A fan favorite hero is born in the latest episode of Young Justice: Outsiders!
On the last episode of Young Justice, viewers were finally introduced to the character of Victor Stone, and it was already clear that seeds were being planted for his future. Now, those plans have been realized, and they have an interesting connection to Halo and Forager’s first day of school in “Another Freak.”
Birth of a Cyborg
When we last saw Victor Stone, he had just won a major football game and was being praised by his friends and wooed by a college scout. But his father, Silas, skipped out on the game to work on the Father Box. At the start of the episode, Victor confronts Silas at work about his neglect, but the two can’t seem to find common ground. As Victor storms out, a loose wire causes a massive explosion.
STAR Labs employees find Silas unharmed, but Victor is badly injured and near death. Despite pleas from his fellow scientists, Silas uses the Father Box in an attempt to heal his son’s injuries. Once activated, the device engulfs Victor’s body in a large, metal tank that appears to start repairing his body.
After a while, the tank opens up and releases Victor, who has been revived and is sporting metal (and extraterrestrial) prosthetics. Once the young man gets his bearings, Silas explains what he had to save him. Although initially overwhelmed by the situation, Victor is quickly overcome with anger and attacks Silas and the others.
To be honest, it was pretty clear how this would all play out, but that didn’t make it any less compelling to see. The opening conversation between Victor and Silas was well written and executed. It’s a story we’ve seen many times, but many people can relate to having issues with their parents. Cyborg’s design is also sleek, and although it’ll likely to change over time, it quickly differentiates him from past incarnations.
The First Day
Violet Harper (Halo) and Forager have officially been enrolled at Happy Harbor High School. Forager has now been given the alter ego Fred Bugg (the two G’s are crucial), and thanks to a glamour charm from Zatanna, he also has a human appearance.
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At school, the two have a hard time fitting in due to their unfamiliarity of high school, and considered “freaks” by the other students Luckily, they make a friend in the form of Harper Row, who encourages them to embrace their status as “freaks.” Throughout the day, Halo experiences pains, which finally culminate in her changing into a new color, indigo. Halo, as if she’s under someone else’s control, then creates a boom tube and leaves the school.
The boom tube takes her to STAR Labs, where Victor is still attacking his father and the others. After coming to her senses, she fights Victor and then uses her new ability to cleanse him. He then thanks her and asks if she can remove the prosthetics, to which Halo says she can’t. Victor views himself as a freak, but Halo, taking Row’s advice, encourages him to embrace it. Still angry at his father, Victor leaves with Halo.
At this point, Halo exhibiting another power was no surprise, but the connection to Victor’s situation was. Halo’s powers clearly have cosmic ties to New Genesis and Apokolips. So, could she have been engineered by The Light for Darkseid? Her appeal to Victor was also sweet and helped make his decision to leave with her feel natural. And the debut of Harper Row was a nice surprise that’s sure to get fans excited.
Brion Faces His Anger
Meanwhile, Brion continues to keep tabs on news of his brother, Gregor, and Markovia. When given the chance, he tries to get into the team’s computer to find info on his sister and the League of Shadows. He is then caught by Dick, who Brion takes his anger out on. Dick then makes the appeal that Brion’s not angry at him, but at everything he’s lost. Brion takes this to heart and later reconciles with Dick.
This was a major step in Brion’s development, and it’s great to finally see him soften up. Dick’s appeal to him was subtle but strong, as he of all people know’s what it’s like to have to accept the cards life has dealt him. This subplot further showcases how well Young Justice can create strong moments between its characters.
The first half of Young Justice: Outsiders is almost finished, and new characters and revelations are still coming to light. This is high-quality storytelling that just keeps getting better.