Young Justice season 3, episode 26 review: Nevermore

The season finale of Young Justice: Outsiders is here, and it caps off this chapter of the show with a heartfelt and gut-punching conclusion.

After a season filled with action, emotion and plenty of surprises, Young Justice: Outsiders has reached its conclusion. And the finale, “Nevermore”, ends the third season on a fittingly bittersweet note.

Return of the King

In the previous episode, Brion and Tara’s uncle, Baron DeLamb was broken out of jail by the Light and returned to Markovia to stage a military coup against Prince Gregor. With the Justice League restricted from entering the country, the Outsiders and the team travel to Markovia to finish the fight themselves.

More from DC Universe

• James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy casts more major DC characters
• New Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer pushes Arthur to his limits
• 7 actors who could replace Ezra Miller as The Flash in the DC Universe
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will have a battle pass (and that’s a bad sign)
• Harley Quinn renewed for a fifth season on Max (and it’s well-deserved)

Unbeknownst to them, the assault is being monitored by Lex Luthor and Deathstroke, who has ordered Tara (Terra) to publicly murder Garfield (Beast Boy). After finding DeLamb and fighting through Count Vertigo, Brion manages to trap his uncle. But at the same moment, Deathstroke attempts to force Tara to murder Gar. She is, however, convinced otherwise by Artemis, who learned of her double-agent status, thanks to some early surveillance work by Batman.

Brion, angered by Tara’s betrayal and the others keeping such a secret from him, takes out his aggression on DeLamb, whom he brutally kills after he taunts him. While Tara and the others are horrified, the people of Markovia hail him as a hero and king. Brion, unfazed by his actions, accepts the throne at the insistence of ambassador Baazovi, exiling Gregor and Tara and alienating Violet in the process.

After his journey this season, Brion’s decision is heartbreaking but makes complete sense. His belief that Markovia needed both a hero and a king is the only reason he allowed Dr. Jace to activate his metagene in the first place. So he ultimately got what he wanted, but ended up becoming the thing he swore to fight against. The whole thing borders on Greek tragedy, and it’s a bold story choice on the writers’ parts.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

In the aftermath of the Markovia incident, the Light suffers a few hits. Aside from losing Tara to the Outsiders, Lex Luthor is forced to resign as U.N Secretary General. This comes via intel intercepted by Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning) and Vic Stone. On top of this, Connor further incriminates the villain by publicly revealing himself as a clone of Lex and Superman and a product of Cadmus.

Despite this, the Light did manage to get a few small, victories. Brion’s (televised) execution of DeLamb will allow Luthor to make a case for metahuman registration. Not only that but Baazovi is revealed to be a new member of the Light, making Brion a puppet ruler for the organization. And Savage, having mended things with Darkseid, aims to keep an eye on Halo to keep the Anti-Life Equation out of the tyrant’s hands.

Young Justice has always done an effective job providing formidable antagonists for its heroes and giving them complex motivations. The Light’s goals have never been short-sighted, and they’ve always managed to stay one step ahead of the heroes. And with metahuman registration looming and a world leader now in their back pocket, they’ll have plenty of ways to cause trouble for the team going forward.

New Beginnings

Luthor’s expulsion from the U.N. helps the Justice League regain credibility in the eyes of the public and both them and the Outsiders trend positively. Connor and M’gann also make up, while the younger heroes continue to create change in their daily lives. Of course, there’s still the matter of the deception within the League.

Nightwing manages to gather up the various members of the League, the team and the Outsiders and reveals Batman’s secret alliance and the reason for its formation. With this, both Kaldur and Wonder Woman resign as co-chairs and nominate the returning Jefferson Pierce as leader. Jeff accepts on the condition that there are no more secrets and the teams maintain transparency to hold onto their ideals.

Jeff’s speech, which is beautifully performed by Khary Payton, hits the key themes of the season. Through both Batman Inc. and the Light, we’ve seen what deception does, and it never pans out well for anyone involved. And with everybody now on the same page, no one on the team will ever feel like an actual outsider. And it’ll also ensure that no hero sacrifices his or her values for the cause, as Brion did.

Speaking of which, he begins his reign as the king of Markovia, with Lex’s Infinity Inc. at his command. He even allows an audience with Dr. Jace, which definitely won’t spell good things for the future. In terms of what’s to come, the writers give a major clue during a team party, where a server is shown to have on a Legionnaire’s ring.

Young Justice: Outsiders will easily go down as one of the show’s best seasons. Although the creators built on what fans already loved about the series, they expanded the mythology and embedded some deep themes into the storytelling. Young Justice’s revived third season was well worth the wait, and season four won’t come soon enough.