The following contains spoilers for Young Justice, Season 4, Episode 17, "Leviathan Wakes," now available on HBO Max.

The second half of Young Justice: Phantoms has veered away from Mars' political war, instead focusing on the political state of Atlantis. While there have been snippets of Superboy alive in the Phantom Zone, the latest episodes have been all about who should lead the undersea realm and who should be its representatives in the Justice League. And much to the surprise of longtime viewers, there have been seismic shifts.

Firstly, Kaldur has taken time off as Aquaman in order to heal mentally after the swath of deaths in his career as a superhero. Secondly, Orin (aka Arthur Curry) has once again taken on the mantle of Aquaman, while Lagoon Boy/La'gaan has to juggle his polyamorous family life with also being a new Aqauaman. Most of all, though, change has washed over the throne with a new regent being crowned that'll hopefully bring peace to the Seven Seas.

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Mera takes over Atlantis in Young Justice.

The change in guard occurred after the Arion fiasco, when the first king -- Vandal Savage's grandson -- showed up and the kingdoms voted him back in. They felt he'd unite the people better than Orin, a human half-breed, but alas, Arion, upon putting back on his crown, got incinerated. The Lords of Order reclaimed the crown's power to teach Vandal a lesson for secretly cloning Arion as a puppet leader.

However, after being voted out so resoundingly in the first place, Orin didn't want leadership back. Part of it was down to ego, but he also realized he could never truly unite the oceans the way he always intended to. As much as he tried, it never felt like Queen Atlanna's vision would be fulfilled with her son, so Orin changed the voting process and asked the lords of the different realms to select his nomination, Mera.

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She was voted in unanimously, cementing how everyone loved her, from the elites to the lower classes. In fact, this social disparity is something she's longed to work on, so Orin had no problem with his wife's victory. He was glad to see the kingdoms cheering her name, loving how she's always fought for equity and acceptance. But this does pose some intriguing possibilities moving forward, starting with her professional career.

Mera rules Atlantis in Young Justice

In the comics, Mera recently took over Atlantis, abolishing the monarchy, trying to govern more independently. This ran her into conflict with the religious Cetea, so she may face resistance from similar personnel in her reign who are stuck in archaic tradition. There's also her dad, Nereus, and her old home, Xebel, who are prone to violence and often see themselves as better than the others. King Nanaue and the sharks are equally aggressive and arrogant, so Mera will have to monitor for an alliance. Both kingdoms could even attack the surface world they despise so much, akin to Orm when he schemed as Ocean Master. After all, it's easy to see Nereus thinking he can break rules and have his daughter merely slap him on the wrist.

Lastly, it will be a personal test because if Orin's on League duty, he might not be around to help Mera on diplomatic decisions. Or it could be, he tries to advise too much and stifles her, not knowing how to cede control. Given they were only just grooming their young son, Artur, to be a hero as well, the family could become split between respective duties, truly testing their togetherness and time management. Ultimately, though, Mera has everyone's initial backing, but she'll have to keep her guard up, which leaves fans eager to see how she handles her new role as the ultimate Queen and wife of a Justice League senior in Phantoms.

See how Mera fares as Queen of Atlantis as new episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms debut every Wednesday on HBO Max.