WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for "Early Warning," Episode 18 of Young Justice: Outsiders, streaming now on DC Universe.
With the Justice League splintering due to Lex Luthor and the United Nations placing restrictions on what Earth's heroes can do, the Young Justice Universe is definitely treading new ground. The Dark Knight has his Batman Inc. up and running, while Aqualad and Wonder Woman are leading an Illuminati of sorts from the shadows, uniting all cells across the globe.
The latest development in the series' third season, Young Justice: Outsiders, then saw Beast Boy bringing out his own team of Outsiders as he wants the public, especially millennials, to buy into their vision for a safer world. With news that this team's becoming even more popular than the League itself, Beast Boy now has yet another notch on his belt to celebrate as the roster's expanding by one thanks to a surprise addition: Eduardo Dorado Jr.
Ed was one of the runaways from Season 2 who the Reach captured and was experimenting on to activate his meta-gene and turn him into a weapon. Nightwing's team rescued him but along with some other kids, including Static, Ed would fall by the wayside with Lex eventually manipulating them as pawns against the Reach. The kids even turned down membership with Young Justice as they simply couldn't trust anyone anymore, apart from Arsenal who they felt had their best interests at heart.
But seeing as he rolls solo, they had to find their own way, eventually helping stop the Reach at the end of the second season and now, as Outsiders shows, they're working at the Taos rehab center with other at-risk metas.
Static's an Outsider but Ed's lecturing kids and even working through PTSD sessions with those who've been rescued or who simply need an avenue to vent and talk about the rigors of being metas. Even so, Ed's never been one to sign up for such a public-facing initiative, until now.
When Beast Boy and Co. rescue more teens from Cuba and bring them back to Taos, Ed shocks everyone by telling them he wants Outsiders membership. Static and Beast Boy are ecstatic to have him, as well as Blue Beetle and Bart Allen. It seems that attending the funeral for Joan Garrick with the latter two made Ed realize he has a greater purpose in life than just standing behind a podium.
He elaborates by revealing his teenage students would want to someday aspire to join the Outsiders and then maybe even the League, so he thinks it's time to set a precedent and inspire them to this point of greatness. Ed knows there are legacy kids such as Bart and Wonder Girl, while people like Static are a bit too unrecognizable to his students, so by signing up they'll have a face they can connect with. It's a smart strategy as all Ed cares about is setting an example for his kids and letting them know they finally have a face on the team.
It makes for an intriguing dynamic moving forward for the teleporter, who's loosely based off of a minor member of the Super Friends. That character, El Dorado, was a Mexican hero who possessed a variety of powers, notably teleportation and super-strength, but he did come off a bit too stereotypical. Ed also has a look similar to Spike Spiegel from the cult anime series Cowboy Bebop, and it's only a matter of time before those who sought counselling want to be like him. And so, his new teammates playfully warn him that he looks the part and talks the talk, so now it's time to walk the walk.
Another intriguing point comes from the fact he and his dad aren't on the best of terms as Ed's dad blamed him getting kidnapped on the boy running away from Argentina to come to the U.S. His father, Ed Sr., was working as a scientist at STAR Labs, so while one would assume they've patched things up now, sadly, his father still views metas as lab rats, while Ed simply wants him to find a cure so they can all be normal.
In fact, his dad isn't even a huge fan of superheroes, so this is another obstacle they'll have to overcome in their tumultuous relationship. But with Bart and Beetle on board, Ed does have allies he can confide in, so let's hope he really and truly has the tenacity and resilience for the job ahead.
New episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders premiere Tuesdays throughout the summer on DC Universe.