Season 4 of Young Justice has been confirmed and production on the new season has already started. It has also been confirmed that the popular animated series will continue to air exclusively on DC Universe.
First airing on Cartoon Network in 2010, Young Justice was an unexpected hit with teenagers and young women, who appreciated the series’ complex storylines. Unfortunately, Cartoon Network’s executives wanted more shows aimed at young kids who bought action figures, and the show was unceremoniously canceled before its second season had finished airing in 2012. An avid online campaign fought to bring the show back and successfully saw the show renewed for a third season in 2016. The show was then set up as an exclusive part of the programming for the new DC Universe streaming service and returned to rave reviews in early 2019.
Young Justice season 4 was formally announced during the DC Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. The news was a relief to fans of the series, given concerns about the continuing viability of the DC Universe service in the wake of Warner Media’s creation of HBO Max – a new streaming service set to launch in early 2020. Coupled with the sudden cancellation of the critically acclaimed Swamp Thing series, it was uncertain that Young Justice might see a fourth season despite its popularity and positive reviews.
The Young Justice portion of the panel was decidedly light on details beyond the facts that the show was returning for a new season and would continue to air on DC Universe. Executive Producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti did say, however, that season 3’s central storyline involving the Justice League’s efforts to fight the trafficking of metahuman teenagers would continue into season 4 and that Beast Boy’s Outsiders team would be the main focus of the show. The producers also confirmed that production on the new season has already begun, although they did not say when the new season might be aired.
The panel concluded on a heartwarming note, as Weisman and Vietti revealed a subtle way in which the new season of Young Justice paid tribute to the fans that brought it back from the dead. The producers confirmed that a subplot in the show centering around the Outsiders’ efforts to use social media to encourage awareness of metahuman trafficking and improve the image of teenage superheroes was directly inspired by the fan efforts on social media to encourage people to watch the first two season of the series on Netflix and to fight for a third season, even after Warner Bros. executives dismissed their efforts as pointless. It was a touching note that proves the power of positive thinking, as Young Justice has found a new home on DC Universe and does not seem to be going away anytime soon.
