Young Justice Season Four: Second Half Spoilers

The second half of Young Justice season four is finally done, and if you want a recap of my review for the first half, it’s right here. If the title still doesn’t give you an idea that there’ll be spoilers, then I’m telling you here: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. Having said that, let’s see what I thought about the second part of season four.

Lar-Zod with Darkseid and His Minions

Let me begin by talking about some of my predictions for the second part in my previous review. Firstly, I mentioned that I thought the big baddie for this series was going to be Mordru from the 31st Century. I was DEAD WRONG. Turns out that the threat from the 21st Century is General Zod. This is quite appropriate considering, as predicted, Superboy wasn’t dead, but was actually trapped in the Phantom Zone due to his rescue by Phantom Girl. It was in the Phantom Zone that Superboy encounters General Zod. Back in standard reality, we find out that it was General Zod’s son, Lor-Zod, is responsible for the ‘death’ of Superboy after stealing a time sphere from the 31st Century.

Next, I also predicted two other story elements. One (the long shot) was the return of Wally West who might show up to save Superboy. That didn’t happen. Sigh. I’m still hoping he gets to return from the Speed Force bringing the A Team back to full power. I also predicted that we’ll see more Legionnaires show up in Young Justice. With the apperance of Brainiac 5 who travels back in time to retrieve the stranded Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, and Phantom Girl. I got my wish. So, I’m at fifty percent for these predictions. Yey for me.

Lagoon Boy, and the Aquamen

As to the story sequence, I also said that the last three arcs would focus on Aquaman, Nightwing, and Rocket. I was on the money on that one with Nightwing’s arc appropriately ending season four. It was fitting to have Kaldur’ahm aka Aquaman/Aqualad begin the second part of season four. It was a continuation of the mystical story arc that ended in part one with Zatanna. Here we get to find Vandal Savage up to his nefarious schemes again by trying to take control of the Kingdoms of Atlantis. Fortunately, Kaldur and company were able to thwart this plan which secured the safety of Earth for the moment.

Rocket aka Racquel

The next story arc focused on Rocket. With Rocket, the plot was about creating a pact between New Genesis, and the Green Lantern Corps vs. the power of Apokolips. She visited New Genesis to establish a treaty among the two aliend organizations, and Earth. Additionally, Rocket’s story arc focused on her relationship with her son, Amistad, who is autistic. Young Justice knocks it out of the ballpark again with this interpersonal story hook. We already have an overarching element in Beast Boy’s bout with depression. Now Young Justice adds to the mix the challenges of having a child with autism. This is just another example of what makes this series such a beautiful investment to view. Oh, also Rocket was able to broker an alliance with New Genesis, and the Green Lantern Corps.

From Left: Rocket, Miss Martian, Nightwing, Superboy, and Zatanna

Appropriately, the final arc for season four was headlined by the return of Nightwing to the team. I keep saying this, but I’ll say it again. Nightwing/Dick Grayson is a better team leader than Batman. This goes all the way back to his comic book roots even as Robin. We get to see that here in full display in this final arc. With Nightwing at the lead, the A Team was able to bring back Conner Kent from the Phantom Zone, and prevent the destructive fate of the universe under the crushing heels of the Zods. With that settled, Miss Martian, and Superboy could finally get married, albeit on Earth instead of Mars. Another happy ending for all…or is it?

From Left: The Foragers, Orion, Rocket, Jay Garrick Flash, and Lightray

Though the season ended with a happy wedding for our heroes, there are more challenges to face. Zod, and his forces were rescued from the Phantom Zone once again by Apokolips. Add to that the defection of Mary Marvel, AND Supergirl (Kara); and you have a more powerful force to face. I’m wondering if Supergirl’s appearance in Apokolips will follow the path of a familiar Batman/Superman comic story arc. Furthermore, Dru-Zod with the power of the Emerald Eye of Ekron retreats to Daxam…you know that planet of beings with powers similar to Kryptonians. It gets better. Dru-Zod is pregnant with General Zod’s child, and appears to want to raise this child on Daxam. Finally, Ma’alefa’ak who is Miss Martian’s brother, and enemy of Earth was gifted Durla by Darkseid as a reward for his services. For those of you unfamiliar with Durla, this is the planet of shapeshifters from which Chameleon Boy was born. Does this mean that Ma’alefa’ak is the ancestor of the Durlan shapeshifters like Chameleon Boy? Curiouser, and Curiouser. We’ll have to wait for season five (crossing fingers) to find out how these new story arcs pan out.

