Young Justice: Outsiders has changed the face of its universe in a big way, with six separate superhero groups now working together in secret to fight the villainous group known as The Light. The cast of Young Justice features dozens of characters, with more being introduced each season. This leads to a lot of changes in the various team line-ups, even ignoring the years that pass in-universe between seasons.
The third season premiere opened with a mass defection, as several superheroes led by Batman resigned from the Justice League due to their dissatisfaction with how the team was addressing the issue of metahuman trafficking. However, it was later revealed in episode 8, “Triptych”, that the resignations were a ruse and that Batman, Nightwing, and Robin were still in contact with the rest of the Justice League’s leadership. Now the Justice League has been secretly broken into six teams, all coordinated by master-hacker and strategist Oracle, tackling the operations of The Light from multiple angles.
Related: Every Justice League Member Who Quits In Young Justice: Outsiders’ Premiere
The following breakdown will profile every individual member of the six hero teams that have formed or changed membership so far on Young Justice: Outsiders. In the case of newer characters (like The Spoiler and Orphan) who have not had their backgrounds explored on the show yet, their backstories in the comics have been briefly described. It is hoped that this will give fans of the show who aren’t that comic savvy some insight into these new heroes.
- This Page: Justice League – Earthbound
- Page 2: Justice League – Offworld and Batman’s Team
- Page 3: The Outsiders, “The Team,” and Robin’s Squad
Justice League – Earthbound
In order to repel an invasion by the alien Appellaxians, seven heroes joined forces to save the world. Realizing there was strength in numbers, they formed a Justice League to organize the superheroes of Earth into one body that could fight for truth and justice on a global scale. Now overseen by the United Nations, the League’s ranks stand diminished as half of the team is working off-world and half of the League members on Earth publicly resigned in the wake of increasing bureaucracy limiting their ability to do good.
- Aquaman (Kaldur’ahm) – A master of Atlantean sorcery, the former Aqualad has taken up his mentor’s title as Aquaman, allowing Arthur Curry to focus on his duties as King of Atlantis. He has also taken up a co-chair role, leading the Justice League’s forces on Earth.
- Doctor Fate – A symbiotic hero formed whenever someone dons the magical Helmet of Fate, Doctor Fate’s actions are largely controlled by Nabu – the Lord of Order whose power is contained within the ancient helmet. Nabu’s current host is the wizard Giovanni Zatara.
- Black Canary (Dinah Lance) – One of the world’s greatest martial artists, Dinah Lance also has the metahuman ability to release focused vocal blasts of sonic energy – i.e. The Canary Cry.
- Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) – Granted amazing magical powers because of his noble heart, Billy Batson is transformed into Captain Marvel whenever he says the word Shazam!
- Steel (John Henry Irons) – A brilliant engineer who was inspired by Superman’s example, John Henry Irons built a suit of armor and a special hammer to become an entirely new Man of Steel.
- The Flash (Barry Allen) – The self-described Fastest Man Alive, being married with children (twin toddlers who have inherited his super-speed) hasn’t slowed The Flash down at all.
- Rocket (Raquel Ervin) – The young woman who convinced Augustus Freeman to become Icon, she also became his partner, armed with a belt that allows her to generate bubbles of kinetic energy.
- Zatanna Zatara – A powerful magician who casts her spells by speaking backward. Daughter of Giovanni Zatara and mentor of Thirteen.
- Red Tornado (John Smith) – Originally created to destroy the Justice League, this wind-manipulating robot wound up turning on its creators and joined the World’s Finest heroes.
- Fire (Beatriz da Costa) – A Brazilian spy who gained the power to generate green flames after being caught in an explosion. She was recruited into the Justice League sometime between season 2 and season 3. She has not appeared on-screen yet, but it was said that she designed GeoForce’s fire-proof costume in “Evolution.”
Page 2: Justice League – Offworld and Batman’s Team
Justice League – Offworld
Led by Wonder Woman, this group of superheroes is functionally a separate team despite officially being made up of Justice League members. Traveling into deep space following a psychic attack that caused several of their members to become mind-controlled into attacking the planet Rimbor, these heroes work to repair the reputation of the Justice League by fighting crime on an intergalactic scale.
- Wonder Woman (Princess Diana of Themyscira) – Sent to Man’s World as an ambassador for the Amazon people, Wonder Woman has now become an ambassador for all of the Earth.
