Young Justice’s Newest Character Is a Welcome Return of an Old Friend

With every season, Young Justice has integrated increasingly of the DC Comics universe into its broader story to assist in giving the concept of a dwelling, respiratory world. Through its arc-based storytelling, the present season of Phantoms has widened the scope of the comics historical past it’s pulling in, such because the Legion of Super Heroes and Jack Kirby’s New Gods. But it’s the best way that the present brings in these components that may all the time make for a good shock, and that strategy has made Young Justice’s universe constantly fascinating to discover over its four-season run.

This week’s episode has an… fascinating strategy to DC historical past, to say the least. In its B-plot, it tees up some intriguing backstory on the Legion and its members Chameleon Boy, Saturn Girl, and Phantom Girl, who traveled to the current day to covertly assist the modern-day heroes whereas pursuing their very own foe from the long run. But the episode’s A-plot takes a reasonably large swing of its personal by pulling in one other present from DC’s animated pantheon into its orbit.

The present arc is concentrated on Rocket as she, Forager, and Flash journey to New Genesis for a peace summit between the New Gods and the Green Lanterns. This week’s episode, “Encounter Upon the Razor’s Edge,” introduces us to the 2 Lanterns attending the summit, Kilowog and Tomar-Re, acquainted to many a fan of the Green Lanterns. As they fly via area, they fly to a misery beacon from a Blue Lantern, and see none apart from… Razer, a personality from Green Lantern: The Animated Series.

A historical past lesson, earlier than we go any additional. It’s simple to neglect, however throughout Young Justice’s unique tenure on Cartoon Network, it aired alongside the CG Green Lantern collection. Hal Jordan and Kilogwog had been the present’s two massive leads, however its precise protagonist was arguably Razer, its Red Lantern with a coronary heart of gold. When it aired its ultimate episode in 2013, it ended on him looking the galaxy for his love Aya, who he was satisfied was nonetheless alive someplace among the many stars. Following Razer as he took flight was a Blue Lantern ring, one thing the present had teased earlier when Razer sought Saint Walker for steerage on the best way to management his rage. (Jason Spisak, Razer’s voice actor, recited the Blue Lantern oath following the present’s cancellation.) But through the years, it’s by no means felt like Lantern may get a shock second shot at life the best way that Young Justice did.

With the looks of Razer, Young Justice has integrated the Green Lantern collection—or at the least an analogous sufficient model of that present’s occasions—into its canon. In the context of the true world, most of “Razor’s Edge” is about persevering with the redeemed Red Lantern’s story that was left unfinished almost a full decade in the past. The episode was written by Lantern’s co-showrunners Jim Krieg and Giancarlo Volpe, and that shared historical past they’ve provides Razer’s story an additional quantity of efficiency that it in any other case may’ve lacked. In the identical means that earlier arcs have managed to efficiently convey that the veteran heroes we’ve grown up with have been via a lot, the identical holds true for Razer. Seeing Kilowog sweep his outdated pal into a giant hug early within the episode, after which to see Razer later provoke a hug earlier than bidding him farewell, felt genuinely affecting. And it doesn’t harm that Spisak and Kevin Michael Richardson are again to voice their respective characters from the Lantern present; Spisak’s efficiency actually sells the exhaustion he has in repeatedly failing to search out Aya through the years. Even in the event you didn’t watch the unique collection (or understandably forgot the way it ended), the episode supplies sufficient information about him about to make you perceive why he can be misplaced unsure and hopelessness.

When Metron agrees to offer Razer his Red ring again in change for the Blue ring, it was clear that the episode was working some form of angle, as they wouldn’t have introduced him again simply to backslide. Metron revealing that he had deliberately fed Razer false clues on his journey is sufficient to piss Razer off and turn into a Red Lantern once more. The rampage via New Genesis, and by chance injuring a feminine Forager (who we all know is feminine as a result of she’s pink, versus the masculine, pink Forager we’re used to), is sufficient to snap Razer out of his rage haze and demand his Blue ring again. But fairly than merely finish with him getting it again studying to hope once more, the episode does one thing fairly fascinating and lets him dual-wield the Blue and Red rings, full with a magical girl-style transformation sequence. If you already know this character’s backstory, this feels each extremely applicable for him and likewise ridiculously cool, and in all of his numerous costumes on this episode, he simply seems good on this present’s artwork fashion.

Lanterns with the ability to wield totally different rings concurrently is outdated hat within the comics, and a few like Hal and Kyle Rayner have been in a position to wield all seven rings to turn into the White Lantern. Young Justice has by no means put a lot give attention to the Lanterns so far, so it’s fascinating to see them use this character—a wild card, in that he’s not birthed from the comics and hails from a unique present—to carry that idea throughout. The Green Lantern collection touched on virtually your entire spectrum throughout its two seasons—the orange Lantern Larfleeze confirmed up for an episode, as did the Star Sapphires, and a handful of episodes featured Yellow concern crystals. Kilowog even jokes about Razer finally turning into a “rainbow Lantern,” which appears like planting a seed for an even bigger story involving the remainder of the colour spectrum in potential future seasons to come back.

For now, Razer is a Dual Lantern and fortunately persevering with his search to search out Aya. With what number of characters Young Justice juggles and the way some plot strains will run within the background till they get a full highlight, it could be a while earlier than we see Razer once more. But even when we didn’t, getting him right here within the temporary time that we did is proof sufficient that finally, all might be nicely.

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