Rejoice, DC animation fans! Young Justice continues with a third season titled Young Justice: Outsiders, which will be released on the new streaming service called DC Universe. The popular series originally aired in 2010 but was canceled in 2013, along with another fan-favorite show Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Many fans were bemused by this decision as the series had garnered critical acclaim (the first season has 88% on Rotten Tomatoes) and was lauded as one of the best animated shows on TV at the time. The legacy of Young Justice lived on, though, and there was always the belief that it could return one day, which it finally has.
Co-creator Brandon Vietti credits the show's revival to the passionate fanbase and the outpouring of support. "The fans were able to communicate their love for the show in such numbers – via social media, via streaming, via anything else they could do – that the powers that be could not deny that they needed to look into bringing our show back. So, undeniably, I think it's the fans, and their ability to make their voices heard online in so many ways," he said to io9. As the third season draws nearer to release, everyone is curious as to what this latest instalment will offer us – and if it'll be able to match the hype and quality of the first two seasons. So, we've done our research and found out the important facts as well as some of the murmurs about what might happen in Young Justice: Outsiders.
20 FACT: IT'LL FOCUS ON THE OUTSIDERS
Batman is a dodgy character – and he's not always on the same page as the Justice League. As a result, he sets up his own little teams to do things that he wants them to, without the League being aware of what's going on. The Outsiders is the Dark Knight's own black-ops group, which has featured different iterations and members over the years.
The subtitle of Young Justice's third season is a pretty obvious correlation to the team. Additionally, we've seen an image of the older Young Justice members dressed up in military outfits, implying the black-ops aspect might be explored here. The question is, who'll be the leader of this group? The answer might be further down below.
19 RUMOR: WALLY WEST TO RETURN
One of the most traumatic events of the episode "Endgame" (season two's finale) was Wally West's disappearance. After he, Flash, and Impulse managed to control the Magnetic Field Disrupter, the chrysalis' energy smacked him and he vanished. Naturally, fans were shocked since Wally is a beloved character, not only of Young Justice but DC Comics as a whole.
Wally's trajectory in Young Justice has parallels to his run in the comic books. Throughout the New 52 era, the red-haired speedster didn't exist in DC continuity; however, he made his triumphant return in Rebirth. It's likely that something similar will happen in Young Justice: Outsiders and be an emotional moment for everyone.
18 FACT: ALL THE AUDIO IS RECORDED
While the finishing touches are put on season three, at least there's one element that's done and dusted: the voice acting. At C2E2 in Chicago earlier this year, Khary Payton, who voices Aqualad on the show and portrays Ezekiel on The Walking Dead, revealed that it's a wrap from his side.
"We've already recorded all [the] episodes. We're just waiting for the animation to come back. I've already seen some of it. It looks great. I'm so excited. It is a twisty, and turny, and full of so many characters. I can't wait for you guys to see it. You're going to love it," he said.
17 RUMOR: INSPIRED BY REBIRTH
Considering DC's renewed drive for hope and optimism in its characters, a lot of emphasis has been put on creators to draw from the Rebirth era more than other darker periods in the publisher's history. It makes sense for everyone to pull in the same direction, rather than be a smorgasbord of tonal inconsistency.
Young Justice co-creator Greg Weisman hinted in an interview that the new season will be influenced by Rebirth elements, but he wouldn't elaborate too much on it. That said, the show took a neutral stance when it was released – not just on one specific period – so there shouldn't be a need for any recon here.
16 FACT: DELAYED RELEASE
The internet was abuzz with the news that the DC Universe streaming service would be launching this year. Well, the plans are still on track, but most of the shows have been bumped to 2019 – Young Justice: Outsiders included – with the live-action Titans being the only original production to be released later this year.
Still, that's okay. There's no point in rushing out something purely for the sake of it. It seems like DC has learned its lesson with some of its previous productions and is taking the time to do things properly. There's a lot riding on this new service, so it shouldn't put out any mediocre products.
15 RUMOR: MORE SEASONS TO COME
Now that DC has full control of Young Justice, it isn't at the mercy of networks or ludicrous TV deals. The company decides the fate and direction of its show. It's an enviable position to be in, and one that should reap rewards for the fans, first and foremost.
