Young Justice

Cast
Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young superheroes. The series follows the lives of teenaged heroes and sidekicks who are members of a fictional covert operation team called Young Justice. The team is essentially a young counterpart to the celebrity-level famous adult team, the Justice League. The main setting is the fictional universe of Earth-16, during a time period in which superheroes are a relatively recent phenomenon. The series debuted on January 7, 2011 with a two week reairing of the first two episodes, which originally aired as an hour long special on November 26, 2010.

Young Justice has been renewed for a second season entitled Young Justice: Invasion. It is set to premiere in the first quarter of 2012.

Plot
Young Justice focuses on the lives of a group of teenaged superheroes and protégés attempting to establish themselves as proven superheroes as they deal with normal adolescent issues in their personal lives.

Pilot Movie Synopsis
The show is set in Earth-16, a DC Multiverse world, and corresponds to the present time of our world, a time period Vietti has called "a new age of heroes."

The pilot movie aired a month prior to the debut of the regular series and introduced four characters: Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Speedy. It established their desire for greater recognition and respect, namely, a promotion from sidekicks to full-fledged superheroes. Met with opposition from their respective mentors in the Justice League, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Arrow, the protégés react in different ways. Speedy resigns from being Green Arrow's partner and begins calling himself Red Arrow. The others seek to persuade their mentors of their worth by secretly taking on a Justice League mission to investigate the Cadmus building. During their infiltration of Cadmus' headquarters, the four heroes find a clone of Superman named Superboy. After the discovery, the team finds out Cadmus is being run by the Genomorphs. The movie deals with this revelation, the orign of Superboy, and how this relates to a mysterious group of people called The Light. In the end, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy negotiate with Batman to organize a covert operations team as a practical contrast to the Justice League whose celebrity status makes it difficult to maintain secrecy. After consulting with his colleagues, Batman establishes Young Justice in a secret cave on a secluded island here the teens are trained and mentored by the Justice League. Miss Martian makes an appearance at the end of the movie and joins as the fifth member.

Continuity
Although Young Justice follows a continuity considerably different from that of the mainstream DC Universe, Weisman has stated that the series covers its early stages. Earth-16 was chosen by DC Entertainment for the show because it was largely untapped, freeing the series and its franchise from established continuity restraints set by either DC Universe or other Multiverse worlds.

There are crucial differences in the line-up of this Young Justice team as compared to the team in the comic series of the same name. Dick Grayson and Wally West were chosen over Tim Drake and Bart Allen/Impulse. Miss Martian, who was originally a White Martian in the comics, was added because the date of her arrival to Earth could still fit in the early DC Universe concept. Aqualad, as opposed to Robin, is established in the beginning as the leader of the team. Furthermore, the Aqualad presented in the show is an entirely new character created by Weisman and Vietti, with Bourassa responsible for the original character design. Arrowette was replaced by Artemis in the producers' desire to focus on the latter's storylines. Some of the Young Justice characters' ages are tweaked from those of their original counterparts; however, the spirit and intent of the characters are said to be kept.

Characters who are a part of the line-up in the comic will also make an appearance in the show. This includes Garth, the first incarnation of Aqualad who later becomes the second Tempest in DC Comics; Arrowette, the archer of the team in the Young Justice comic book series; and Wonder Girl, whose legal issues originally prohibited the producers from using the character but later allowed her to be included. In the show, Garth features as the best friend of Aqualad/Kaldur'ahm.

Conception and development
The series began development in March 2009, when Sam Register, Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs of Warner Bros. Animation (also attached to executive produce), wanted a show based on the concept of a cross between Teen Titans and Young Justice series of comics, but was not solely an adaptation of one or the other. The title chosen for the show by Register was Young Justice, as it was appropriately meaningful to the concept the creative team was looking for. Greg Weisman, whom Register sought immediately after the cancellation of The Spectacular Spider-Man animated television series, and Brandon Vietti, whose work in directing a DC Universe Animated original movie Batman: Under the Red Hood Register particularly noted, were hired to produce. Register jokingly described the two as being similar in appearance, in addition to being similar in thought. Peter David, who penned a majority of the comic book issues of Young Justice, was approached to write several episodes. Also attached to write are Greg Weisman, Kevin Hopps, Andrew Robinson, Nicole Dubuc, Jon Weisman, and Tom Pugsley — with Vietti heavily involved in the scriptwriting process.