The A Team From Left: Zatanna, Superboy, Miss Martian, Aquaman, Tigress, Nightwing, and Rocket

Young Justice season four continues the excellent visuals, and storytelling that previous seasons have provided. The series not only centers on superheroics, but also delves deep into the interpersonal relationships among the main characters. Season four adds not only action, and intrigue, but also real life emotional problems such as dealing with depression, and autism. To my mind, this is the best western superhero series out there whether animated or live action. Young Justice is now streaming on HBO Max.

‘Peacemaker’ Made Good Use of Its Ef@@@g Chance

There were people who saw the ‘Peacemaker’ series as a laughable concept when news of it first came out. I suppose there are fewer people laughing now as the HBO Max series has become a certified hit, and used its ef@@@g chance quite well. Already renewed for season two , let’s take a look back at what made ‘Peacemaker’ one of the best series of this young year. Warning THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS. If that bothers you, why don’t you take out Judo Master for some chips?

Peacemaker and Adabayo Opening Dance Sequence

There’s no question now that the opening dance sequence for ‘Peacemaker’ is a major draw to the series. It’s quirky, hilarious, and downright in-your-face. It makes me giddy in aticipation to what James Gunn has planned for season two. Note that being part of the opening credits doesn’t assure you’ll survive season one. In fact, A LOT of the characters in that dance sequence die by season’s end. Though, that opening musical scene is partly what makes ‘Peacemaker’ entertaining from beginning to end credtis.

(From top left moving right, and down) Harcourt, Eagly, Economos, Vigilante, Murn, and Adebayo

Part of what makes ‘Peacemaker’ so special is the solid supporting cast from Vigilante to Eagly. Each has their own unique personality quirks that make them very relatable. If we’re talking about flaws, these characters wear them on their sleeves like badges of honor. All these mundane imperfections create a very rich core of character background, and development. Too bad that Murn bites the dust in this season. As for the other characters in Christopher Smith’s team, I expect to see more character development moving on to season two.

Peacemaker’s Father: The White Dragon

One of the more well-written,and most important characters in ‘Peacemaker’ is his father: Auggie Smith aka the White Dragon. Yes, he’s dead by the end of season one, but that doesn’t mean that the character will leave the show. He appears to be haunting Christopher Smith’s mind much like what is done in the comics. The comic books show that Peacemaker regularly converses with his dead father, and it looks like James Gunn is incorporating this in his story moving forward. This just solidifies Peacemaker as full-blown crazy with daddy issues. This is bad for Chris, but good for ‘Peacemaker’ in general since it just provides more layers of storytelling.

Christopher Smith with ‘microphone’ half-naked

Chris’s relationship with his father goes to the core as to why ‘Peacemaker’ is so appealing : Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker is the underdog we can empathize. His morals are questionable, but his intentions are pure. But aren’t we all like that sometimes? Wanting to do the right thing by doing the wrong thing, or worse ending up doing the wrong thing? Chris also brings super heroes from DC lore down to earth with all of his supposed inside information, some of which are proven actually true (like that Aquaman snipe). Granted, these slights mask his insecurties. Then again, that just makes Peacemaker more relatable, and lovable. People love rooting for the underdog especially when they see themselves in the character. In this case, Chris is relatable on so many levels to so many people.

Vigilante and Peacemaker Having a Chat in Peacemaker’s Home

The story flow of ‘Peacemaker’ itself is a great balance of action, violence, sex, comedy, and emotional storytelling. The comedy reflects on the characters themselves, and is balanced out by the emotional beats that each main character is given in the story. Yes, even Emilia Harcourt has her soft, and mushy side too. The effect is that ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t fall into the trap of being one long overextended comedy skit, and balances excellent storytelling with character development. ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t get tied down by DC lore like another HBO Max show I love. Instead, it adds to the lore, and uses existing lore to its advantage. In particular, there’s this little bit of DC Cinematic Universe lore that it uses quite well.

Peacemaker meets the Justice League

With the last episode, ‘Peacemaker’ has established that it exists in the same DC Universe as the Justice League, with particular cameos of both Aquaman, and the Flash. More importantly, the Justice League’s appearance late in the story solidifies the importance of Peacemaker in this common universe. The Justice League can’t always be around, and someone has to do the dirty work. This helps in establishing Chris’s place in the super hero order now that the Suicide Squad, and its operations have been outed to world at large.

Adebayo and Peacemaker Avoid an Explosion

All in all, ‘Peacemaker’ is a breath of fresh air in a live action genre that has become formulaic for the most part. What ‘Peacemaker’ provides is an alternative storytelling pattern that caters to a much different audience than what has been established by many. The series is not for children, and that’s a good thing. ‘Peacemaker’ can be crass, and offensive to the socio-culturally sensitive. That too is a good thing. In spite of all these, ‘Peacemaker’ expands the boundary on what CAN BE DONE with super hero adaptations. The series dances to its own beat right from the onset, and it works to the benefit of the comic book genre as a whole.