The built-in fanbase of the series will undoubtedly be hungry for this new season. As such, DC should see a spike in viewers when it's released. More viewers translate into more seasons. Young Justice's creators have long said that they had ideas for several seasons, so there's no shortage of material to work with. As long as the people show up, they'll put out more stories.
14 FACT: THIRTEEN IS A NEW ADDITION
At last year's Comic-Con International in San Diego, several details about Young Justice: Outsiders were revealed. One of the more interesting tidbits was the addition of a new member to the team's ranks. Later, Vietti confirmed to CBR that the character is indeed Thirteen.
Thirteen might be better known to comic-book readers as Traci Thirteen. She is the daughter of Dr. Terrance Thirteen and a sorceress – even if she is forbidden from utilizing her mystic powers. Whether her history is kept the same as the comic books or tweaked still remains to be seen. Nonetheless, it's exciting to see what Young Justice does with this intriguing superhero.
13 RUMOR: AQUAMAN AND MERA'S CHILD TO APPEAR
If you recall, Mera was carrying a little bundle of joy inside of her in the first season of Young Justice. Presumably, Aquaman is the father – unless Mera has been sneaking off to the Batcave to listen to some Barry Manilow with the Caped Crusader every so often.
At the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, Weisman hinted that we might see Mera and Aquaman's child in the new season, as well as the Tornado Twins (Barry Allen and Iris West's children). One thing's for sure, though, if the kid is called Aquaspawn, you can be certain that Todd McFarlane is suing somebody.
12 FACT: BRIMSTONE IS A VILLAIN
In this day and age, it's impossible to keep anything a secret – especially with the internet around. Young Justice: Outsiders isn't immune to this phenomena either, as a pair of images from the show leaked online a few months ago. One of them seemed to confirm the identity of a villain for the upcoming season: Brimstone.
Now, the creature is a minor character in DC lore, but it has received a resurgence in popularity over the past few years. Even so, we sincerely doubt that Brimstone will be the big bad of the show, rather surfacing as an antagonist for an episode or two.
11 RUMOR: DARKSEID
As one of the ultimate villains in DC Comics, it's always expected that Darkseid will play a part in the proceedings in some way or the other. He's already appeared in Young Justice before, but there's a possibility we might be seeing more of him and the world created by Jack Kirby.
"We revealed Darkseid at the end of season two. The ante is upped on the Fourth World stuff in season three; I don't think that's a surprise to anybody. I'm not going to go into any details but, if you like the Kirby DC stuff, then you'll like season three. It may not be what you're expecting, though," Weisman told io9.
10 FACT: MORE MATURE STORYLINES
The creators have confirmed that there will be another time jump in the series, so we'll see the original team even older and wiser now. Vietti told IGN that the move to a streaming network would also free the show from Cartoon Network's previous restrictions, allowing for more freedom to explore adult themes and storylines.
At the same time, Vietti added that they won't be changing Young Justice dramatically or drift to an R-rated affair featuring swearing or excessive violence. It's likely that we'll see the maturity in the smaller things and not in wholesale changes. Obviously, more freedom for the creators is almost always a good thing.
9 RUMOR: HARLEY QUINN ANIMATED SERIES TIE-IN
With the news that the live-action Doom Patrol will be a spinoff of Titans, it shows that the DC Universe streaming service will attempt to launch its own shared universe. Since the live-action side of things is doing it, it's probable that the animated world will follow suit.
Debuting alongside Young Justice: Outsiders in 2019 is the Harley Quinn animated series. Not much information has been shared about the show – except that it'll be adult-orientated, 26 episodes, and the creative team involved – but we wouldn't bet against this version of Harley making her debut in Young Justice first, even if it's just a brief appearance.
8 FACT: IT'LL BE ABOUT METAHUMAN TRAFFICKING
If you're wondering what the next season of Young Justice will be all about, you need not worry anymore. As per DC Comics' official press release: "Set against the backdrop of a rich, deep world that touches all corners of the DC universe, [Young Justice: Outsiders] focuses on meta-trafficking, and an intergalactic arms race for control of these super-powered youths."
