come along for the ride. While this is happening, the recently banished Prince Brion and his gal pal Halo try to get used to living outside of Markovia. While Halo's story is played straight—especially when she and Artemis have to comfort Zatana—it's with Brion and Nightwing where most of the best moments come into play
From Nightwing having to deal with Roy and his clone brothers (long story) to Superboy trying to cool Brion down, it all leads to some pretty funny shenanigans. Special credit goes to voice actor Crispin Freeman, who pulls triple duty in voicing Red Arrow, Arsenal, and Guardian. It takes a lot of talent to voice three characters who sound nearly the same but slightly different, yet Freeman manages to pull it off.
9 Rescue Ops
When Geo-Force sees a member of the League of Assassins who he believes to have captured his younger sister, he takes Halo and Foreger with him to stop them. It doesn't go so well, and The Team has to rescue them. Along with fantastic action sequences, it also gives Prince Brion a wake-up call that he needs to be a team player and learn patients if he's ever going to see his sister back.
8 Illusion of Control
After their first successful mission with the Outsiders, The Team decided to take things slow and get a chance to relax. It's interrupted when Count Vertigo comes and kidnaps Queen Perdita, and the Outsiders have to save her. The episode finally makes good on seeing the new heroes being able to work as a team and ready to defeat a villain on their own. Because of this, the Outsiders start to trend on social media and become advocates for Meta-Humans.
7 Leverage
Despite this season being called "Outsiders," it took about half of the season for them to come into the fold. After being fed up with Granny Goodness, Beast Boy finally gets to cut-lose by becoming the leader of the titular team and partaking on a covert mission. While not as story-heavy as other episodes, the episode makes good on the action, especially when the kids have to take on the Suicide Squad.
6 Terminus
After Halo was kidnapped, The League and the Team decide to make a full assault on Granny. Despite their best efforts, both groups sadly fail, and Granny uses Halo, who is revealed to be the catalyst for the Anti-Life Equation, to make the heroes fall under her control.
The episode features great action, but it also has a small little tribute to season 1, as Nightwing suffers from a Fever-Dream and begins to imagine seeing Wally and how the conflict is just another battle, like the good ole days. It may be a bit disturbing in how it happens, but it was still a nice callback to the simpler times of Young Justice.
5 Overwhelmed
After taking out the big bads of the season, The Team gets some much-needed R-&R. However, Artemis has still been having trouble letting go of the one thing that matters with her the most: Wally. In this episode, Zatana finally does the impossible and allows Artemis to "see" Wally one last time. While Artemis tries to stay with him, she and Wally both know that it's time to move on. It all leads to a shocking twist that reveals Zatanna and Miss Martian were the ones behind Wally's "Spirit."
While it's unknown if the Speedster will ever come back, this season has shown that everyone is still affected by the loss of him in the season 2 finale, especially the woman he loved.
4 Unknown Factors
While past episodes have hinted that Granny Goodness is a force to be reckoned with, it's this episode that truly made her one. After Nightwing and Black Lighting are abducted during a covert mission, Aquaman and his boyfriend have to save them. That doesn't turn out so well, as Granny sends them to the X-Pit, but are rescued the nick of time by the Outsiders. The episode serves as a reminder that you don't want to tick off the right hand of Darkseid.
3 Prince All - Imminent Threat (Season Premiere)
It was hard to choose one episode of the 3-part season premiere of Outsiders, so we had no choice but to put them all together. After saving the world in season 2, we now see what's become of The Team 6 years after cancelation. Miss Martian and Superboy are engaged, Nightwing is on his own, Artemis is retired, and Kaulder is now the new Aquaman. However, when Markovia's king and queen sare assassinated, Dick Greyson suspects foul play and gets members of The Team back together for "one last mission."
Featuring all the action and characters that made the series great, while adding a much-needed spice of adult violence, these episodes make for a wonderful return to the world of Young Justice.
2 Into the Breach
This is everything that Outsiders has been building to. After Granny Goodness seemingly gained control of the Justice League and the Team, The Outsiders decide to take matters into their own hands and prove they're not just some second-rate hero team. The episode features some great action, as usual, but also has the young heroes stepping up, even when they're getting the snot kicked out of them. It also has a satisfying end to Granny Goodness, as Cyborg uses his alien tech to defeat the most loyal member of Darkseid's crew.
1 Evolution
Vandal Savage is easily the series best and most complex villain of the bunch. While Savage doesn't have that much presence in the first half of Season 3, he does get the spotlight in this fantastic episode.
When we last saw Savage, he was "making a deal" with Darkseid, and here we see what he has gained from it: a space armada that can destroy his longtime foe, Starro. While this is happening, his daughter, Cassandra, recounts the history of Vandal, which leads to some of the most shocking and powerful imagery that the series has ever shown.
It all leads to the darkest and most tragic event to happen in this season, with Vandal taking the life of his eldest daughter, who has been experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer's. It makes for a dreary, excellent episode, and a great tribute to the late Miguel Ferrer, who voiced Vandal in the first two seasons.