Peacemaker outsid of his trailer park home

So, if you’re willing to give ‘Peacemaker’ a chance, you’ll be feasting on a storytelling style that is fresh in its damaged goods. ‘Peacemaker’ is now streaming on HBO Max.

Young Justice Season 4 First Half: Phantoms of Future, Past and Present

Though the second part of season four will be coming this spring, there is a lot to talk about with the first thirteen episodes of ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’. Considering it’s been two years since ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’, fans (new and seasoned) have a lot to talk about, and rejoice in season four. And, ‘Phantoms’ is a very apt description so far as we will see with this recap review. Needless to say, this post has SPOILERS so proceed at your own risk. Thank you.

Superboy and Miss Marttian about to leave for Mars

Season four starts off with a revelation that M’gann and Conner are finally getting married. This is a great start to the story as the team’s first couple finally prep to tie the knot. Though the happy beginning just forebodes a series of problematic events as the season continues. It’s nice to see our group celebrate a little down time before the literal sh@t hits the fan. One of these problematic events is the discrimination shown once the couple reaches Mars, which is yet another socio-cultural reality tackled by this series. This leads to our first set of ‘phantoms’ from the future.

Chamelon Boy, Phantom Girl, and Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes

The end of season three hinted on the addition of the Legion of Super-Heroes to the series, and we get to see three members of this DC super team in the early story arc. Here we have Chamelion Boy, Phamtom Girl, and Saturn Girl shadowing M’gann and Conner along with Gar for an as of yet unknown reason. Though if you know your comic book references, they are probably there to protect Superboy aka Conner since he is the reason for the Legion forming. I can only assume that’s the rout the writers are taking since the series is Young Justice-centric and not Superman-centric.

Later we find out that Conner seemingly dies at the hands of kryptonite bomb planted by an unknown assailant. My money is that the phantom killer from the future is the Mordru (or connected to him) which links to the Lords of Chaos (more on that later). You can imagine the effect of Conner’s death is to poor M’gann (they weren’t even married yet), but Conner’s death seems to have hit hard on Gar as well. This leads to our next phantom which resonated throughout the entire series so far.

Superboy aka Conner Kent

With the death of Conner, Young Justice highlights the effects of depression through the eyes of Garfield Logan aka Beast Boy. Granted M’gann aka Miss Martian was gravely affected by Conner’s death, it is through Gar’s eyes that we get to see just how depression hits: no rhym or reason. It’s an important plot point of ‘Phantoms’, and you have to remember that Gar is one of the youngest members of the team. As such, we see varying degrees and manifestations of depression in Gar. Here’s hoping he snaps out of it somehow for his own good, and the good of the team.

Beast Boy, Superboy, and Miss Martian on Mars

Moving on to the present, the phantoms of the past rears their ugly heads through the eys of Cassandra Cain aka Orphan. I’m a huge Cassandra Cain comic book fan whether as Orphan or Batgirl, and I’m happy for her to have a story arc of her own in season four. This also connects with the history of both Artemis aka Tigress and Chessire, the sisters on opposite ends of the hero spectrum. Here, we see an opportunity for redemption for both Cassandra Cain, and Chessire in spite of their assassin pasts. The message here is resounding: you can move away from your dark past if you give yourself a chance. As to how this rehabilation of these two characters pan out, we’ll have to wait and see in the next episodes. Also, I’m happy that they had Barbara Gordon portrayed as Oracle. In my opinion, Oracle is one of the best modern characters in recent history in spite of, and because of her disability.

Lady Shiva with Cassandra Cain

Finally, we have the phantoms of the present with Zatanna taking center stage. If I’m happy with the Cassandra Cain story arc, I’m jubilant with the Zatanna story arc. She is one of my favorite comic book characters along with Raven, and Death of the Endless. This is the magic story arc with the Lords of Chaos as the time antagonists. Here we find out that Vandal Savage has an existing agreement with Klarion that now is put to the test. The presence of the Lords of Chaos just strenghtens my belief that Mordru is somehow the big baddie who will be revealed by season’s end.

Zatanna

In any case, the conflict between Klarion and The Child who are both agents of chaos draws in everybody. In the crossfire, we discover that Zatanna is training new magic weilders which include (Tracy) Thirteen, Kahlid Nassour, and Mary Bromfield (Marvel). With the resolution of Zatanna’s story arc, the balance of chaos and order is restored, and we find out that Zatanna has her reasons for having students. The decision was based on helping her fatther Zatara by providing alternate hosts for the Helmet of Faith. This includes herself, and her students minus Mary who was deemed unstable by Zatanna for the task.