The result of the collaboration of Weisman and Vietti was a show about young heroes based on a combination of the 1960s Teen Titans run and the 1990s Young Justice run, in addition to the recent Teen Titans and Young Justice comics, and revolved around the theme of secrets and lies. In drawing material from a variety of comic book sources, the creative team sought to differentiate the tone of the show from that of the Teen Titans animated television series, which the team believed resembled the tone of the Young Justice series of comics rather than that of Marv Wolfman and George Pérez's New Teen Titans series it was based on. The concept of a covert operations team has been compared to Impossible Missions Force, a fictional independent espionage agency in the Mission: Impossible series. Together, Weisman and Vietti came up with ideas, characters, and plot points for at least two seasons, although it is unknown as to how many season runs DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation are looking for the series. Although there were several characters the producers were not allowed to use in the first season (a list that has become shorter along the course of the development), they were usually in charge of the decisions determining which DC Universe character would or would not be used. Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, and Phil Bourassa, lead character designer for the show, also played a role in the conception and development process.

Costumes
The producers intended to create costumes based in reality to match the tone of the series while keeping consistent with traditional DC Universe continuity. A majority of the art direction was led by Vietti, who established that the costume designs should not only reflect the physical needs of the wearer, but also his or her personality, with Bourassa incorporating these ideas into his designs. In the case of Kid Flash's suit, for instance, the padding serves to reduce the force of impact experienced during skids and collisions, and the leathery texture stabilizes his "human cannonball" momentum.

Vietti cites the stark differences between the respective costumes of Aqualad and Robin to best illustrate what he calls "unique tailoring." Aqualad's costume is designed for the purposes of quick movement in water; Robin's costume provides bodily protection (even against bullets) in the streets of Gotham City. Aqualad's costume is composed of a "slick and textureless material," giving the costume its "nearly seamless and shiny" appearance. Robin's costume, on the other hand, is padded and stitched with seams and sewn-in materials. Batman's batsuit matches the extra stitching lines of Robin's outfit for similar functions, except that the batsuit is more military in style whereas Robin's costume is additionally influenced by athletic outfits to match his youthful energy.

Casting
Young Justice has six main cast members, almost all of whom regularly voice one character each. Jesse McCartney performs Dick Grayson as Robin, and Jason Spisak performs Wally West as Kid Flash. Khary Payton, who had previously performed the voice of Cyborg in the Teen Titans animated television series, performs Aqualad, Black Manta and Brick. Danica McKellar performs Miss Martian, and Stephanie Lemelin performs Artemis. Both Payton and Nolan North are the only two members among the main cast to perform more than one role. North performs Professor Ojo, Zatara, L4, Superboy and Superman, as one voice actor was sought to portray the two genetically identical characters of different ages as distinct individuals.

