Greetings all Outsiders! Can you believe the new season is over? What an incredible ride! I’m still trying to process everything from this week’s 3-part season finale. Speaking of which, if you haven’t seen it yet be warned, there will be spoilers in this column.
Some of my predictions came true (Hooray, Terra stayed loyal to the team!) while others didn’t (Megan didn’t become Harper’s foster mom), but the show still manage to surprise me right up until its final moments. Geo-Force is a mad ruler! Granny has been defeated! We got our first hint at the Legion of Super-Heroes! I can go on for hours, but some of you probably have places to be. So, rather than doing that, with all cool plot threads that were set up, I thought it would be fun to make a short wish list for things I’d love to see in Young Justice’s fourth season.
And here’s where I remind all of you that just because this column runs on the DC site doesn’t mean I’m privy to what’s ahead. I know exactly as much about Young Justice season 4 as you do. Which is to say, almost nothing! That’s what makes it so much fun to speculate.
Anyhow, with that said, let’s get to the list!
The Legion of Super-Heroes
They teased us with that flight ring, and I can’t wait to see how they’ll deliver on that promise.
Superboy and Miss Martian Wedding
We’ve seen them do this “will they or won’t they” dance since season 1, and this year we finally saw the couple get engaged! A wedding would be a great way to open up season 4, and a great excuse to get all the characters (including ones we haven’t seen in a long time) in the same place for some fun.
The Fall of the Light
Every scene with the Light involves them smugly talking about how everything is going according to plan, even their defeats. It’s been years, so it would be great to see the Team finally wipe those self-important smiles off their faces.
More Lian Harper
The toddler Lian Harper was one of the most adorable things we saw on screen this season, and she must be protected at all costs. She lit up every scene she was in, and I can’t wait to see more of her.
A Happy Ending for Markovia
It was downright tragic to see Brion become a tyrant ruler of Markovia and turn his back on his friends. I hope he’ll calm down in season 4 and get some emotional closure with Halo.
Big Barda and Mister Miracle
An interesting seed was planted when Superman saved Big Barda. How awesome would it be to follow that up by introducing Mister Miracle and giving us the awesome husband-wife superhero adventures we deserve?
Forager Goes to School
We saw Fred Bugg reveal his true form to his classmates during the ending montage. I want to see what Forager’s high school life will be like now that the student body knows he’s an alien bug. You could base the entire season off of that and I’d never get bored.
That’s my wish list! Honestly, even if none of these things happen, I’m fairly confident that season 4 is going to kick butt. The writers and producers of Young Justice have a great batting average, so whatever they come up with is sure to leave us all feeling whelmed.
For all of us fans who thought Young Justice was never coming back, this season felt like a gift. So, I’ve decided to give back by holding my own award ceremony in this column. Pretend there’s a red carpet here…and without further ado, allow me to present the Inside Outsiders 2019 Awards.
Best New Character: Forager aka Fred Bugg with two G’s.
Biggest Surprise: Helga Jace’s villainous monologue. We suspected she was evil…but dang, that was really something else!
Most Heartbreaking Line: “Our dad hits us” from Harper Row.
Most Evil Moment: Dr. Jace lying to Violet and telling her she was dying, sending her on a depression cycle.
Most Tragic Death: Baby Lobo being smooshed by papa Lobo in the post-credits scene. Why Lobo?! WHY!?
Cutest Couple Award: Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon! They’re endgame!
Inappropriate Kiss Award: Artemis and Will. Ewwwwww, that’s your brother-in-law!
Arguing with Yourself Award: Khary Payton as Black Lightning and Kaldur.
Best Easter Egg: The entire “Doom Patrol GO!” sequence from “Nightmare Monkeys.”
Most Obscure Easter Egg: Including Nikolas Stofka, a young Markovian from an obscure 1980’s Outsiders backup story.
The final category is the MVP Award, and the winner is…all of you, the Young Justice viewers and Inside Outsiders readers!
You may not realize it, but all of this couldn’t have happened without you! Showrunners Greg Weisman and Branon Vietti have said multiple times that the show was able to return for a third season because of the intense reaction from fandom—that means you! Not only that, but the social media posts, binge-watching and fan conversations helped get the show renewed for a fourth season. You all deserve this award…this could never have happened without you! Did you like how this season turned out? If you did, then be proud of yourself because you helped make that happen!
Thank you for joining me for Inside Outsiders and letting me share my intense Young Justice fandom with all of you. This has been an amazing place to celebrate the show every week, and I look forward to bringing it back in one form or another when we return for season 4. Until then…stay whelmed, everyone!
Young Justice: Outsiders is now available to stream in full on DC Universe. Not yet a member? Click here to subscribe now.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DCComics.com and DCUniverse.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.