The Child with Her Familiar

With that, the group’s run-in with chaos ends on a happy note. However, there are still some outstanding story hooks that remain unresovled. For one, Gar is still in depression, and we have yet to see him snap out of it. I expect that to be a huge part of the story for season four moving forward. Also, Zatanna had a vision of Conner’s soul at unrest. From episode thirteen, it appears that Conner is actually trapped in the Phantom Zone. Maybe he was placed there to protect him from the kryptonite bomb? That would explain why there is no body. With that, we end the first half of season four.

Young Justice Membes

Additionally, I would just like to mention one other story element incorporated from Young Justice: Outsiders. During the end credits of season three, we see Wolf as the star of the end credits. In ‘Phantoms’, the creators took this up a notch by providing short clips that enhance the story elements for the series. I find this to be a welcome addition to Young Justice. In effect, the end credits aren’t wasted on just credits, and these addtional story elements provide more layers to this beautiful series.

Young Justice cover Photo

So, what’s there to expect with the second half of season four? well, we don’t have stories that center on Aqualad aka Aquaman, Nightwing, and Rocket so I expect future episodes to center on them. If we are to believe the title image of season four, that should be the case. Then, there is the overarching story of depression through the eyes of Beast Boy, and , to a certain extent, Miss Martian. I suspect that how they overcome depression will be a salient point of the second half of the season. Next, we have the Legion, and the mysterious ‘killer’ of Superboy aka Conner. Let’s see if Mordru actually shows up. Finally, I’m hoping for the return of Wally West (Yeah!). Maybe he becomes the key to saving Conner from the Phantom Zone.

If you aren’t watching Young Justice yet, you should. This is one of the best comic book adaptations out there. Young Justice: Phantoms is streaming on HBO Max.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A League of His Own

Maybe this will teach the Warner Brother’s movie higher ups to allow their creators to create with trust and confidence. Maybe this will erase the memory of a messy and inconsistent film that reflected its patchwork pieces to come up with a pedestrian interpretation of a better film. Maybe this will open the door to a far different and more adult way of interpreting super hero films that might not be for every age, but becomes ageless. Enough of the maybes, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ does all of the above.

Breaking away from what is expected of super hero movies nowadays, ‘Zack Snyder’s Jusctice League’ provides a super hero film consistent with the original vision started with ‘Man of Steel’. It is dark, it is gloomy, but it is hopeful. I liken this film to the gothic stories of old wherein you have characters set in a situation that is near hopeless with that rare light at the end of the tunnel driving them to their destinations. For truly, wasn’t the reason Dante Alighieri’s Inferno came before Paradiso to make people face their own darkness first to better appreciate the light? That was the case for this film.

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The story takes place directly after the events of ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and you can see from the onset that this was a completely different film from the previous ‘Justice League’. Zack Snyder’s vision came to light with his setup of character buildiing of new heroes such as Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash while balancing it with previous character staples in Batman, Wonder Woman and even Alfred. The dramatic build up to the impending doom was just what the film needed to justify the gambit of reviving Superman from his eternal slumber. Never mind Steppenwolf. He’s small fry. When you’re going up against a threat like Darkseid, you truly need the hope that Superman gives on your side.

True, the film does not pit our Justice League directly against Darkseid himself. But, that’s more the case that they were able to prevent his coming in the first place, and not because they weren’t set to face him. For in all DC Comics lore, there are few greater threats than the Lord of Apokolips and his cronnies, Steppenwolf being just one among them. This raised the stakes to a worldly threat to an existential one. With Darkseid’s presence in ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, we get to appreciate more the value of Superman to this story.

Let there be no mistake, this is a different film from ‘Justice League’ that came before it. Aside from the length, the treatment of the setting, characters and storytelling provide a better basis for the DC films that came after it. The vision is clearly set, and even sets the narrative up moving forward with what hopefully will be a proper continuation of this revived superhero franchise. Even the appearance of Martian Manhunter provides something to look forward to in future installmens of ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ as they move towards the power seven that is Justice League minus Green Lantern. However, elements of the film suggest that we might have a ring slinger making an appearance in the DC Extended Universe’s future. If not in this film, then maybe somewhere else.

All in all, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ is a redemption film that reflects the true vision of the director. True, one might argue that the reshoots could be an afterthought of what worked in the previous film, and removing what didn’t work. However, that’s just pure cynical and insidious thinking. Zack Snyder loves these characters, and this story. Given a chance to show what he wanted, he would do so, and did so. What ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ provides us is an alternative way of telling super hero stories. Rather than be a super hero story, this film is a story about super heroes, and the difference can be seen in the end product.

‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ not only heralds the return, and highligths the importance of Superman. It also serves as a reminder of what happens when a creative genius is left to his own devices. Impending doom is averted, and hope in the future is restored.