In addition to the main cast, voice actors to perform roles of Justice League members, villains, and other characters were cast. Bruce Wayne/Batman is voiced by Bruce Greenwood, who previously performed the character in the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood. Phil LaMarr and Alan Tudyk, who both have worked with DC Comics-based Warner Bros. Animation as Green Lantern in Justice League and Barry Allen in Batman: The Brave and the Bold respectively, perform Aquaman, Dubbilex, Green Arrow and Psimon. Rob Lowe performs Captain Marvel. Marina Sirtis performs Queen Bee and L-6. Greg Weisman is said to perform a small voice role in the series. Other cast members include George Eads as Flash, Keith Szarabajka as Mr. Freeze, Yuri Lowenthal as Icicle and Garth, René Auberjonois as Blockbuster, Kevin Michael Richardson as Martian Manhunter, Clayface, and Nabu, Kelly Hu as Cheshire, Crispin Freeman as Red Arrow and Guardian, Miguel Ferrer as L-1, Oded Fehr as L-2, Mark Rolston as L-3, Jeff Bennett as Red Tornado, Alfred Pennyworth, Abra Kadabra and T.O. Morrow, Vanessa Marshall as Black Canary, Danny Trejo as Bane, Arnold Vosloo as Kobra, John de Lancie as Mister Twister, Nick Chinlund as Sportsmaster, Peter MacNicol as Professor Ivo and Amazo, Tara Strong as Dr. Serling Roqutte, Keone Young as Sensei, Edward Asner as Kent Nelson, Cree Summer as Madame Xanadu and Aquagirl, Kath Soucie as Mera, Thom Adcox-Hernandez as Klarion the Witch Boy, and Roger Craig Smith as Orm Marius and L-5.

Changes in the cast are to be expected due to character deaths, including those of major characters.

Animation
MOI Animation, Inc. animates Young Justice. Warner Bros. subcontracted production to the international studio located in Seoul, South Korea. Artists at the U.S. animation studio in Los Angeles, Warner Bros. Animation, draw storyboards; design new characters, backgrounds, and props; draw character and background layouts; and make animatics. The overseas studio, MOI Animation, Inc., draws the key animation and inbetweens. However, Greg Weisman notes that some storyboards are done in Seoul. In the final stages, ink and paint and editing are done by Warner Bros. Animation.

Characters
The six main characters were chosen by the producers, from a list of 50 to 60 DC Comics teenaged superheroes, as potential candidates. The criteria consisted of age, powers, personality, cultural icon status, and dynamics. An additional regular will be added halfway through the first season and another at the end of the season.

Aqualad / Kaldur'ahm (or "Kaldur" for short) is the leader of the team. His powers, channeled through the tattoos on his arms, are a mixture of Atlantean sorcery and science. He displays super strength, increased durability, ability to control water and discharge electricity through his hands. Additionally, as an Atlantian, he can breathe and speak underwater. He is elected leader because of his calmness and his ability to efficiently and clearly give orders. He states that he does not want to remain leader and wishes to turn the position over to Robin when he is ready, saying that it is his destiny to lead this team.

Robin / Dick Grayson is the youngest member (at age thirteen) though he is also the most experienced superhero on the team. He does not possess any superpowers. However, he is well-rounded in his abilities (physically and intellectually), using his strategic intellect and technology expertise. His talents include martial arts and throwing weapons, gymnastics, stealth, infiltration and computer hacking. He has a flippant personality, and can be heard laughing in combat or when sneaking up on villains in order to throw them off. He repeatedly experiments with the English language. As seen by his favorite words of 'Whelmed' and 'Aster'. Batman has forbidden Robin from revealing his secret identity to the team.

Kid Flash / Wally West is the team's fifteen-year-old speedster. He has enhanced speed. Kid Flash cannot vibrate his molecules through solid objects like the Flash and gets a bloody nose during the attempt. He has a laid back personality, and enjoys flirting with women, such as Miss Martian, Artemis, and Black Canary. Kid Flash and Robin are good friends and know a great deal about each other, more so than the other team members. Wally likes to collect items from the team's missions, such as T. O. Morrow's robotic eye and Cheshire's mask.

Superboy/Connor Kent departs from his normal comic book origins. Instead the producers created him as a sixteen-week-old clone of Superman, made by Project Cadmus. Although he does not have all of Superman's abilities, he has super strength, increased durability, super hearing, and super vision, which also allows him to see in infrared. Superboy is ill-tempered and hates telepathy as a result of being mind-controlled by Cadmus. His almost nonexistent, complex relationship with Superman causes him to become more angry and withdrawn.

