Young Justice marked a major first for DC that no one ever talks about

DC Comics has a long history of animation. From the “Superman” animated shorts from the legendary Fleischer Studios to the iconic “Super Friends” from Hanna-Barbera, including of course “Batman: The Animated Series” by Bruce Timm. Each generation has its own completely distinct and unique cartoon that expands what can be done with DC characters. And each cartoon added something new to the mythos that eventually became part of the canon (as “Super Friends” defining the look of the Courthouse or “B:TAS” featuring Harley Quinn).

For kids who grew up in the 2010s, “Young Justice” was their big DC adaptation. Created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, the series focuses on the lives of teenage superheroes and their sidekicks working as part of a secret team overseen by the Justice League. “Young Justice” took the young superhero team approach of “Teen Titans,” with the expansive universe and broad roster of heroes of “Justice League Unlimited.” Of course, the Justice League has appeared on occasion, but so have characters like Artemis, Rocket, Geo Force or Spoiler – many of them making their on-screen debut in the series. More importantly, “Young Justice” marked a pretty significant “first” for DC Comics television shows – it was the first DC Comics animated series to be rated TV-PG. As Brandon Vietti said The best in the worldthe aim of the show was to “capture the interests not only of younger audiences, but also of older audiences”.

Vietti said that “we never had a goal of ‘pushing to the max’ with adult content just to improve our rating,” but the rating most certainly allowed the series to deal with some pretty mature themes and storylines that we hadn’t seen in a DC cartoon before, at least not explicitly.

The TV-PG rating certainly allowed the series to explore things that previous DC cartoons barely hinted at. There’s queer representation in the show, which only increased once it became a streaming series. From non-binary characters to a polyamorous relationship, “Young Justice” was unlike any other superhero show on television.

Part of what made “Young Justice” stand out was the way it used serialization to add consequences to the heroes’ actions and depth to the story. This includes tragic deaths and given ample time to show how they affect the entire team and beyond. We’ve seen heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, and new ones take their place, reprising their role and legacy, as a new Kid Flash and a new Robin arise.

An important aspect of Season 4 was Beast Boy’s mental state. After nearly a decade on The Team, he saw his share of tragedy and trauma, and it eventually began to take its toll, sending him into a self-destructive spiral that affected those around him. A notable early episode is “Disordered”, where the team members undergo counseling sessions with Black Canary to deal with their trauma after a virtual training simulation in which they watched all of their friends perish. The episode introduces the five stages of grief, exploring how each hero approaches their issues.

Because each season of “Young Justice” moves forward in time, by Season 4, it had been a decade since The Team was formed, and the characters have been through a lot in that time. Losses, lies, secrets, and heartbreak take a toll, and it’s great to see a show aimed at all audiences explain how these things change you over time.