With new episodes of DC Universe soon, many fans are wondering what mysteries will be explored by season 3. Young Justice season 2 ended with several major cliffhangers which were left unresolved after the show was unceremoniously canceled by Cartoon Network. There are also a number of questions about the new season that have been raised by the early previews of the first episode.
First airing in 2010, Young Justice centered upon six teenage superheroes, who formed an organized team under the tutelage of their mentors in the Justice League. This team, which was never given a formal name, largely acted in a covert capacity, tackling those missions which the Justice League could not handle openly. The show proved popular and became a smash-hit but was unexpectedly cancelled in 2013. Reportedly, this was because while the show was a hit with adults and young girls, it wasn't as well-loved by the young boys whom the show was meant to sell action figures to.
Related: Young Justice: Outsiders Trailer Reunites The Team In Comic-Con First Look
Thankfully, a devoted fan movement convinced Warner Bros. that a mistake had been made and much darker in tone than the first two, presumably to further emphasize the series' standing as a sophisticated anime for older viewers, though just how dark things will get remains to be seen. Beyond that, here are eight of the biggest questions fans hope to see answered in the long-awaited Young Justice season 3.
8. How Far In The Future Does Season 3 Take Place?
Fans were stunned when "Happy New Year" - the Young Justice season 2 premiere - originally aired. The episode opened with Superboy fighting Clayface in the sewers of Gotham City. He was quickly ed by Miss Martian, who was clad in a different uniform than she had worn in season 1. Eventually it was revealed (after the arrival of new team Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Bumblebee and a Robin that was not Dick Grayson) that five years had ed in-universe since the first season finale, "Auld Acquaintance." It is known that there will be a similar time skip between season 2 and season 3, with many changes to the team's roster (including former Aqualad Kaldur becoming the new Aquaman) but it remains to be seen just how long a skip it will be.
7. Will Barbara Gordon Be Paralyzed?
Barbara Gordon appeared in the first season of Young Justice as a classmate of Dick Grayson and Artemis Crock at the prestigious Gotham Academy. Young Justice season 2 saw her taking on the identity of Batgirl and fighting alongside Dick Grayson, who had taken up the identity of Nightwing. The first preview for Young Justice's season 3 depicted the two working together again, with Dick in the field as Nightwing and Barbara offering him technical as Oracle.
Related: Why Batgirl Holds A Special Place Among DC's Heroes
We only hear Barbara's voice in the brief clip from "Bedlam" so there is no indication that she is confined to a wheelchair, as she was in the comics after assuming the Oracle identity. While it seems unlikely she would become Oracle in the reality of Young Justice unless there had been some kind of incident like that depicted in Barbara Gordon balancing the mantles of both Batgirl and Oracle. While Young Justice has largely based itself off of the pre-New 52 DC Comics universe, there is no reason why it couldn't draw upon the more recent material in regards to Barbara Gordon.
6. How Did Jason Todd Die In This Reality?
The Young Justice season 2 episode "Satisfaction" revealed that the team's base in Happy Harbor had a holographic statue garden of fallen heroes, contained in an underground grotto. Among these memorials was a statue of Jason Todd - the second Robin. It was revealed that Todd had taken on Dick Grayson's mantle and been replaced by Tim Drake within the five year break between season 1 and season 2. While it is assumed that Jason Todd died at the hands of The Joker (as in the comic book storyline A Death In The Family) the show has yet to discuss the circumstances of Jason's death or any aspect of his time as Robin beyond the fact that he existed.
5. What Is The Current Status of Nabu And Zatara?
Young Justice season 1 saw the team recover the Helmet of Fate - a magical artifact which housed the spirit of the Lord of Order, Nabu. After Nabu attempted to claim several of the team as hosts, the magical hero Giovanni Zatara agreed to become Nabu's permanent host in order to save his daughter, Zatanna, from being enslaved by Nabu's will. Since the season 1 episode "Misplaced", Zatara has acted as the new Doctor Fate, with Nabu agreeing to honor Zatara's responsibilities as a member of the Justice League. Even with this bargain having been achieved, it still seems odd that the World's Finest heroes would be willing to leave one of their allies at the mercy of a magical symbiote and that no effort has been made to free their friend from Nabu's control.