It's an interesting premise and one that'll create a lot of conversation among the fans of the show and what this could mean for the young superheroes. The creators certainly weren't kidding when they said the series will have more mature themes and concepts.
7 RUMOR: THE ORIGINAL TEAM WILL BE ON THE PERIPHERY
The recent release of Young Justice: Outsiders images have shown a focus on the likes of Robin, Blue Beetle, Spoiler, and the rest of the younger gang – not really the original gang of Nightwing, Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, and the others.
It's likely that we'll see less of the original team as the focus shifts to the next generation. Young Justice season two did the exact same thing by introducing the next batch of heroes, so we'd expect more of that here as well. Of course, this doesn't mean that the likes of Nightwing and Aqualad will disappear into the ether, but we perceive them to have less screen time than the others.
6 FACT: IT'LL CONSIST OF 26 EPISODES
For fans of longer series, Young Justice: Outsiders has your back. It'll go back to being the same number of episodes as the first season: 26. Season two of the show was shortened down to 20, unfortunately, when we only wanted more of it – not less.
Still, we don't know how the episodes will be released. Will it be one a week or the whole series in one go? Will the season be split into two parts like Trollhunters season one was on Netflix? We're likely to find out the answers in the forthcoming months. Until then, we can rest easy knowing there are 26 episodes to watch in the near future.
5 RUMOR: BLACK LIGHTNING TO HAVE A MAJOR INFLUENCE
When the black-ops image of Young Justice: Outsiders was released, many presumed it was Aqualad in between Nightwing and Superboy. According to ComicBook.com, it's actually Jefferson Pierce, aka Black Lightning. The more you think about it, the more it makes sense that it's him.
The Outsiders have been led by Black Lightning before, so this wouldn't be a shocking development for comic-book fans. Considering the popularity of the character due to his record-breaking CW show, it's highly likely that DC will look to get him involved wherever it can. Plus, he's seen as Static Shock's mentor, so there's that angle too.
4 FACT: BASH BASHFORD TO FEATURE
Longtime Superman fans will be happy to know that one of Clark Kent's high-school rivals, Bash Bashford, is coming to Young Justice: Outsiders, as confirmed by Weisman to io9. The egotistical jock was a sports adversary for the mild-mannered Clark, so it'll be hilarious to see how he's treated in this series.
Additionally, will Bash be the high-school bully or the guy who got superpowers from eating bananas from another planet? If it's the latter, we presume he'll be part of Gorilla Grodd's gang or something, because that would be totally bananas. Yes, it's a silly pun but we don't apologize for it.
3 RUMOR: LGBT HERO
There's a drive for more diversity in comics and Young Justice doesn't intend on shying away, either. After news that an LGBT superhero could appear in the new season of the show, Weisman responded on Twitter: "There are already LGBT characters in [Young Justice]." He added that fans should buy the comics to find out more since he won't spoil it.
Look, we're not going to spoil it for you here, either. That said, there are several possibilities – or perhaps even several members – that Weisman could be referring to. Who will it be? You'll just have to watch and find out for yourself.
2 FACT: TIM DRAKE IS STILL ROBIN
We've already seen the Robin mantle passed from Dick Grayson to Jason Todd, and then to Tim Drake on the show, so fans wondered if Damian Wayne would become the new Robin for the latest season. Turns out that it's still Tim, but we don't know if this will change throughout the season.
Considering that Young Justice is a prototype of Teen Titans, we wouldn't bet against Damian appearing at some point as he is the current leader of the group in the comic books. Whether he'll be warmly received by the fanbase is another story, because that kid is insufferable at the best of times.
1 RUMOR: SPOILER AND ROBIN TO HAVE A ROMANCE
With Tim as Robin, it's likely that he'll be the natural leader of the young team now. Next to him will be Spoiler, aka Stephanie Brown – someone whom Tim has had a storied history with in comic-book continuity. In fact, the two are still an item in Detective Comics, with Stephanie shown to be shattered when she presumed Tim to be dead.
Since Young Justice: Outsiders is able to contain more mature themes and storylines, it's natural that we'll see a romance develop between the two heroes. Heck, this could become even bigger than Dick and Starfire's love in Teen Titans.