WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for "Unknown Factors," Episode 21 of Young Justice: Outsiders, streaming now on DC Universe.
Vic Stone's journey as Cyborg in Young Justice: Outsiders has been one of the most tortured ones we've ever seen the character endure across so many comics, cartoons and movies. He was fused with a Father Box and became corrupted as the Apokoliptian piece of machinery possessed him, trying to turn the young man into a weapon.
Thankfully, Vic was recently 'exorcised' using Metron's chair and he's finally regained his sense of humanity. However, while he's now officially on the path to becoming the hero we know Cyborg to be, he isn't just some instrument to be used against crime on Earth by the Outsiders or the League -- his upgrade means he's now the key to Darkseid's defeat and salvation for the entire cosmos.
This savior was assumed to be Halo, who displayed godlike entities such as regeneration, the ability to open Boom Tubes and the power to heal any broken Apokoliptian tech, such as Vic himself. However, her mental instability makes her a huge threat right now, both to her teammates and herself. Halo hasn't taken her death sentence well, and even though the League wants to heal her, she's resigned to the fact the sickness eating away at her human vessel will lead to her demise. This drove Halo to break up with Geo-Force and since then, she's become very depressed and a liability in battle.
But just when it seems like the team lost the person they believed would conquer Darkseid, Vic inadvertently steps up in a big way and it makes him seem like the person who can level the playing field against Darkseid and his forces. Vic has been stable recently, even reconciling with his dad, and when Nightwing and Black Lightning are kidnapped in this episode, his heroic destiny starts to unfold like never before.
Aqualad and his boyfriend, Wyynde, try to rescue the duo, but Granny Goodness decides the Mother Box they possess must be destroyed. Coincidentally, this is the same one that Dreamer left behind to aid in Cyborg's rebooting with the Mobius Chair. When Granny's home security system tries to fry it, Vic senses its pinging cry for help. He quickly opens a Boom Tube, which stuns his friends as they thought only Halo could do so. She also senses the danger, and they both charge over to Granny's house to save the League.
While Halo tends to the Mother Box, Vic goes into all-out war mode, integrating with her Apokoliptian controls system and shutting down the security robot, Overlord. The smart plan proves that Cyborg has leveled up big-time. He's getting ready to deal with Darkseid and his legion and this is exactly what the League needs for Darkseid's new Death Star, the Orphanage, and his Parademon horde.
Granny displays fear over this one-man army and as the squad departs, it's obvious Cyborg, as a former Father Box, might be more powerful than Halo (who's actually inhabited by the soul of a Mother Box). Even if they're on an even keel right now, Vic doesn't have any weaknesses and is still evolving. What could be very crucial to him embracing his warrior role is Metron called him "Mobius-tech" when he was healed, so he could be tapped into the Source Wall, which could give him an even greater edge. Since Granny just found the Anti-Life Equation, the League will need Vic to go on the offensive now, more than ever.
New episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders premiere Tuesdays throughout the summer on DC Universe.