Page 2 of 2: Even More Young Justice Questions Going Into Season 3
4. Will The Death Of Beast Boy's Mother Be Addressed?
Garfield Logan was introduced in the Young Justice season 1 episode "Image." The son of a nature preserve manager, Garfield grew up on the border between the warring nations of Qurac and Bialya. When Garfield was wounded during a skirmish and there was no blood available for a transfusion, Miss Martian used her shape-shifting powers to change her own blood-type so that it would match Garfield's. The transfusion saved his life and, it was discovered later, gave him a limited form of shape-shifting that allowed him to change into any animal. In season 2, he would the team as Beast Boy.
Related: Young Justice: Outsiders - Every Character In The SDCC Trailer
The season 2 episode "Earthlings" revealed that Garfield's mother, Marie Logan, was killed in a car crash arranged by the villain Queen Bee. The details were never discussed on the show, but an issue of the Young Justice comic book revealed that Queen Bee wanted revenge for some past slight and forced a mind-controlled Marie Logan to drive off a cliff. While it is unclear if the comic is considered canon to the show (despite being written by Young Justice producer Greg Weisman), Queen Bee was still at liberty at the end of season 2. Either way, it is to be hoped that Beast Boy will get a chance to see his mother's killer brought to justice sometime in season 3.
3. In What Capacity Does The Light Still Exist?
Believing that they will make humanity "see the light" regarding how "heroes" make people complacent and unwilling to take care of themselves, a group of seven villains united in secret to form a world-wide network in opposition to the Justice League. Originally comprised of Vandal Savage, Queen Bee, Lex Luthor, Klarion The Witch Boy, The Brain, Ra's Al Ghul and Ocean Master, The Light have been behind nearly every evil scheme depicted on Young Justice. The second season saw DC supervillain Black Manta replace Ocean Master, with his son Kaldur (i.e. Aqualad) seemingly having abandoned heroism for a place at his father's side. In truth, Kaldur was a double-agent working to infiltrate The Light and bring them down from within.
While Kaldur and his team proved unable to completely thwart The Light's plans, the young heroes were able to arrest The Brain and Black Manta along with several of The Light's high-ranking lieutenants in season 2's penultimate episode, "Summit." Ra's Al Ghul was seemingly killed during this battle, though his manservant Ubu fled the scene with his body, saying he would see him resurrected. Unfortunately, Lex Luthor and Queen Bee - the two of The Light who masquerade as respectable world leaders - still held legitimate positions of power as the season concluded and Klarion and Savage were able to escape to the planet Apokolips. Though their power may be diminished and their hip changed, The Light are sure to continue being a thorn in the side of the Justice League and the Outsiders in season 3.
2. How Long Has Apokolips Been Working With The Light?
Hints had been dropped throughout the first two seasons of Young Justice that The Light had brokered some kind of alliance with Darkseid and the New Gods of Apokolips. This was finally confirmed in the season 2 finale "Endgame," when Vandal Savage met with Darkseid on Apokolips and declared that everything was "business as usual" despite the recent setbacks. Presumably, season 3 will shed some light (no pun intended) on just how long Earth's villains have been working with Darkseid and what the ultimate goals of both groups are.
1. Will Wally West Return?
The Young Justice season 2 finale also ended with the apparent death of Wally West (Kid Flash), who was seemingly vaporized while trying to destroy a piece of alien technology. The first trailer for Young Justice season 3 revealed that Wally is still believed to be dead, but speedsters in the DC Comics universe who appear to get disintegrated while moving at top speed generally get revealed to have been absorbed into the Speed Force. Many fans believe that this is what happened to Wally and hope that he will make a triumphant return at some point during season 3.