- Superman (Clark Kent) – Sent to Earth as the last survivor of his doomed planet, Kal-El of Krypton was raised as ordinary farm boy Clark Kent. His body enhanced by Earth’s yellow sun, he fights a never-ending battle against evil as Superman.
- Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’onzz) -A police detective on his native Mars, J’onn J’onzz uses his powers of telepathy and shape-shifting to fight crime on his adopted homeworld of Earth.
- Green Lantern (John Stewart) – A member of the US Marine Corps and an architect, John Stewart was the second Earther chosen to act as Hal Jordan’s partner and the second Green Lantern to join the Justice League. Thus far, he is the only Green Lantern to have been seen on-screen in Young Justice: Outsiders.
- Adam Strange – Once a scientific adviser to the Justice League, Adam has become a full member of the team and defender of the planet Rann.
- Ice (Tora Olafsdotter) – The princess of a secluded magical realm only accessible from Norway, Tora Olafsdotter has the power to lower temperatures and freeze objects around her. She was recruited into the Justice League sometime between season 2 and season 3.
It is presumed that the other Green Lanterns of Earth – Hal Jordan and Guy Gardener – are part of this team. This is due to a reference Vandal Savage made in episode 7, about the Green Lantern Corps being occupied with fighting both The Reach and the New Gods of Apokolips. Captain Atom, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Icon and The Atom are also presumably part of this team, due to their absence at the meeting of all the Justice League members on Earth in the season premiere.
Batman’s Team
Mockingly referred to as “Batman Inc.” by Black Lightning, when Batman tried to recruit him after he quit the Justice League for different reasons, it has been confirmed that Batman has begun leading a new team of heroes in the wake of his public resignation from the Justice League. The exact membership has yet to be confirmed, but it is presumed that the rest of the Justice League members who resigned along with Batman are part of this group.
- Batman (Bruce Wayne) – Orphaned at a young age, Bruce Wayne trained his mind and body to the peak of human perfection, devoting his life and his fortune to waging a war on crime in all its forms as Batman.
- Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) – A former member of the wealthy elite, a shipwreck forced billionaire Oliver Queen to struggle for the first time in his life. Discovering a natural talent for archery, he became a modern day Robin Hood upon his return to civilization, targeting those criminals who hid behind a respectable mask of authority.
Related: 20 Things That Make No Sense About Young Justice
- Plastic Man (Patrick “Eel” O’Brian) – A petty crook who was abandoned by his gang during a chemical factory robbery, Eel O’Brian turned over a new leaf after he discovered that he had developed the power to reshape his body into anything. Now he tries to make amends for his criminal past as Plastic Man.
- Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro) – Wielder of the magical Soultaker Sword, she joined the Justice League at some point between season 2 and season 3.
- Hardware (Curt Metcalf) – A brilliant engineer whose work was corrupted by his legally untouchable employer, Curt Metcalf created an armored suit and advanced technology to become the vigilante Hardware and bring down the criminal syndicate his boss ran in secret.
- Batwoman (Kate Kane) – Cousin of Bruce Wayne, this former soldier became a vigilante on her own terms, unknowingly getting into the family’s secret business as Batwoman.
- Metamorpho (Rex Mason) – Transformed by the mystic Orb of Ra, adventurer Rex Mason now has the ability to change his body into a number of elemental compounds and substances. While he has not appeared on the show yet, he was seen standing next to Batman in one of the early trailers and was featured on the first poster for Young Justice: Outsiders.
Page 3: The Outsiders, “The Team,” and Robin’s Squad
The Outsiders
The chief focus of Young Justice: Outsiders, this team was formed following a covert mission organized by Nightwing to go after a metahuman trafficking ring in the nation of Markovia. His hand-picked team came back larger, as they took on the exiled Markovian prince Brion, an amnesiac young refugee dubbed Halo and the outcast bug-boy Forager.
- Nightwing (Dick Grayson) – The first protege of Batman, Nightwing tried to go solo but found himself drawn back into the role of team leader.
- Superboy (Conner Kent) – Originally an imperfect clone of Superman, Conner Kent has built a life of his own, working as a mechanic in Happy Harbor. He recently became engaged to Miss Martian.
- Tigress (Artemis Crock) – Rejecting the teachings of her assassin parents, Artemis fought against them and their allies – first as Green Arrow’s sidekick and now as master combatant Tigress.
- Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) – Resigning from the Justice League after accidentally killing a child metahuman soldier, Black Lightning has found a renewed sense of purpose fighting metahuman trafficking as one of the Outsiders.
- GeoForce (Prince Brion of Markovia) – The youngest son of the Markovian royal family, Prince Brion activated his metagene in a bid to save his country from a military coup led by his uncle. Possessing the power to manipulate the earth around him, Prince Brion’s chief goal in joining the Outsiders is to find his missing sister, who he believes was kidnapped by the League of Shadows.
- Halo (Violet) – A refugee who found work as a servant in the Markvoian palace, this “halo-girl” became someone else after her apparent death. Forsaking her life before her rebirth, she answers to the name Violet in private and goes by Halo in the field. She is still working to understand her strange light-based powers, which allow her to fly, heal, create force-fields, fire laser blasts and create illusions.
- Forager – One of the bug people of New Genesis, Forager was cast out from his hive due to his efforts to try and bring peace between the New Gods and his people. He has found a new hive among the Outsiders.
- Oracle (Barbara Gordon) – The former Batgirl continues to fight crime remotely, acting as a coordinator between all six of the hero teams. Currently dating Nightwing.
The Team
Originally made up of the teen proteges of various Justice League members, this group of young heroes was never given an official title like Teen Titans and is usually just called The Team. Their ranks were also diminished by the recent split, though not so severely as the core Justice League.
- Miss Martian (M’gann M’orzz) – The protege of Martian Manhunter and one of the original six sidekicks, M’gann now acts as a field leader to the other teen superheroes on the Justice League. She recently became engaged to Superboy.
- Static (Virgil Hawkins) – The protege of Black Lightning, Static has remained with the Justice League despite his mentor’s quitting the team. The victim of an experiment by the alien Reach, Virgil gained the power to manipulate electricity.
- Thirteen (Traci Thurston) – The protege of Zatanna, Thirteen has magical luck-related powers she is still learning to control. She is currently dating Blue Beetle.
- Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) – Bonded to an alien scarab, which gives him access to a sentient suit of armor that adapts to almost any situation, Jaime Reyes is finally finding his footing as the second Blue Beetle. He is currently dating Thirteen.
- Kid Flash (Bart Allen) – The protege of The Flash and Barry Allen’s grandson from the future, he adopted the mantle of Kid Flash to honor the fallen Wally West.
- Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark) – The protege of Wonder Woman, Cassandra is a daughter of the Greek god Zeus and blessed by certain godly gifts and trained in Amazonian combat techniques. She is in a relationship with Robin, but it has become strained since he quit the Justice League to lead his own team.
Robin’s Squad
Led by Robin and largely made up of the teen sidekicks of other Justice League members who resigned from the team, this group of non-powered but highly trained teen heroes utilize stealth, combat training and advanced technology in the battle against metahuman trafficking.
- Robin (Tim Drake) – The third hero to bear the Robin mantle, Tim may be the smartest sidekick Batman ever had. He is currently in a relationship with Wonder Girl, but it remains to be seen if it can survive the strain between the two that has arisen since Tim quit the Justice League.
- The Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) – A one-time kidnapping victim in the second season episode “Before The Dawn,” Stephanie Brown has since then begun training with Batman as The Spoiler. Though her background on the show has yet to be revealed, in the comics Stephanie was the daughter of a C-list supervillain called Cluemaster and Stephanie became a masked hero to “spoil” his crimes.
- Arrowette (Cissie King-Jones) – First appearing in the first season episode “Insecurity,” a young Cissie once witnessed her father being saved from an assassination attempt by Green Arrow and Artemis. This seemingly inspired her to begin training with the bow, becoming a hero in her own right as Arrowette. Though her background on the show has yet to be revealed, show-runner Greg Wiesman once confirmed that Cissie’s mother, who briefly fought crime as Miss Arrowette in the comics, did the same thing in the reality of Young Justice: Outsiders.
- Orphan (Cassandra Cain) – In the comics, Cassandra was the daughter of assassin David Cain, who raised her from birth to be a killer, teaching her no language except violence. Despite this, she rejected her father’s teachings and was adopted by Batman, who took advantage of her amazing capacity for reading body language to retrain her to save lives. Presumably her background on the show mirrors this.
