Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the first two episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms.
The first two episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms have been released on HBO Max, offering the first glimpse at what has happened since the end of Young Justice: Outsiders. True to tradition, there was a sizeable time skip between the two series. However, the gap between Young Justice season 3 and Young Justice season 4 was the smallest yet, being only one year. Despite this, a number of changes were revealed in the first two episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms.
Originally produced for Cartoon Network before being canceled and renewed as a more mature animated series on the DC Universe streaming service, Young Justice details the adventures of the first generation of young heroes inspired by the Justice League and their efforts to follow in their mentors’ footsteps. The series is noted for an intensive continuity, which draws deeply off the long history of DC Comics, and an extensive cast of characters, some of whom had never been featured in animation before appearing in Young Justice. The series is also noteworthy for how, unlike most superhero shows, its characters are allowed to grow older and change over time.
As Young Justice: Phantoms opened, Superboy and Miss Martian were preparing to take a trip to Mars, along with Martian Manhunter and Beast Boy, in anticipation of their upcoming two-part wedding, with a Martian religious ceremony being observed on Mars with Miss Martian’s family and a civil ceremony being held on Earth with all their friends in the superhero community. Unfortunately, any hope of a peaceful vacation was quickly destroyed, as the young heroes were drawn into the investigation of a crime with intergalactic consequences.
Miss Martian Changed Forms
![Young Justice: Everything That Happened Between Outsiders & Phantoms](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Young-Justice-Phantoms-Martian-Manhunter-Superboy-Beast-Boy-Miss-Martian.jpg)
As Superboy and Miss Martian’s marriage party arrived on Mars, M’gann took on a new shape that mixed elements of her previous costumes. This new form utilized the long red hair of her Season 1 appearance, the uniform she began wearing in Young Justice: Invasion, and the pale skin she adopted in Young Justice: Outsiders. The only new addition was a pair of red eyes, which resembled the red eyes common to Martians in their natural form, though her face was distinctly human. This continued the tradition of Miss Martian adopting a new appearance every season.
Snapper Carr’s House Is Even More Crowded
![Young Justice Phantoms Happy Harbor Heroes Snapper Carr Bethany Carr Terra Halo Harper Row Cullen Row Wolf Superboy Miss Martian Beast Boy Forager](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Young-Justice-Phantoms-Happy-Harbor-Heroes-Snapper-Carr-Bethany-Carr-Terra-Halo-Harper-Row-Cullen-Row-Wolf-Superboy-Miss-Martian-Beast-Boy-Forager.jpg)
As a former Justice League mascot and current principal of Happy Harbor High School, Lucas “Snapper” Carr was uniquely qualified to mentor the many young heroes who came to train at the secret base at nearby Mount Justice. As Young Justice: Phantoms opened, it was revealed that, even after opening his home to Superboy, Miss Martian, Wolf, the Bio-Ship and Forager, Snapper’s home had become even more crowded. In the past year, Snapper was revealed to have gotten married to Happy Harbor’s police chief, Bethany Lee, and that they had adopted Harper Row and her younger brother, Cullen, after helping them to escape their abusive father in Young Justice: Outsiders. The two teens were also established as being privy to their classmates’ secret identities, as Forager, Terra and Halo were confirmed to still be students at Happy Harbor High School.
The Martian King Has Been Assassinated
![Young Justice Phantoms Death of Martian King](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Young-Justice-Phantoms-Death-of-Martian-King.jpg)
Shortly after arriving on Mars, Miss Martian, Beast Boy, Superboy and Martian Manhunter, J’onn J’onzz learned that the Martian King had been assassinated during the month they spent flying to Mars. This was a matter of great concern for many reasons, with the chief one being that murder was incredibly rare among the Martian people, due to it being all but impossible to hide one’s guilt from the telepathic hive mind shared by all Martians. As such, there was no clear motive or suspect, though various factions were quick to accuse one another of responsibility for the dastardly deed.
Racism and Anti-Earth Sentiment Are Growing Stronger on Mars
![Green and White Martians in Young Justice Phantoms.](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Young-Justice-Phantoms-Green-Martians-and-White-Martians.jpg)
Another matter of concern the heroes learned about shortly after arriving on Mars was that strife between DC’s green and white Martian races, which had always been a problem, had grown worse since the last time they had visited Mars. The king’s murder had not helped matters, due to the king being a social reformer who sought to eventually end the caste system that had always ruled Martian society. There was also a strong anti-Earth movement among the more conservative Martians, who feared their culture was being undermined by Earthly influences.
Halo Is Reexamining Her Faith and Hasn’t Talked To GeoForce In A Year
![Halo looking sad while standing beside a picture of her friends in Young Justice](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Young-Justice-Elder-Wisdom-Halo-Writing-A-Letter.jpg)
The closing credits of Young Justice: Phantoms episode 1, “Inhospital,” revealed a conversation between Black Canary and Halo regarding Halo’s mental health and how she was coping in the wake of her breakup with GeoForce one year earlier. Halo, who was arguably the best character of Young Justice: Outsiders, confirmed that she hadn’t talked to him in a year and was still uncertain of her feelings about it. Halo also revealed that she had been thinking of Gabrielle, the young woman whose body she had taken over, and her own feelings regarding Gabrielle’s faith as a Muslim. Halo continued to wear a hajib out of respect for that faith and confessed that she felt a need to “explore whether or not Islam holds meaning for me, as it did for her.”
The Outsiders Ranks Have Expanded
![Young Justice Phantoms Outsiders Photos](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Young-Justice-Phantoms-Outsiders-Photos.jpg)
While the first two episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms were largely focused on the Martian murder mystery, some new Outsiders made a quick cameo as Beast Boy was going through the photos on his phone. One showed Static and El Dorado with two girls who appeared to be Livewire and Lia Briggs, whose eye-themed costume suggested that she had adopted the Looker codename of the comics. Another photo showed Robin and Wonder Girl with a trio who appeared to be Windfall (Wendy Jones), Stargirl (Courtney Whitmore), and a third figure in a red devil hoodie. While this character is new to Young Justice, a likely guess is that he is Eddie “Kid Devil” Bloomberg, who was the sidekick of Blue Devil in the comics.
Tensions in Markovia Are Getting Worse
![Brion sitting on his throne in Young Justice](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Young-Justice-Geo-Force-Brion-As-King-Of-Markovia.jpg)
The closing credits of Young Justice: Phantoms episode 2, “Needful,” also featured Beast Boy flipping through his phone, as he listened to a message from his girlfriend, Queen Perdita Vladek of Vlatava. Perdita apologized for having been too busy to spend time with Beast Boy before he traveled to Mars for three months, making mention of a refugee crisis and “all these people fleeing Markovia flooding into Vlatava.” This suggested that GeoForce, who was revealed to have become a puppet ruler in the Young Justice: Outsiders finale, had become even more tyrannical over the course of the last year. This seems likely to be a major subplot of Young Justice: Phantoms.