Miss Martian / M'gann (Megan) M'orzz is Martian Manhunter's sixteen-Martian year-old niece, as well as being an inexperienced superhero. As a Martian, she has telekinesis, telepathy, and flight. Additionally, she can shapeshift, though she has trouble mimicking men. She has stated that she cannot become intangible as her uncle can, implying that this is an advanced skill. She pilots her own bio-ship, which transports the team and turn invisible. She is kind, optimistic, and somewhat naive, often saying "Hello, Megan!" when she suddenly realizes something. She immediately develops a crush on Superboy.

Artemis / Artemis Crock is the team's fifteen-year-old archer. She has no superpowers, but is very skilled with a bow and arrow. She is introduced as Green Arrow's niece, though it is later implied that this is not the case. Red Arrow believes that there must be a good reason behind Batman and Green Arrow's decision to add her to the team, and therefore agrees not reveal his suspicions to the rest of the group, but he warns her not to hurt his friends. Artemis has a sassy, forward personality, causing friction between her and Kid Flash. After suffering amnesia, Artemis identifies her father as the person who taught her archery, and then assumes that one of her father's tests is to kill Kid Flash. Artemis's mother is disabled, and worries about her daughter.

Young Justice includes an array of characters from DC Comics as the supporting cast, which will continue to expand throughout the series. As of episode 16 of season 1, there are 135 characters from the DC Universe in the show.

The Justice League play a major role, primarily as mentors to Young Justice. There are sixteen members in total, though members that do not have an immediate connection with the main characters will serve as background characters. Direct mentors — Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow — will feature prominently. Batman, Red Tornado, and Black Canary are the most frequent recurring characters. In addition to leading the Justice League, Batman acts as Young Justice's "general," a role compared to Director of Impossible Missions Force Jim Phelps, choosing the team and assigning missions. Red Tornado and Black Canary respectively function as their supervisor and combat trainer.

DC Universe characters who are neither affiliated with Justice League nor Young Justice will also be supporting characters. This includes frequent recurring character Roy Harper, who starts out as Speedy and later assumes Red Arrow as his superhero identity..

Other media
Young Justice has an official tie-in comic book series outside the television broadcast, expanding on the show's coverage of the continuity. It will be written by Greg Weisman and Kevin Hopps, who are a part of the show's writing team, with Mike Norton providing the art. Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani will substitute in place of Weisman and Hopps for issues #1-6, due to the latter duo's conflicting schedule and workload. Along with Brandon Vietti, Weisman and Hopps will still oversee the issues for the maintenance of continuity. While children of all ages are said to be able to enjoy the series, it is specifically aimed at teenagers.

The first three issues of the series largely take place in-between the episodes of the show, and often expand upon events alluded to or mentioned in the series. For instance, issue #0 follows Kid Flash and Superboy as they attempt to kill time while the members of the Justice League set up Mount Justice for their arrival at the end of the pilot episode. In the episode "Welcome to Happy Harbor", Robin mentions that the Justice League had been forced to abandon their headquarters in Happy Harbor after its location was compromised by supervillains, which is revealed in issue #2 of the comic book series to have been orchestrated by the Joker. In addition, Baltazar and Aureliani confirmed that they were asked to introduce the Joker in the comic in order to set up his eventual appearance on the show.

Geoff Johns took a liking to Kaldur'ahm as Aqualad, who was consequently introduced to mainstream continuity altered in comic book issue #4 of Brightest Day as the second incarnation of the mantle. In Brightest Day, he is introduced as a teenager from New Mexico by the name of Jackson Hyde who is largely unaware of his Atlantean roots. In addition to his design, many aspects of the new Aqualad's back-story had to be altered to fit within the established continuity of the DC Universe.

Licensed merchandise
Additionally, several products based on the series have been licensed for release. Mattel will release lines of character action figures and accompanying playsets, among other toys and games. In addition to toys for the six lead characters, figures of Cheshire, Icicle Jr., Black Canary, Batman, Aquaman, the Flash and Ra's al Ghul have been confirmed as well. Starting March 13, 2011, McDonald's restaurants began featuring Young Justice toys in their Happy Meals. Figures include Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Superman, Batman, and the villains Captain Cold and Black Manta.